| AN ICONIC Queensland guesthouse was yesterday burnt to the ground as the owners and their young grandson fled from the flames at Mt Tamborine. Fire broke out in the kitchen area of The Polish Place about 2.15am and quickly engulfed the entire main building, a beautiful timber chateau reminiscent of central Europe. Firefighters arrived at the scene quickly and spent three hours battling the blaze but were unable to save the building, one of the first restaurants to open on Mt Tamborine more than three decades ago. Owners Phil and Ania Sowter, who built the business from scratch in the early 1980s, were woken by a smoke alarm in the early hours and managed to rush outside with their young grandson. However, their beloved dachshund, Pinja, did not survive.
Nearby guest cottages were not damaged by the fire.
The Sowters, who were taken to hospital for smoke inhalation, were too distraught to talk to The Sunday Mail but their daughter, Belinda Bzykowski, said they were still in shock. “They’ve lost everything,” she said. “They live for this place. It was their pride and joy, and everything was gone in a flash.” Ms Bzykowski said the community had quickly rallied around the family.
“They’ve had people offering to put them up, which is lovely,” she said. “The whole mountain is in shock.”
Born in Poland, Mrs Sowter’s dream was to share a slice of her homeland with Australia, and she was still working as a chef in the restaurant, producing authentic Polish cuisine.
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Lieutenant Jake Sullivan from Queensland Fire and Rescue said the tragedy could have been worse without working smoke alarms.The cause of the fire is still under investigation but there are believed to be no suspicious circumstances.
from Courier Mail
Rok 1997. Z wizytą w Polish Place. Druga od lewej pani Ania Sowter, obok niej Paulin Ojciec Joachim. |
Widok z ogrodu na bajeczną dolinę. A na stole rozrabiają papużki, które Pani Ania pieszczotliwie nazywała "cipulkami" |
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