Officers Mess at New Farm to reopen after roof ripped off by ‘mini tornado’

A heritage-listed venue at New Farm which had its roof torn off by an intense microburst is set to reopen less than seven days after the dramatic closure.

A riverside venue which had its roof blown off during a freak storm will re-open tomorrow in a seven-day turn around that is almost too speedy to believe.

On Friday night last week, approximately 100 people were lucky to escape unharmed as a ‘mini-tornado’ ripped off a large portion of the roof from Officers Mess in New Farm.

The heritage-listed building was built in the 1940s, with the functions and ballroom area lucky to come away largely unscathed.

Workers on site after the Officers Mess lost its roof in Friday’s intense storm. Picture: Steve Pohlner

General Manager Alex Sey told The Courier Mail that he and owner Will Griffin were quick to make plans on how they could re-open as quickly as possible, settling on a new and improved look.

“We had a bit of a clean slate to start working with and at that point in time I’m sitting with Will, and we’re going, this is an opportunity for us,” Mr Sey said.

“The building is owned by Brisbane City Council, and by the time you work through those guys and work with insurers, we would be waiting weeks, if not months, for a rebuild on the structure that we lost, so we started thinking about some other options.”

Now, the venue will operate as a largely outdoor entertainment area, with repositioned furniture and umbrellas making up the space that used to boast a roof.

Officers Mess are preparing for their official re-opening on Friday morning. Picture: Supplied

“We’ve got over 50 people in the team here, and most of them are casuals ... and my fear was that if we didn’t get open straight away, we’re going to lose 40 odd casuals,” Mr Sey said.

“Everything will be the same, apart from the fact that we don’t have a roof, for us now we’re saying we’ve got a convertible venue or an open air venue.”

Mr Sey went on to say the team would be looking to repair the roof in the outdoor area in the future, but would continue operating in its current capacity for the time being.

Officers Mess is set to re-open on Friday morning at 6.30am.

Originally published as Officers Mess at New Farm to reopen after roof ripped off by ‘mini tornado’