Community spirit on the menu as locals feed Ergon energy crews, Magnetic Island

A local food truck owner has been praised for his efforts after spending days cooking by torchlight for emergency crews working to restore power to Magnetic Island after the cyclone.

Ergon Energy crews out restoring power to Townsville suburbs.

A food truck owner has been praised for his efforts after spending days cooking by torchlight for emergency Ergon crews working to restore power to Magnetic Island in the wake of ex-tropical cyclone Kirrily.

Nethruu (Nate) Kulatunga and his wife Humali Kulatunga are the owners of Noodies, a Mexican restaurant in Horseshoe Bay, and food van Ceylon Curry Corner.

When ex-Tropical Cyclone Kirrily knocked out power for the island’s 2500 residents last Thursday evening Mr and Mrs Kulatunga received a call from friend Jarryd Jeffery.

Mr Jeffery lives on the island and works for Ergon Energy. He had crew members on their way to ‘Maggie’ on Saturday, and with cafes and restaurants closed, had 60 hungry mouths to feed.

“Friday early morning he rang and asked if we could help,” Mr Kulatunga said.

Nethruu and Humali Kulatunga, Mat and Racheal Simpson, Kaye and Warren Thompson, Savannah Mortimer and Jarrad Jeffery cooked for days in the dark to feed Ergon energy crews on Magnetic Island after the cyclone.

“The problem was, we didn’t have any electricity.”

Enlisting an army of friends and family, Mr and Mrs Kulatunga cooked burger patties on their gas grill for days in the dark to feed Ergon crews as they worked around the clock to restore power.

“We were cooking in Noodies with someone holding a torch to see what is in the fryer,” Mr Kulatunga laughed.

“As soon as we were finished, one of the crew got in their car to drive to Picnic and the other bays to drop off burgers.

“We had a proper organised system.”

With a team of seven adults and three children holding torches, the families fed around 100 Ergon crew members over the course of the weekend until power was restored to the island on Sunday, January 28.

“I didn’t want to see Jarryd go hungry. We needed power back. We needed to do something,” Mr Kulatunga said.

However, Mr Kulatunga said their efforts weren’t just to help a friend in need, but to show people the spirit of the island.

“We don’t want a bad name for the island,” he said.

“The island looks after us, and we look after the island.”

Originally published as Community spirit on the menu as locals feed Ergon energy crews, Magnetic Island