“Thanks to all”
Last Sunday, July 25 local fire crews were alerted to a house fire, located approximately 5km south of Yarrawonga at Beatties Road, at around 7pm.
Seven fire crews including Yarrawonga, Mulwala, Tungamah, Wilby and Almonds were quick to get on the scene and fought the fire for about an hour and half to two hours but unfortunately the home was eighty percent destroyed by then.
Luckily everyone was safe with only Kol home at the time and her fortunately escaping unscathed, although she shared the home with her four daughters Elise-Anne 18, Katelyn 16, Cassidi 14, Justyce 6 and Elsie- Anne’s partner Tyrone.
Kol wished to express her appreciation to the wider community who have offered a sheer volume of assistance, so much so that the family has been left amazed.
“I’d personally like to give a huge thank you to everyone that has helped my family in this devastating time of our lives,” Kol said.
“We lost everything, but we still have each other and that as a mother is all I could ever hope for.
“I do apologise in advance if I’ve missed anyone’s names/businesses that I don’t mention; the response from the public had been so generous and overwhelming that I’m unable to remember everyone’s name.
“My thanks go out to you all, I am keeping a log of everybody that helps so I can thank you all in the future.
“I can’t express how grateful we are for your ongoing support in this time.
“Yarrawonga and Surrounds Fire and Ambulance, Yarrawonga Police, CFA, Saint Vinnies and St Mary, Lions Club of Yarrawonga, Sacred Heart Primary School, Yarrawonga College P-12, Judd’s Mensland, Yarrawonga Mulwala Real Estate, Bunnings Warehouse, K-hub Yarrawonga, Lake Edge Resort Cleaners, One Zach, The locksmiths Yarrawonga, GoFundMe donators, Denise Joan and Zoe Evans.
“All of my family and friends that I’m so lucky to have in our lives, Jann, Gordon, Tyrone, Kira, Kurt, Kez, Doug and family.
“Once again, we thank you all so, so much.” On the night of the fire Kol’s four daughters and Tyrone visited their grandparents Jann and Gordon for dinner in town while Kol stayed home, not feeling well and just wanting to relax.
In an odd twist of fate, just before the children left to head home Jann felt something wasn’t quite right and rang Kol, waking her from a nap and possibly saving her life.
Even amongst losing all the families belongings as well as the roof over their heads, Kol Murray would like to express her immense gratitude to the community.
“Just before the children left, I had a strange feeling something was wrong with my daughter so I rang her to check,” Jann said.
“She didn’t answer the first three times I rang but when she did answer she said everything was ok, she had just been asleep. Only a few moments later she walked down the hallway and the phone dropped out, the fire had started then.”
Yarrawonga CFA Coordinator Lieutenant Simon Crawford said the fire was not being treated as suspicious, but fire investigators will revisit the location to identify the exact cause.
“It is just devastating, they have lost everything,” Jann said.
“The only things they all had were the clothes off their back and since returning to the house a small number of things are salvageable but even if some weren’t fire damaged, they have been smoke damaged.
“Memories such as photographs and the likes, gifts from loved ones both still with us and not, work and school clothes, toys, everything. It’s just gone.
“I am just so grateful that Kol got out safe and the children were not home too.
“We cannot thank the community enough. So many individuals, businesses and organisations have put their hand up to help and we are absolutely gobsmacked.
“We do not want to forget anybody at all and are grateful to absolutely everybody.
“Our main mission now is to get a roof over their heads. They do have somewhere to stay right now to keep them safe, but they need their own home which has been a difficulty with the housing shortage due to COVID-19.”
While the family try to sort out a roof over their head, they wish for the community to know that they are hugely grateful for the sheer number of donations they have received and the help that has been given but until they find a new home, they do not have a primary space to store donations and are unaware of some of the objects they will need.
However, if you know of anyone that has a residence the Murray family could occupy please contact Kol’s mum Jann on 0424914167 or if you would like to assist in any way, you can donate to the GoFundMe by searching Yarrawonga at the gofundme.com website then selecting ‘Help to start over after house fire’ or contact the Lions Club Of Yarrawonga who can assist in what items are needed and when.