A couple left in the lurch after a local café group suddenly fell into liquidation has found a new place to celebrate.
Adam Howard and Gemma Wall were booked in to have their wedding reception at the Mulgoa location of The Bunker this Saturday, November 30.
They had paid all their deposits and only had to wait for their special day to arrive.
But eight days before their wedding, Western Food Group, which operates The Bunker, went into liquidation and closed the doors on all four of its venues.
Adam and Gemma say they were forced to find out the news on the grapevine, throwing their wedding plans into chaos.
“We found out through chit chat amongst the town. Our brother-in-law’s family work for the cleaners at The Bunker sites and was told ‘don’t worry about going to that job because they’ve gone into liquidation’,” Gemma said.
“Our brother-in-law rang me and asked if we knew that they had gone into liquidation, which we didn’t.
“I didn’t take it seriously; I thought he was joking. The reason I thought it was a joke, and a bit of a stitch up was because we literally paid the remainder for the venue the week prior.”
After finally communicating with the venue, Adam and Gemma couldn’t get clarity on whether their reception would be able to go ahead.
After having paid for their reception in full at The Bunker, the couple had to scramble to find a new location.
The reception will go ahead at Astina this Saturday.
“We have had to pay for a full reception, everything was paid for, ready to get married and now we’ve literally had to do it twice,” Gemma said.
“So financially, we are 10 steps backwards. We did not have the money to pay for this place… We saved for so long to pay for the Bunker, and it’s just gone.
“I’m hoping and praying that we can get our money back, but I don’t know.”
In a statement, The Bunker said it was looking into ways to return funds to people who have been affected by their closure but haven’t provided a timeline of when the remuneration will occur.
“We deeply appreciate the ongoing support of our community and extend our heartfelt thanks to the Astina Group for stepping in to assist Gemma and Adam on their special day. We understand that the timing of our unanticipated pause in trade has been challenging for the couple and truly empathise with their situation,” the statement said.
“The Bunker is committed to ensuring all funds are returned to the couple once the venues re-open.”
The Bunker’s venues remained closed as of today, but work is underway behind the scenes for the cafes to re-open and jobs to be saved.
Trent McMillen and Ernie Chou of Penrith-based firm Mac Insolvency have been appointed liquidators.
Last week, it was confirmed that Western Food Group would transfer ownership of The Bunker in the hopes of saving the business and the jobs impacted by the liquidation.
“This has not been an easy decision, but it is a necessary one. Our priority is to ensure our employees are supported through this process, and we remain deeply grateful for their dedication and hard work over the years,” a statement said.
The Bunker remains hopeful its venues will re-open in the coming weeks.
Emily Chate
Emily Chate joined The Western Weekender in 2024, and covers local news - primarily courts and politics. A graduate of the University of Wollongong, Emily has contributed to The Daily Telegraph and worked as a freelance journalist.