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Katie Woolf spoke with Chris Lay from NT Oriental Emporium · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: The Anti Oriental Emporium has had a really difficult time
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: in recent months, and the iconic Coconut Grove business went
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: up in flames in the early hours of October eight,
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  Speaker 1: but the family has done an enormous amount of work
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  Speaker 1: to ensure that the Much Love store is able to reopen.
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  Speaker 1: And joining me on the line right now is Chris
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  Speaker 1: lay And from Anti Oriental Emporium. Good morning to you, Chris.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning Katie and listeners.
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  Speaker 3: Mate. How are things going.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, they're really good. We've had a lot of people
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  Speaker 2: there through the store this morning. There was already a
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  Speaker 2: line up very early when we got in today, which
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  Speaker 2: is fantastic and it just shows the amount of love
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  Speaker 2: and support we've received over the last six weeks. It's
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  Speaker 2: been fantastic.
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  Speaker 1: Oh, that is wonderful to hear. So opened this morning.
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  Speaker 1: What time did those doors finally open, Chris?
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  Speaker 2: So We opened at about eight thirty. Yeah, but we
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  Speaker 2: had people lining up from age, which is kind of
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  Speaker 2: crazy because, you know, we don't expect for you know,
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  Speaker 2: we knew that the store was sort of important for
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  Speaker 2: a lot of people where they used to get things
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  Speaker 2: that you don't get from your other major supermarket supplies,
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  Speaker 2: but obviously everyone's been missing the store. Yeah, nice to
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  Speaker 2: see a lot of people.
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  Speaker 3: Oh that's so nice to hear.
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  Speaker 1: And I think it's a real testament to you and
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  Speaker 1: your family of how appreciated that story is in the
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  Speaker 1: Northern Territory community. Chris, what have people been saying to
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  Speaker 1: you as they've walked through the doors this morning?
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  Speaker 2: Oh? Look, it's a lot of mixed reactions. It's a
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  Speaker 2: lot of oh, thank goodness, we can get what we
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  Speaker 2: need again. There's also a lot of comments on the
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  Speaker 2: new store. I mean, obviously the old store was going
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  Speaker 2: on about forty odd years.
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  Speaker 1: Yep, it was.
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  Speaker 2: Getting a bit old. I think everyone liked a bit
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  Speaker 2: of change every now and then. So it's been really
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  Speaker 2: encouraging from everyone. Now, like I said, we don't have
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  Speaker 2: the full compliment of products. Ye, trying to source everything
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  Speaker 2: as we work our way through. But I think the
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  Speaker 2: most important thing for us was to get back and
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  Speaker 2: open before Christmas. I think a lot of people, especially
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  Speaker 2: in Darwin, we're a very multi cultural society. A lot
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  Speaker 2: of people celebrate Christmas in different ways and I guess
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  Speaker 2: different meals, so it's not always through turkey or the chicken.
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  Speaker 2: It might be a Lasa or a noodle suits for
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  Speaker 2: lunch on Christmas Day. So yeah, you know, it's just
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  Speaker 2: been very encouraging to see everyone flooding back to the store.
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  Speaker 2: It's been really really nice.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, mate, it can't have been easy.
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  Speaker 1: I mean, you guys have had such a difficult couple
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  Speaker 1: of years. But you know, knowing that that the coconut
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  Speaker 1: growth business went up in flames not too long ago,
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  Speaker 1: I mean October eight, it's not long ago at all,
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  Speaker 1: So no mean feet being able to get a new
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  Speaker 1: store up and running so quickly.
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  Speaker 2: No, But you know, we've been here a long time.
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  Speaker 2: We've got a lot of trusted partners and suppliers that
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  Speaker 2: we work with up here in and all the territory,
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  Speaker 2: and we always try and put our best foot forward.
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  Speaker 2: So I can sort of happily report that about ninety
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  Speaker 2: percent of the work that was done on site was
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  Speaker 2: done all through local contractors and businesses. And I think,
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  Speaker 2: you know, we're a very tight knit community up him
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  Speaker 2: and when I guess people are doing it tough, everyone
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  Speaker 2: comes out to help. So I think it's a testament
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  Speaker 2: to the Daralin community spirit that you know, we were
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  Speaker 2: able to do a lot of these things because without
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  Speaker 2: the support of refrigeration mechanics, electricians, you know, people like
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  Speaker 2: doing our flaws and things like that, we wouldn't have
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  Speaker 2: been in this position. But like I said, everyone was
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  Speaker 2: really willing to help. They put our work first, even
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  Speaker 2: before other quoted work that they had done previously. So
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  Speaker 2: it was very heartening like that. We feel very lucky
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  Speaker 2: to have all of these very good partners of ours
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  Speaker 2: to come together and help us as well, such being
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  Speaker 2: break well.
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  Speaker 3: And real testament to your family as well.
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  Speaker 1: I would suggest, you know, well respected and well liked
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  Speaker 1: within the community to have those local business, those local
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  Speaker 1: tradesmen be able to jump on board and help you
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  Speaker 1: guys as quickly as they have. But Chris, you know,
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  Speaker 1: I guess it goes to show you that what Territorians
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  Speaker 1: do best, and that is stick together and help out
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  Speaker 1: their mates when when the chips are down.
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  Speaker 2: It is and we've always said that, you know, this
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  Speaker 2: is our second fire in two years, as obviously has
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  Speaker 2: been widely reported, and you know I said both times
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  Speaker 2: now the support has been just fantastic. Yeah, you know,
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  Speaker 2: we even have to go out to to you know,
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  Speaker 2: even council Health Department, you know, the government everyone has
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  Speaker 2: really put their best foot forward in helping us get
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  Speaker 2: back to where we need to be. And it's been fantastic.
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  Speaker 2: Even the landlords. You know, no request was too hard
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  Speaker 2: for them. We put things, I mean, site hadn't been
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  Speaker 2: used in a while. We'd ask them to do a
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  Speaker 2: lot of sort of remedial work and they did that
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  Speaker 2: really quickly. And again it all just adds up and
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  Speaker 2: helps us to get back to me. So it was
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  Speaker 2: really really nice.
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  Speaker 1: And Chris, any idea where the investigation is at from
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  Speaker 1: the fire.
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  Speaker 2: Look at this stage, police are still working on that
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  Speaker 2: they have been since day one. I mean, I don't
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  Speaker 2: want to embarrass the leading officer who's doing the investigation,
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  Speaker 2: but he's been fantastic. He's kept us in the loop
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  Speaker 2: the entire time. You know, I know that they're following
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  Speaker 2: up many leads at the moment, a lot of which
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  Speaker 2: I can't discuss as a Radio's fine. Again, they're looking
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  Speaker 2: at things from their perspective and I have every place
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  Speaker 2: in there that they you know, they will come up
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  Speaker 2: with with an outcome for us that we're so let's
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  Speaker 2: let them do their work and still where that takes.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, I agree, Now Chris is the site that you
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  Speaker 1: right now is are you going to stay there or what?
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  Speaker 1: Or are you still sort of a plan still up
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  Speaker 1: in the air. Is it going to be your permanent site.
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  Speaker 2: Well, we've actually started demolition already with some build on
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  Speaker 2: our old site, so they're actually working as we speak.
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  Speaker 2: I'm looking out the window and there's a big picking
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  Speaker 2: up all the metal scraps putting it in the bin.
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  Speaker 2: So the site should be cleared in another two to
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  Speaker 2: three weeks and then we I guess start planning what
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  Speaker 2: comes next. There's also the Fruit and Edge business next
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  Speaker 2: door which hasn't been trading for six weeks as well,
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  Speaker 2: so we're very keen to get them back into business
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  Speaker 2: as soon as we can. We're just waiting on some
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  Speaker 2: final details now for Maturer to do that. But you know,
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  Speaker 2: hopefully the Fruit and Vege can get back up and
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  Speaker 2: running as soon as possible, and then we'll rebuild on
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  Speaker 2: this site a new purpose built I guess retail store
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  Speaker 2: for the emporum. So we hope maybe you know, twelve
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  Speaker 2: to eighteen months time, we should be back yeah in
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  Speaker 2: coconut clothing back road. So let's see how that sort
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  Speaker 2: of panned out and that's all all full steam ahead
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  Speaker 2: as well, So we're working really hard on that to
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  Speaker 2: get back to where we need to be.
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  Speaker 1: Well, good on you guys, Good on your whole family.
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  Speaker 1: I know that you're a really close knit family who
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  Speaker 1: works so well together.
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  Speaker 3: And it's been a tough time.
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  Speaker 1: And you've you know, you've bought the NT Oriental Imporium
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  Speaker 1: back to Territorians and it sounds as they've been screaming
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  Speaker 1: out for it lined up since eight o'clock this morning.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, it's like I said, the support has been overwhelming
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  Speaker 2: and I want to sort of just be thank you
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  Speaker 2: to the Dull community as well. Again, everyone's been so
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  Speaker 2: supportive and so nice, and like I said, we were
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  Speaker 2: not going anywhere. This is our home and I guess
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  Speaker 2: this is what Territorians do. We're here for the long
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  Speaker 2: haul and we hope so, like I said, get his
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  Speaker 2: new biggest store up and running in tilk to eighteen
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  Speaker 2: months and hope to see everyone back at the temporary
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  Speaker 2: store in the meantime. And you know, like I said,
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  Speaker 2: it's it's been quite a journey twenty twenty. But I
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  Speaker 2: think compared to a lot of other people, you know,
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  Speaker 2: it's been a tough one. We'll get through. And again,
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  Speaker 2: thank you everyone for all the support.
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  Speaker 1: Well, thanks so much for your time this morning, Chris,
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  Speaker 1: I really appreciate it.
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  Speaker 3: I hope you have a cracking day, mate. It sounds
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  Speaker 3: like it's going to be a busy one.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you very much.
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  Speaker 3: Heatie, thank thank you, thanks mate.
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  Speaker 1: That is well, that was one of the directors there,
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  Speaker 1: Anti Oriental Emporium director Chris Laigh. And sounds like they're
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  Speaker 1: going to have a very busy day. Everybody's been waiting
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  Speaker 1: to get back in there, to get there to get
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  Speaker 1: their different groceries.