www.firstnationstelegraph.com
Island & Cape open service station/store in Yarrabah
by Gavin Broomhead 15 September 2013
I
sland & Cape has announced it will open a service station in the Far North Queensland Indigenous community of Yarrabah next month. The Cairns-based retail store operator and warehouse distributor has entered a business partnership with local landowner Alfred Horace Neil to take over the management and operations of the existing service station on Range Road. In conjunction with Trinity Petroleum, Island & Cape will expand the service station to accommodate increased supplies of diesel, unleaded and premium unleaded fuel, with new pumps and storage systems being installed. Island & Cape will also attach a refurbished grocery convenience store to the facility, providing increased services and competitive prices to the Yarrabah community. Island & Cape Chief Executive Officer John Smith said the announcement is a major bonus for
all Yarrabah residents. “This will be a community service station, for the community,” Mr Smith said. “We’ve got very high standards, and we want to provide everything we can for the local community at a good price without having them having to travel to Cairns to get it. “The convenience store will enjoy the ability to draw its stock from our Island & Cape warehouses in Cairns, and benefit from the savings, freshness, faster delivery, and availability of stock, at affordable prices.” Building works on the service station will start this month, which will include state-of-the-art security systems and an improved look and design. Mr Smith said Island & Cape has a proud 10-year history of working closely with remote communities across the region. “Island & Cape always plays an active role in the communities where we operate,” he said. “We continually invest in the
regions where we operate, through infrastructure, employment and social contribution. Giving back is a core value of Island & Cape. “This revamped service station and new convenience store in Yarrabah fits perfectly into our retail and social responsibility model.” The Island & Cape retail division provides Indigenous communities across Far North Queensland with food and goods through retail stores, supermarkets and takeaways. Other Island & Cape stores in Far North Queensland are located on Horn Island, Badu Island, Dauan Island, and Yorke Island in the Torres Strait, and in Aurukun, Hopevale, and Wujal Wujal in Cape York Peninsula. A further store is currently undergoing construction in Napranum, and is due to be opened in 2014. For more information on Island & Cape’s remote stores, visit www. islandcape.com.au
Page 1