The gazebo was crushed by a large oak tree that fell during January’s rain. Photo: Yarralumla Gallery & Oaks Brasserie, Facebook.
The past few weeks have been “a rollercoaster” ride for Kate and Rhys Schmutter.
The owners of the Yarralumla Gallery & Oaks Brasserie had a large heritage oak tree come down during the heavy rain two weeks ago on top of a storage shed and metal gazebo – the latter “the site of so many nuptials, photoshoots, and well-known fixture in our space”.
To add insult to injury, the gazebo was then taken apart and stolen one night last week, together with fairy lights from their ‘Fairy Garden’, loved by “our kids and many customers for its magical feel and lights”.
“It’s very emotional because we’re just a small family business,” Kate says.
“It was already pretty sad to see the tree come down, so for people to take advantage of it is just gut-wrenching.”
The venue – which includes a dog-friendly cafe, art gallery, and wedding and functions centre – was closed yesterday (8 February) to allow heavy machinery to remove the fallen tree while police continue to investigate the thefts using footage supplied by a passerby.
Kate and Rhys have managed the business for seven years.
“We actually met here,” Kate says.
“Rhys made me a coffee and that was that. We very much blossomed here, and when the previous owner was selling it, we just took the leap.”
Kate and Rhys Schmutter and their children have taken many photos under the gazebo over the years. Photo: Yarralumla Gallery & Oaks Brasserie, Facebook.
Because the site is on public land, fencing isn’t really an option. But apart from the “odd phone call from our security people” and thefts of garden ornaments and plants, security has never been much of an issue.
“[Previous thefts] always felt a bit more opportunistic, whereas this definitely felt very much more planned out.”
The gazebo is a particularly harsh loss for the couple as it is where many Canberra couples have said their vows or sat for family photos.
“That gazebo is where we do our ceremonies,” Kate says.
“So there have been plenty of couples who got married under there and came back to the same spot for things like baby showers or family photos. Our kids have grown up here, and we’re always taking family photos under it.”
Dusting themselves off and getting back on their feet is set to be a long and costly affair. The site and storage shed are heritage listed, so repairs will have to pass through government hands, and the shed was also full of food when the tree came down.
“It’s really impacted our trade,” Rhys adds.
“We’ve had to hire gardening equipment because all of ours is stuck in the shed, and we had a big freezer of food in there, all of which has gone bad because we’ve had to turn the power off. And a lot of other things we just don’t know at this stage.”
There was a freezer-load of food in the shed, which has since “gone bad”. Photo: Yarralumla Gallery & Oaks Brasserie, Facebook.
Nevertheless, the couple have been buoyed by the reaction from the community via messages on social media, some offering to start a fundraising page for a new gazebo.
“It’s a unique sort of family we have in Canberra,” Kate says.
“We always come together when bad things happen, and it’s lovely to see it from the receiving end. I was actually really teary at the number of people who were absolutely horrified that someone would do this. It was beautiful.”
Yarralumla Gallery & Oaks Brasserie is open Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm, and Saturday and Sunday, 8:30 am to 4 pm.
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