868 days ago

Fire causes 'extensive damage' to popular Westport restaurant

The Team Reporter from The Press

A popular restaurant in the West Coast town of Westport, Johnny’s, has suffered “extensive damage” after a fire ripped through the building on Wednesday.

Smoke could be seen billowing from the two-storey building on Palmerston St as five fire crews fought to bring the blaze under control.

Johnny’s owner John Lennon said he was relieved no-one was hurt.

“[We’re] still waiting for the fire to be [brought] under control, and then we can get an idea of what happened.”


Lennon and his wife, Janis, lease the downstairs part of the building where they set up Johnny’s about five-and-a-half years ago.

“Our kitchen is completely water and smoke damaged and the upstairs looks to be extensively damaged,” Lennon said.

Emergency services were called to the fire about 10.10am on Wednesday.

Palmerston St BP owner Raymond Gibson said he could see smoke coming from the building.

“I really feel for [the owners], they work really hard seven days a week,” he said.

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More messages from your neighbours
1 hour ago

Best way to use leftovers?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

I'm sure you've got some excess ham at home or cold roast potatoes.

What are some of your favourite ways to use leftover food from Christmas day? Share below.

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16 days ago

⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️

The Team from SPCA New Zealand

It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:

👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️

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8 days ago

Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.

If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?

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Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
  • 61.8% Summer
    61.8% Complete
  • 36.7% Winter
    36.7% Complete
  • 1.5% Other - I'll share below
    1.5% Complete
1514 votes