Kingston, Ont. small business raising money for Australian bushfire fund: ‘It’s just devastating’

The catastrophic bushfires in Australia continue to burn, affecting millions of people and wildlife.

In her own way, a small business owner in Kingston’s historic downtown — who is from Australia — is doing her part to help raise money for the bushfire relief fund.

“It’s just devastating. It’s nothing we’ve seen before,” says Cade Pentland-Boyce.

Pentland-Boyce and her partner, Jessica Huddle, own Northside Espresso and Kitchen on Princess Street, and for months they have watched their homeland burn.

“Like California, we have a bushfire season which happens every year,” says Pentland-Boyce, “but usually it happens in February.

“This year the fires started in October.”

To do their part, the couple has launched a fundraising campaign to collect money for the Australian Bushfire Relief Fund.

For the rest of this week, 100 per cent of batch-brewed coffee sales will go to help the relief fund.

“The state we’re from, Victoria, hasn’t had quite as much support,” says Pentland-Boyce, “so we’d really like to put ours into theirs — directly to the firefighting services.

“And also to the wildlife rescue, Wildlife Victoria and the CFA (Country Fire Authority), that’s probably where it’s going to go.”

Pentland-Boyce’s extended family lives in the Melbourne area and are reportedly safe, but her major concerns have been the loss of life, homes destroyed and specifically the fate of Australia’s koala bears.

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“Their instinct when they are in danger is to go up a tree. And they are getting incinerated,” she said, her eyes filling with tears.

“It’s almost like they are on the extinct list now.”

Pentland-Boyce’s emotion and frustration coming from what she says is her former government’s unwillingness to recognize climate change.

“It’s like an apocalypse at home,” says Pentland-Boyce. “It’s huge and it’s not something we can really ignore.”