Owners vow to rebuild
THE owners of a Mission Beach restaurant that burnt down a few days before Christmas have declared that the popular business will rise from the ashes once again.
Firefighters are still investigating the cause of the blaze that destroyed Millers Beach Bar & Grill on Banfield Pde on December 21.
It was the second time the restaurant had faced devastation, after it was destroyed during Cyclone Yasi in 2011.
The business then underwent an extensive renovation.
Restaurant owners Michael Hannaford and Shane Battle described on social media the loss of their business as the “end of an era”.
“As you can imagine, we are in deep shock, and feeling sad not only for the business that we loved and have now lost, but also for our community, who have supported the various restaurants in this location over a period of 20- plus years, including ours for the past eight years,” they said.
They added that the building’s owners intended to rebuild the restaurant, a process that would take at least 12 months.
“We still have no word as to the cause of the fire,” they said.
“But the dust is settling somewhat and it has become clear that the building of Millers will rise from the ashes once it is ready.
“So will we be to rebuild our business and keep providing our beautiful community with the service they love.”
A Queensland Fire and Emergency Services spokeswoman confirmed that the incident was still under investigation.
Mr Hannaford and Mr Battle acknowledged the incident had come on top of a horror year for Mission Beach, after the deaths of three skydivers three months ago.
Mission Beach mum Kerri Pike and instructors Toby Turner and Peter Dawson died after a suspected midair collision over the tourist town on October 13.
In addition to the tragedy, two other restaurants, Italian Pizza Pasta House Restaurant and Cafe, and the Shanti Cafe on Porter Promenade, were damaged in a fire on July 9.
“2017 has seen some terrible hits on our village,” Millers’ owners wrote. “We have all experienced or been touched by loss, and this seems to us like a full stop at the bottom of the exclamation mark.
“We pray that 2018 brings untold happiness and joy to all in our community.”