JUNE 13, 2018 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
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Newport family rebuilds By Goya Dmytryshchak
Newport Baptist Church, the children’s schools and members of the A Newport man who lost his wife to local community rallied around the cancer before a fire destroyed his home Pike family in the aftermath of the fire, in March says he will build a new family raising more than $20,000 and donating necessities. home for their three children. Mr Pike said he wanted to thank Stuart Pike and his children – Arleigh, 13, Sabrina, 8 and Kiowa, 10 – lost their publicly all those who had supported wife and mother Debra to cancer eight them. months before their Graham Street home was destroyed by fire in March. Keep going, no Mr Pike said that Westpac bank had been helpful in “very, very difficult” matter how hard it circumstances. He said accommodation for the gets family had been made available until - Stuart Pike a new house could be built on the site of the house they bought 12 years before. Mr Pike, an army officer, said that on “It’s just really a huge thanks to the morning of the fire he thought he the local community, particularly was having a bad dream. the Newport Baptist Church, the “It wasn’t obvious what was going on support from both of the children’s because it was two in the morning, but schools – Bayside Secondary College then there were little flashes of, ‘This is and Newport Lakes Primary School – real, OK kids – out, out, out’,” he said. they’ve bent over backwards to help the “Then I remembered the car and children out,” he said. thought, ‘Oh, the LPG gas tank’.” “Some of the neighbours’ children Thinking of the two families on go to Sacred Heart Primary School and either side and fearing an explosion, he the school surprised us with a cheque said he pushed the Holden Kingswood that the schoolchildren had raised as far away as possible to save the themselves.” neighbouring houses. “But I really wanted to say thank you A Boxing Kangaroo flag flies above to the bank because it could have gone the ruins of their old house as a symbol either way … having the stability of of “down but not out”. being here for at least 12 months has Mr Pike said his infantry training provided an element of stability that, had instilled in him a mindset of: “Keep particularly with the young children, is going, no matter how hard it gets.” absolutely crucial.”
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Stuart Pike with Arleigh, Sabrina and Kiowa and a photo of Debra that was saved from the fire. (Damjan Janevski)
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