Newlyweds speak out after The Park gastro saga makes groom, guests violently ill

A bride and groom are demanding answers after a score of their guests fell violently ill following their wedding at The Park Melbourne.

At least 28 of their guests fell ill after Rebecca and Brodey had their wedding at The Park Melbourne. Picture: A Current Affair / Single Soul Wedding Photography

A newlywed couple has recounted how they were forced to spend their honeymoon worrying about their guests after their fairytale wedding at The Park Melbourne was gatecrashed by a suspected gastro outbreak.

Rebecca and Brodey Fitz-Gerald were one of four couples who celebrated their wedding at the Albert Park venue in the past fortnight.

The couple tied the knot last Friday and invited more than a hundred family and friends to celebrate their special day.

People have been ill after five separate events at the venue.

However, like a medical conference and a wedding that was held at the venue in the weeks prior, a weekend of celebration quickly took an ill-fated turn when 28 of their guests – including two pregnant women – and the groom fell violently ill.

Consequently the couple were forced to spend their weekend in the city separated, with Mr Fitz-Gerald staying “under the covers in bed” while his wife ventured the CBD alone.

Meanwhile they received a string of texts from unwell guests who informed the couple they had come down with gastro-like symptoms.

“That sort of puts all of the good memories you had of the wedding in the back of your head because you’re trying to focus on making sure your guests are okay,” Mr Fitz-Gerald said.

Meanwhile Ms Fitz-Gerald said she felt embarrassed, especially given the Department of Health and Port Phillip Council had given the venue the all clear to keep operating.

The couple spoke out to A Current Affair after The Herald Sun revealed a fifth event had been affected by the outbreak.

The first outbreak occurred on September 13 at the annual Australian and New Zealand Burns Association (ANZBA) conference dinner where 80 medical practitioners, researchers and specialists fell violently ill.

Then on September 16, the first of four weddings was impacted when another 80 guests came down with the same foodborne illness – norovirus.

Brodey and Rebecca Fitz-Gerald have spoken out after their wedding was gatecrashed by the Albert Park gastro saga. Picture: A Current Affair

A source told the Herald Sun conference guests were served gnocchi or lamb shoulder for entree, chicken or salmon for main course and a chocolate tart or rice pudding for dessert.

Meanwhile adult wedding guests were served pork and chicken, while the children were given hamburgers.

Guests at both events reported suffering gastroenteritis symptoms, such as diarrhoea and vomiting.

Then, in an update on Wednesday, the Department of Health confirmed it was investigating two more weddings held over the weekend on Friday and Saturday, following The Park Melbourne’s decision to shut temporarily.

The Herald Sun was then the first to reveal on Thursday, the gastro outbreak struck a fifth event, with five guests falling violently ill after attending another wedding on Sunday.

Thus, as of 4pm Thursday, a total of 233 people who attended the venue this month have come down with gastro-like symptoms, with a small number requiring hospital treatment.

“We’re continuing to work with Port Phillip Council and South East Public Health Unit to investigate the sources of the outbreaks and ensure all appropriate infection prevention and control measures are in place,” the Department of Health said in a statement on Wednesday.

The additional outbreaks come despite the venue undergoing a deep clean which occurred on September 18.

A second deep clean was conducted on Tuesday, following the two later outbreaks.

A total of 221 guests who attended the venue in the past fortnight have fallen ill.

The Park Melbourne has since announced it would temporarily shut for the next two weeks as investigations continue.

In a statement, management said it was not yet clear if all outbreaks were linked but it would shut “out of an abundance of caution”.

“The health and wellbeing of our guests is our highest priority,” the statement said.

“The Park’s closure is entirely voluntary and has not been requested by the Department of Health.

“It is not a decision we have taken lightly, and we have found alternate locations for all parties impacted.”

It’s not yet known for certain whether norovirus is responsible for the wedding outbreaks over the weekend, however early symptoms and epidemiological patterns so far suggest the guests got sick from the same virus.

Norovirus is an extremely contagious form of gastro, which can spread through people or via contaminated food, surfaces or objects, was confirmed following lab testing of patients’ blood and stool samples.

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