Brookby Barn – COMMUNITY HUB, RURAL HAVEN It was 2008 when Chris and Monya Van Wyk arrived in New Zealand from South Africa. Thirteen years, and two children later, the couple realised their dream of purchasing rural land. Now, 12 months on, HELEN PERRY has learned they are fulfilling their vision of creating a café, retail space and community hub.
Just prior to Christmas 2020, Chris and Monya Van Wyk pulled together a series of festive markets all within a vast barn on their eight hectare property at Brookby. With no family nearby, it took the efforts of friends and their local community to help renovate the old barn in just six weeks and then set up the markets which proved to be a huge success. Colourful, innovative and well designed, they included a delicatessen, crafts, décor items, produce, gifts galore, art and even a children’s market where youngsters sold their pre-loved toys, jewellery and other craft work, baking, books and more. “We couldn’t have wished for a better response and, subsequently,
22 | eastlife | june 2021
we decided to take the concept a few steps further,” Monya says. Now the community-focused family has set up a country café in the barn complemented by retail and exhibition bays, function space for special events and a children’s petting zoo (open at weekends). “People today are always busy and quality family life is sometimes sacrificed. We wanted to generate a place where families (and individuals) can come to relax, shop and enjoy our rural setting, hence the idea of a rustic café where we will serve breakfast and lunches with beautiful desserts and deli items also available.” And, it’s all looking very much like she envisioned although Monya says there is still work to do.
However, there was a time when any thoughts of this kind of project were nowhere in the making. “Although we both come from farming backgrounds and always wanted to buy rural, it didn’t seem this would be possible. Then, by chance, we learned that one of Chris’ customers was retiring and selling his Brookby property. “When we viewed it, Chris just said, ‘were buying it!’ and, amazingly our offer was accepted. More incredible because we couldn’t even get into the barn as it was tenanted so we didn’t see what work was involved until we actually moved in.” With Chris, the owner of a company specialising in portable houses, he had no problems visualising and starting work on changes. www.eastlife.co.nz
