By GARRY HOWE
IT’S been a tough week for the Carney family of Nar Nar Goon who lost their house and most of their possessions in a fire.
But it has been pretty heart-warming as well.
Michelle and Mark Carney and their children Hannah and Lachie have been blown away by the generosity of friends, family, townsfolk and even complete strangers since the fire engulfed their Browning Road home last Tuesday morning.
“We are very lucky to have great neighbours and to live in a great community,” Michelle said.
“The offers of support have been amazing. We know we have great families and fantastic friends, but people we don’t know have been generous and kind as well.
“We just want everyone to know how grateful we are.
“You feel very loved at a time like this.”
Michelle also had high praise for the Nar Nar Goon and Pakenham fire brigades which were quickly on the scene and helped salvage what they could from the house.
The family couldn’t believe that a ring they had made for Hannah survived the fire, as well as a brooch of Hannah’s grandmother that had been restored and given to her recently as a 21st birthday present.
A few of the kids’ photo albums can also be salvaged.
Incredibly, their passports also made it through the fire, which is fortunate because Michelle and Mark flew out to the US on Tuesday for their first holiday without the kids.
“We were going to cancel, but there’s not much we can do here and the kids wanted us to still go,” Michelle explained.
“We will be travelling pretty light, I can tell you, but it will give me an excuse to do a bit more shopping in New York!”
Michelle believes the fire started from an electrical fault and said the family will rebuild.
“We love Nar Nar Goon – there’s no way we could leave now.”
