South Gippsland pub the Welshpool Hotel gutted by floods days before New Year’s Eve, set to reopen tonight
A Gippsland pub gutted by a flood on Boxing Day will reopen for tonight’s New Year’s Eve celebrations following a mammoth clean up effort by the community.
Bass Coast News
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A popular pub in South Gippsland gutted by a flood on Boxing Day will reopen for tonight’s New Year’s Eve celebrations following a mammoth clean up effort by the community.
The Welshpool Hotel publican Skye Dubignon woke on Boxing Day to 10 missed calls and several frantic text messages telling her the venue was underwater.
“Basically, (the water) came in one end and out the other – we have had to rip up the carpet throughout the entire premises and the hotel rooms, bistro and bar,” Ms Dubignon said.
“We did everything we could to salvage them but unfortunately the mud was bad and the mould had set in and we were instructed to rip it up.”
She said the mud went through everything in the venue and described the clean up as “just crazy”.
Ms Dubignon, who took over the lease of the pub a few months ago, was enjoying her time off at the start of the week, having only reopened the pub five weeks ago following an eight-week sprucing spree.
“I was … enjoying a sleep in when I woke up to about 10 calls and messages and I launched out of bed to see I was flooded in at home in Toora 10 minutes down the road,” she said.
“So I could only go by all the pictures I was receiving to what was happening at the pub — I couldn’t get there until I could get out from home and I honestly there was nothing I could do about it so it was what it was.”
Ms Dubignon said her friends, family and the local community all came out to help get the Main St hotel back in business for New Year’s trading.
“The support is amazing — everyone rallies together to get the whole town and all the shops back open and operational and have helped me with the huge clean up,” Ms Dubignon said.
“Amazing locals Anthony and Denise Bravington from Bravtec Cleaning Solutions turned up on site and helped clean all the businesses in town pumping the water out and cleaning the floors of mud.
“They were a huge help and we couldn’t haven’t gotten rid of the majority of mud without them.”
Ms Dubignon said the she is dealing with insurance and getting quotes for the repairs.
“I honestly don’t know the full extent of the damage yet,” she said.
“It’s all unknown at the moment.”
Ms Dubignon said the team had worked non-stop to ensure the pub could open for New Year’s Eve.
“We have our very own bar man named Paul and (music act) Alysha & Duffy are set to play for our first live music event at the pub to ring in the new year,” she said.
“So we are working endlessly to get the place able to open to celebrate and (we’ll) deal with the repairs as that happens.”
Ms Dubignon said she appreciated all the support from the surrounding communities and advised people to continue supporting the small town of Welshpool.
“Please support our little town and all our little shops when we are back open, this is our busiest time of the year and it’s not much of a summer at the moment,” she said.
“If we can get through all of this in the first few months of being open there is no stopping the amazing things to come in the future.
“Thank you to my amazing friends, family and locals for all the support, well wishes and love that has been sent my way.”
Ms Dubignon said despite the damages, they have done what they could in a short time to reopen tonight.
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