After almost two years since the Tennant Creek IGA was destroyed by juvenile arsonists, the new and improved store was unveiled to eager shoppers yesterday morning.

And what an impression it made!

One of the first allowed in the doors were some of the Jurnkkurakurr Volunteers.

Volunteer Deb Cain was overwhelmed with the store’s transformation.

“As a town we watched the old store on fire and now we have watched the whole thing be built from scratch and it’s finally here!” she said.

“It’s been a long time coming and all the hard work has paid off. I was just in awe of it.

“Karma has come around and we have seen it come back tenfold!”

Deb said she remembers the dreaded day of the fire back in July 2020.

“I was driving home and I pulled up because I couldn’t see from all the smoke, and now the store has risen like a phoenix from the ashes!” she said.

“Our volunteers will continue to protect our town’s food source both at the BP Complex and the new store.

“In fact, this new supermarket will be wrapped in cotton wool because it is so precious to us.”

Another resident, Lynece O’Day, was just as ecstatic about the reopening.

“I went shopping about lunchtime and I felt so overwhelmed,” she said.

“Whenever I go shopping in Alice Springs at Coles or Woollies it always made me feel like a country bumpkin because there was so many choices of lines available.

“But this new store has everything! I heard it was going to be good but I didn’t expect to have so many different lines and things I’ve never seen in my life.

“For instance, I knew I shouldn’t have bought it but I did – Golden Gaytime popcorn – and yes it was delicious!

“I have never been this excited to go shopping before.

“After all the break-ins and COVID-19, Tennant Creek deserves to have some good news for a change.”

The supermarket and buildings are owned by Julalikari Council Aboriginal Corporation (JCAC) and Indigenous Business Australia (IBA), who are each 50 per cent shareholders.

It is managed and operated by IBA subsidiary, IBA Retail Asset Management (IRAM).

IRAM CEO John Kop said the reconstruction project gave them a chance to modernise the store lay out and facilities.

And to ensure a repeat disaster doesn’t occur, the premises now have state-of-the-art security including high definition CCTV.

“The store’s partnership board thanked everyone for their support over the past 20 months, particularly staff, customers, suppliers and everyone involved in rebuilding the store,” he said.

A grand reopening event will be held in the coming weeks to celebrate the occasion.

This article appeared in Tennant & District Times, 4 March 2022.