Graeme Croft speaks about rebuilding his business from the ashes of that fateful May day
Cairns mechanic Graeme Croft has been heartened by deluge of public support as he rebuilds his business after the calamitous workshop inferno.
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THE MEMORIES of a fateful autumn morning still smoulder in the mind of Graeme Croft, owner of Croft Auto.
Sometimes he doesn’t want to pick up his phone if it rings outside of work hours, fearing the news on the other end of the line.
It was just six weeks ago that he received one of the worst calls of his life, notifying him that his business was burning to the ground.
The typically chipper man, whose approachable demeanour strikes a chord with customers, used to pass off everyday worries with a tragically ironic maxim.
“I used to say ‘it’s not like your business is going to burn down and you’ll lose everything’. It turns out that can actually happen,” he said.
“I was pretty depressed the first couple of weeks. I didn’t want to answer the phone. Didn’t want to get up and do any work. I thought about walking away.”
It was about 4am on May 31 when a customer called Mr Croft, who thought it must have been a “pocket dial” given the early hours. But it wasn’t.
Upon hearing the news, and after a quick look at his security cameras, which were all offline, Mr Croft drove to his workplace in disbelief, hoping the news wasn’t true.
“It was pretty bad when I got there. I could see the flames and there were fire trucks everywhere. I felt numb, I couldn’t fathom it.
“They (the emergency services) saw me and asked if it was my place. A firefighter said ‘I’ll level with you, your shed is pretty much gone’.
“Once it was all out and I could walk around and see how bad it was, that’s when it sank in. There was nothing left.”
The emergency services confirmed the cause of the blaze was accidental, attributing it to a probable electrical fault.
The fire destroyed all the contents of his shop, including four vehicle hoists and a work car. Like a slap against a burn, the insurance barely covered his loss, Mr Croft said.
“We were paying a lot in insurance but we worked out we’re not even getting back the premiums we’ve paid in the past six years,” he said.
“I thought ‘oh well at least I might get a couple of week’s holidays’, but I was just flat out chasing a new shed, dealing with insurance companies, doing paperwork.
“It’s definitely set us back a few years. I was starting to look at stepping back to spend more time with the kids, but now I’m going to be full on trying to rebuild.”
The love and care of Mr Croft’s family, as well as donations from generous customers, pulled him through a depressive period and encouraged him to rebuild.
He serendipitously landed a four-year lease on a shed 500m north of his previous place of business. He’s now at 468 Sheridan St and resumed business on Monday, July 11.
“Once we put it on Facebook that we were back in business we booked out for the week.
“I didn’t realise how many customers actually cared. One even left $2000 cash for us.
“I’ve definitely learnt how many friends I’ve got. People have even left money in my letterbox. Everyone’s been so supportive.”
Sonya Parker, a loyal customer of Mr Croft’s, said it’s important to support local people during such times.
“I was pretty sad, pretty devo, knowing what they lost,” she said.
“I definitely recommend Graeme to others. We’ll always support them. It’s good to support locals.”
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