The Emu Heights and Emu Plains communities are doing their part for a local business owner who lost his home in a fire in the early hours of Thursday morning, February 27.
Co-owner of Uncle Bob’s Chicken & Stuff at Lennox Centre, Robert Massey – a.k.a. Uncle Bob – woke up to a loud sound and a strange smell around 4.30am on the fateful morning.
“I actually yelled out to my wife, ‘What are you cooking?’ assuming that it was later in the day and she might have been cooking breakfast,” Massey recounted.
“But it didn’t smell right, so I got up and walked down the hallway to go towards the kitchen, and once I turned the hallway corner into the kitchen, it was like being punched in the face by heat and smoke.
“By that time, I saw a glow – flames – in the corner of my lounge room, and so I ran back to the bedrooms.”
The patriarch evacuated his family from the home, including his wife, six-year-old son, 13-year-old son, 17-year-old daughter, and his daughter’s 17-year-old partner.
After ensuring his family’s safety, Massey returned to the home to check on his dog who usually sleeps on the back deck.
“I ran through and looked up at the back deck, he was down on the ground and the back deck was engulfed in flames,” he said.
“It was massive, I’ve never seen anything like it!”
More than 40 firefighters and 10 fire trucks responded to the fire on Strathdon Road, and it took roughly two hours to contain.
The cause of the blaze is still unknown because the damage was so intense.
“Where the fire started, none of the house is left,” Massey explained.
“They’re saying it could be electrical; it could be anything.”
The experience has given the family man a new appreciation for life.
“I had so much, and everything’s gone, but my kids are safe, so I don’t care,” Massey said.
“I’m more focused on my family.”
However, the timing of the inferno has caused concern, coming only two months after opening Uncle Bob’s Chicken & Stuff.
“It’s the worst time possible that you could have your house burn down, getting a new business going is difficult,” Massey explained.
There are silver linings to this tragedy, with the Massey family experiencing the kindness of their community.
“We contacted Aitken Real Estate and within 12 hours they got us a property, it’s approved, and we’re moving in this weekend,” Massey said.
“Our insurance company has been great as well, they put us up straight away, and they put money in our account to buy new clothes.”
Massey was overflowing with gratitude for Aitken Real Estate, his staff members, and his youngest son’s school.
“The community at Emu Heights Public School have been awesome to my son and they’ve donated a lot of things,” the father said.
“We ordered new uniforms and paid for them, and they refunded the money.
“Little kids are even donating toys to him.”
The family will be starting fresh in their new home this weekend, and Uncle Bob can be spotted behind the counter serving up slow-smoked big-flavoured goodness.
Ally Hall
Ally Hall joined the Weekender in 2024, and focuses on entertainment and community stories. She's a graduate of the University of South Australia and has previously worked as a Video Journalist with Southern Cross Austereo and as a News Reader with Australian Radio Network.