At the recent Annual Rapid Group AGM and Conference, the Southern Cross Hygiene – RapidClean Byron Coast team were pleased to show their gratitude to the Rapid Group.
Held at the Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour, the Pembroke family, Tony, Robyn, Lucy, and Milly, attended the conference rocking some custom-made shirts to show their appreciation for the support received over the past year from the Group.
The family-owned business experienced extreme flooding during the storm bomb in late February. During that time, the catchment area recorded 1,100mm of rain, there was loss of life and local businesses were devastated.
The RapidClean Byron Coast store was severely impacted as it was under water for two days.
During the catastrophic weather event, unfortunately, the shop lost most of its stock in both warehouses, including a delivery van, its cargo, two forklifts, and a motor vehicle.
It was no surprise when RapidClean members across Australia and New Zealand banded together to assist the locally owned store. There was also wonderful support from our generous preferred suppliers who offered free or discounted stock for when the family was able to re-open. With the aid of generous donors and ongoing local assistance, the strong and resilient Pembroke family and staff have now rebuilt their business, so that they can continue to support the Lismore community.
The encouragement doesn’t stop there.
Following the Conference, RapidClean held its Annual Gala Dinner where RapidClean Preferred Suppliers, Royal Touch Paper Products Pty Ltd, and Solaris Paper, awarded Tony and his family with two special trophies.
Presented by Vincent Chetcuti from Royal Touch Paper Products Pty Ltd, the family received an outstanding achievement, taking home The Highest Growth Member award for 2022. A phenomenal achievement, given the challenges faced in the last year.
Michelle Hood from Solaris Paper bestowed The Pembroke Family with the Solaris Paper Resilience Award, a distinctive characteristic of the family, who never back down. “It has been a tough couple of years for all businesses, but few have been through what RapidClean Byron Coast has faced. To be under water, then up and running in four weeks is truly remarkable and a great inspiration for us all – true resilience in action,” said Michelle.
The RapidClean Byron Coast store was also tremendously acknowledged as one of the top 10 RapidClean member stores for the year, an incredible result.
Following the Annual Gala Dinner, the Rapid Group holds an Annual Cancer Council Auction to raise funds for life changing research. As a Group, we raised an incredible $16,560 during the auction, combined with the Sharon Lees Memorial Afternoon Tea held the previous day.
Not only were our members and suppliers generous in donating during our morning tea and auction events, but Renee and Dale McDonald, owners of Austar Packaging, graciously donated their auction prize to the Pembroke family.
Renee won a luxury beach dinner combo in Fiji, which included private helicopter transfers and a romantic tantalising seafood dinner for two.
“I would like to donate this to Tony and Robyn,” said Renee as she accepted her voucher on stage.
Renee donated $2,500 for the prize to Cancer Council and immediately gifted the voucher to Tony and his wife, Robyn at the event.
The generosity completely blindsided the room, as it was the first time an auction prize had been donated. It was no surprise there were tears from multiple attendees.
“They deserve the break more than me,” McDonald said.
As a Group, we support each other not only during the high moments but also during the lows. It is our RapidClean spirit to give back whenever possible, and we truly appreciate all the support given to our RapidClean Byron Coast team.
Keep shining!
Want to learn more about RapidClean Byron Coast?
Visit https://rapidcleanbyroncoast.com.au/
