Nitjpurru Store is fully stocked and ready to welcome repatriated residents after the remote community was evacuated four months ago due to flooding.
Outback Stores, which manages Nitjpurru Store, was one of the first services to return to Pigeon Hole, setting up a temporary store to service tradespeople cleaning and restoring the community.
Raghavendra ‘Raghu’ Bodanapati, Store Manager of Nitjpurru Store, helped residents evacuate in March before being airlifted out, then returning to set up the temporary store.
“It’s great to see everyone returning and they think the store looks good. Even though it’s temporary it’s well-arranged and well-stocked.”
The temporary store is located inside two shipping containers on the community basketball courts, while a month’s worth of stock is stored in another three shipping containers.
A full range of fresh food and groceries is on sale, with a special emphasis on kitchen items and appliances such as plates, cutlery, toasters, and kettles.
Mildred Hector, Store Director, said it feels good to be home.
“Today we went shopping and bought clothes, sheets and blankets. The store looks good.”
Outback Stores works with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in a holistic way to improve health, nutrition, employment, training, and economic outcomes in remote communities, by providing retail store management and support services on a transparent fee for service basis to Indigenous owned community stores.
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