Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
As you'll recall if you're listening to the show. On Friday,
we spoke to a long time Katherine resident as well
as the local member, Joe Hersey, about a string of
break ins and thefts at the Catherine Club last week. Now,
in one of those instances, two males allegedly assaulted staff
and two witnesses who confronted them to stop them fleeing
(00:21):
with stolen goods. We know that the police arrested an
eighteen year old man and a fourteen year old boy
who's since been charged. Now, listener Dan got in contact
with us and let us know that the victims were
doing okay, well how they were doing, and was also
keen to try and rally up some support for that
business with the town, he said at breaking point. Now
(00:44):
joining me on the line is Katherine Coffee Club owner Nikki.
Good morning, Nikki.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Good morning Katie. How are you?
Speaker 1 (00:53):
Yeah, Nikki, probably better than you. Thank you so much
for your time. How are you going after everything that's happened.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
I'm still shaken. Obviously, it's not something that you can
recover quickly from. I'm still concerned about staff safety. How
we move forward, Yeah, just a lot of things go
through your mind. I suppose.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
So, Nikki, you were one of the women assaulted on Friday.
Weren't you well last week?
Speaker 2 (01:23):
Yes, yep.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
Can you describe for me what happened?
Speaker 2 (01:29):
I don't know how much I can say, you know,
just because it is going through the courts. All I
can say. It was broad daylight. We'd had three break
ins that night, so we're in there cleaning up the mess.
My staff arrived about five point thirty, proceeded to whether
(01:51):
they'd let a fire extinguishes. You should have seen. It
was just carnage in there, so you know, my staffer beautiful,
and you know they've sort of got ownership of the
coffee club as well, if that makes sense. You know,
terrible walking and then seeing your workplace just everything trashed.
So we're busy. We decided to open. We had some
(02:13):
of our regulars come in get their coffees, tradees and such,
and we're back to cleaning up. I think they'd let
off two fire extinguishers, so you can imagine that was
It was just horrific and clean, you know, throw and sauces,
putting the till back together that they'd ripped apart, and
just you know, the carnage, cleaning up the carnage where
(02:38):
they're busy mopping, cleaning, and then out of nowhere. It
was so quick, it was so violent to running and
just they're on a mission to hurt us.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
I think, Katie, oh my god, Nikki, physically are you So?
Was it you and one other staff member or two
other staff members? So?
Speaker 2 (03:01):
I mean, at one stage I looked up and I'm
one of my four staff members mouths on the ground.
I think she got to knock to the ground a
couple of times, and I'm listening to my other staff
member in the kitchen scream. Yeah, it was just horrific. Oh,
I don't think I can go into too many details.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
Nikki, are you, Like, are you okay? And are your
staff okay?
Speaker 2 (03:30):
Well, I think we're in shock. You're in shock for
a while because it was so violent, it happened so quickly.
I think it's a bit like, you know, going through
the stages of grief. One minute you're angry, next minute,
I'm pretty resilient. But this is not me, Like I'm
(03:50):
not a cheery person at all, but this is really Yeah,
it's pretty it's been pretty horrific, Nikki.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
When sorry, you go.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
And it's not only that, you know, a lot of
things go through your mind. This is the first time,
Thank god that they didn't have knives. Otherwise I honestly
thought we were going to die, Nikki.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
That is like, it's utterly shocking. And when we got
a phone call on Friday from a you know, from
a Catherine listener who said, who told us you know
what had happened? Like, I felt emotional hearing that, if
I understand correctly, it's you and two other female staff
(04:35):
then being assaulted by two males, you know, when you're
there in the shop, Like, I can't even begin to
imagine what that must have been like for the three
of you, and how frightening it.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Must have been, well, especially in daylight. One minute you're
serving coffees and your mopping floors and cleaning up. Next
minute you've got these two attacks on you. Nikki.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
In terms of the damage to the business, you know,
you said that they've broken in three times that night.
What level of damage have you know, have have these
offenders and others done to the coffee club over the
last couple of weeks.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
Massive, I've to tell you the truth. I have. I've
got to go through and today and work it all
out of be in the thousands.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
Nikki. I know that you and the staff there, your business,
you guys are loved by the Catherine community. I could
hear that on Friday, you know, through the messages that
we were receiving, and also after speaking to Dan, he
was encouraging people to get in there on Saturday and
support you guys, for the community to really throw their
(05:54):
arms around you all. Did that happen on Saturday?
Speaker 2 (05:58):
It certainly did, the community of Catherine are amazing. So
many people, so many phone calls. How can we help?
Can we help come and clean up? Why didn't you
call me through to It's just been incredible.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
That is really nice to hear, and I'm glad that
that happened. Tell me from your perspective, you know, has
there been any like after the incident, you know where
you guys were assaulted. Has there been further anything further
over the weekend? How has it been.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
Not for us? Thank goodness, it was show weekend. I
think if I had had another break in, I just
I wouldn't be talking to you now. I'd be packing
up and leaving towns. I don't know. Town's been I've
been too scared to go out. Town's been the normal
show weekend. It's been a bit out of control. I
(06:55):
think there was another stabbing of a nineteen year old.
I did hear that, and that's why I'm just so grateful.
That was the first time they didn't have knives on them.
Otherwise we'd being body bags. Now the level of violence
they came in, it's the town has, you know, and
male's husband, Paul has you know, who's taken time off
(07:17):
work and he's made sure that we've We've had people
looking out after us and watching out for us. But
that's people can't do that all the time either.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
Well to move, no.
Speaker 2 (07:32):
We should be able to make coffees in the morning
at seven am and feel safe.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
That's exactly right.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
And my other concern was, I mean we have a
lot of juniors and you know they if it had
been score holidays, I would have had young young girls
in their working So it's you know, and what do
you do to keep your staff. I've got a duty
of care to provide a safe work environment for them.
(07:58):
I've already the last break in I got them. I
made sure everyone's got a personal alarm. I supplied them
all with that, But what do you do have security guards?
I don't know, Nikki.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
In terms of police support and also support from the
local member the council, you know, like, what are they
saying at this point in time.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
The police have been that have been absolutely fantastic. I
know they've worked very hard. I know that they're in
custody and they're going through court at the moment. Police
support is being fantastic and they have got a very
hard job to do and I can't thank them enough.
(08:47):
The local member was there straight away in the morning.
Speaker 1 (08:51):
Well that's you know, that's something that is good. Do
you feel as though the government's doing enough in this
space we seem to have I'm not too sure what's
going on with the phone line. Hopefully we've still got Nikki.
We just seem to be having a bit of an
issue there. Sorry, Nikki, you cut out there for a moment.
Can you hear me still?
Speaker 2 (09:10):
Yeah? Sorry, it might be my phone.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
No, that's okay. Sorry. You were saying that the local
member was there in the morning.
Speaker 2 (09:16):
Yeap. And in the past, I mean, Joe's very supportive
in the past. If Joe can't make it, she sent
over one of her or you know, one of her
work has came over and said, how can we help
you know, what do you want me to clean up?
Or what can I do? So a lot of support, Nikki.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
What do you think could be done or what do
you think needs to change? You know, it sounds as
though Catherine is it is feeling quite broken. The residents
are feeling quite broken at this point.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
Oh. I mean we've always had that level I think
of breaking and it's not acceptable. When I talk to
my family in a different state, they're just like, what
are you doing there? Do you know what? Other people
aren't comprehend it. I don't know. But when when you
know they've been let off because they don't know right
(10:06):
from wrong or you hear you know, in the past
it's gone to court and it's you know, the unidentifiable.
Well they're wrong camera, so I think harder, you know,
it is wrong. And now the offensive seemed to be
becoming more violent. Yep, the allegedly carrying what is it
(10:28):
sharp edge weapons or whatever, you know, so it's bullshit.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
They've got knives and it needs to like we all
need to actually, you know, or the police are elected
members whoever it is the language has to change. We've
all had a gutful of it. And if people are
being dangerous and engaging in dangerous, dangerous behavior, as has
happened to you last week, it's, you know, like it's
got to be called what it is. It's it is,
(10:54):
it's breaking the bloody law.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
Okay, the world's upside down. I mean, even because they
actually came back and tried to attack us again. And
that's when, you know, two wonderful guys stopped, got out
of the ute and chased them, and then they got assaulted.
You know, but imagine how I would have felt if
they had got knife. I don't want my customers having
(11:19):
to stand in and then and then it goes to
courtinates and then someone said to me, well, why did
they come back for you again? I don't know why
they shouldn't have even been in there in the first place.
Speaker 1 (11:31):
Exactly, That's exactly right.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
It's crazy when the victim, you know, well, I don't
know their motivations of the behavior. Obviously at the bottom
it's the criminals. What they're doing is wrong, and they
know right I'm wrong.
Speaker 1 (11:48):
Everybody does what they're doing, well, particularly assaulting women. You know,
it's absolutely bloody wrong. Just very quickly, Nikki, we are
going to have to go to the National news, but
we've got listeners getting in contact with us. How can
we in Darwin support you and your crew in Catherine?
Can we buy a virtual coffee or something. I know
(12:10):
I'm putting you on the spot.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
I wouldn't know. I don't know, I don't know.
Speaker 1 (12:18):
Oh well, Nikki, please know.
Speaker 2 (12:22):
You great? Please come down go to the Gorge Catherine.
It's a beautiful community and I you know, when why
do I stay here? I stay here because my customer
is a light family. The beautiful Catherine community is amazing,
and come down, go to the gorge. See what Catherine
has to offer. There's a lot of beauty in this
(12:44):
place and it's a shame a few arseholes are spailing it.
Speaker 1 (12:47):
Yeah, you're spot on, Nikki, you are absolutely spot on.
Thank you so much for joining us on the show
this morning. I know it's not easy to have to
relive what has happened to you. My love to you.
I hope that you and your staff are okay.
Speaker 2 (13:03):
Thank you, thank you.
As you'll recall if you're listening to the show. On Friday,
we spoke to a long time Katherine resident as well
as the local member, Joe Hersey, about a string of
break ins and thefts at the Catherine Club last week. Now,
in one of those instances, two males allegedly assaulted staff
and two witnesses who confronted them to stop them fleeing
(00:21):
with stolen goods. We know that the police arrested an
eighteen year old man and a fourteen year old boy
who's since been charged. Now, listener Dan got in contact
with us and let us know that the victims were
doing okay, well how they were doing, and was also
keen to try and rally up some support for that
business with the town, he said at breaking point. Now
(00:44):
joining me on the line is Katherine Coffee Club owner Nikki.
Good morning, Nikki.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Good morning Katie. How are you?
Speaker 1 (00:53):
Yeah, Nikki, probably better than you. Thank you so much
for your time. How are you going after everything that's happened.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
I'm still shaken. Obviously, it's not something that you can
recover quickly from. I'm still concerned about staff safety. How
we move forward, Yeah, just a lot of things go
through your mind. I suppose.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
So, Nikki, you were one of the women assaulted on Friday.
Weren't you well last week?
Speaker 2 (01:23):
Yes, yep.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
Can you describe for me what happened?
Speaker 2 (01:29):
I don't know how much I can say, you know,
just because it is going through the courts. All I
can say. It was broad daylight. We'd had three break
ins that night, so we're in there cleaning up the mess.
My staff arrived about five point thirty, proceeded to whether
(01:51):
they'd let a fire extinguishes. You should have seen. It
was just carnage in there, so you know, my staffer beautiful,
and you know they've sort of got ownership of the
coffee club as well, if that makes sense. You know,
terrible walking and then seeing your workplace just everything trashed.
So we're busy. We decided to open. We had some
(02:13):
of our regulars come in get their coffees, tradees and such,
and we're back to cleaning up. I think they'd let
off two fire extinguishers, so you can imagine that was
It was just horrific and clean, you know, throw and sauces,
putting the till back together that they'd ripped apart, and
just you know, the carnage, cleaning up the carnage where
(02:38):
they're busy mopping, cleaning, and then out of nowhere. It
was so quick, it was so violent to running and
just they're on a mission to hurt us.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
I think, Katie, oh my god, Nikki, physically are you So?
Was it you and one other staff member or two
other staff members? So?
Speaker 2 (03:01):
I mean, at one stage I looked up and I'm
one of my four staff members mouths on the ground.
I think she got to knock to the ground a
couple of times, and I'm listening to my other staff
member in the kitchen scream. Yeah, it was just horrific. Oh,
I don't think I can go into too many details.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
Nikki, are you, Like, are you okay? And are your
staff okay?
Speaker 2 (03:30):
Well, I think we're in shock. You're in shock for
a while because it was so violent, it happened so quickly.
I think it's a bit like, you know, going through
the stages of grief. One minute you're angry, next minute,
I'm pretty resilient. But this is not me, Like I'm
(03:50):
not a cheery person at all, but this is really Yeah,
it's pretty it's been pretty horrific, Nikki.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
When sorry, you go.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
And it's not only that, you know, a lot of
things go through your mind. This is the first time,
Thank god that they didn't have knives. Otherwise I honestly
thought we were going to die, Nikki.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
That is like, it's utterly shocking. And when we got
a phone call on Friday from a you know, from
a Catherine listener who said, who told us you know
what had happened? Like, I felt emotional hearing that, if
I understand correctly, it's you and two other female staff
(04:35):
then being assaulted by two males, you know, when you're
there in the shop, Like, I can't even begin to
imagine what that must have been like for the three
of you, and how frightening it.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
Must have been, well, especially in daylight. One minute you're
serving coffees and your mopping floors and cleaning up. Next
minute you've got these two attacks on you. Nikki.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
In terms of the damage to the business, you know,
you said that they've broken in three times that night.
What level of damage have you know, have have these
offenders and others done to the coffee club over the
last couple of weeks.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
Massive, I've to tell you the truth. I have. I've
got to go through and today and work it all
out of be in the thousands.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
Nikki. I know that you and the staff there, your business,
you guys are loved by the Catherine community. I could
hear that on Friday, you know, through the messages that
we were receiving, and also after speaking to Dan, he
was encouraging people to get in there on Saturday and
support you guys, for the community to really throw their
(05:54):
arms around you all. Did that happen on Saturday?
Speaker 2 (05:58):
It certainly did, the community of Catherine are amazing. So
many people, so many phone calls. How can we help?
Can we help come and clean up? Why didn't you
call me through to It's just been incredible.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
That is really nice to hear, and I'm glad that
that happened. Tell me from your perspective, you know, has
there been any like after the incident, you know where
you guys were assaulted. Has there been further anything further
over the weekend? How has it been.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
Not for us? Thank goodness, it was show weekend. I
think if I had had another break in, I just
I wouldn't be talking to you now. I'd be packing
up and leaving towns. I don't know. Town's been I've
been too scared to go out. Town's been the normal
show weekend. It's been a bit out of control. I
(06:55):
think there was another stabbing of a nineteen year old.
I did hear that, and that's why I'm just so grateful.
That was the first time they didn't have knives on them.
Otherwise we'd being body bags. Now the level of violence
they came in, it's the town has, you know, and
male's husband, Paul has you know, who's taken time off
(07:17):
work and he's made sure that we've We've had people
looking out after us and watching out for us. But
that's people can't do that all the time either.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
Well to move, no.
Speaker 2 (07:32):
We should be able to make coffees in the morning
at seven am and feel safe.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
That's exactly right.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
And my other concern was, I mean we have a
lot of juniors and you know they if it had
been score holidays, I would have had young young girls
in their working So it's you know, and what do
you do to keep your staff. I've got a duty
of care to provide a safe work environment for them.
(07:58):
I've already the last break in I got them. I
made sure everyone's got a personal alarm. I supplied them
all with that, But what do you do have security guards?
I don't know, Nikki.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
In terms of police support and also support from the
local member the council, you know, like, what are they
saying at this point in time.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
The police have been that have been absolutely fantastic. I
know they've worked very hard. I know that they're in
custody and they're going through court at the moment. Police
support is being fantastic and they have got a very
hard job to do and I can't thank them enough.
(08:47):
The local member was there straight away in the morning.
Speaker 1 (08:51):
Well that's you know, that's something that is good. Do
you feel as though the government's doing enough in this
space we seem to have I'm not too sure what's
going on with the phone line. Hopefully we've still got Nikki.
We just seem to be having a bit of an
issue there. Sorry, Nikki, you cut out there for a moment.
Can you hear me still?
Speaker 2 (09:10):
Yeah? Sorry, it might be my phone.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
No, that's okay. Sorry. You were saying that the local
member was there in the morning.
Speaker 2 (09:16):
Yeap. And in the past, I mean, Joe's very supportive
in the past. If Joe can't make it, she sent
over one of her or you know, one of her
work has came over and said, how can we help
you know, what do you want me to clean up?
Or what can I do? So a lot of support, Nikki.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
What do you think could be done or what do
you think needs to change? You know, it sounds as
though Catherine is it is feeling quite broken. The residents
are feeling quite broken at this point.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
Oh. I mean we've always had that level I think
of breaking and it's not acceptable. When I talk to
my family in a different state, they're just like, what
are you doing there? Do you know what? Other people
aren't comprehend it. I don't know. But when when you
know they've been let off because they don't know right
(10:06):
from wrong or you hear you know, in the past
it's gone to court and it's you know, the unidentifiable.
Well they're wrong camera, so I think harder, you know,
it is wrong. And now the offensive seemed to be
becoming more violent. Yep, the allegedly carrying what is it
(10:28):
sharp edge weapons or whatever, you know, so it's bullshit.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
They've got knives and it needs to like we all
need to actually, you know, or the police are elected
members whoever it is the language has to change. We've
all had a gutful of it. And if people are
being dangerous and engaging in dangerous, dangerous behavior, as has
happened to you last week, it's, you know, like it's
got to be called what it is. It's it is,
(10:54):
it's breaking the bloody law.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
Okay, the world's upside down. I mean, even because they
actually came back and tried to attack us again. And
that's when, you know, two wonderful guys stopped, got out
of the ute and chased them, and then they got assaulted.
You know, but imagine how I would have felt if
they had got knife. I don't want my customers having
(11:19):
to stand in and then and then it goes to
courtinates and then someone said to me, well, why did
they come back for you again? I don't know why
they shouldn't have even been in there in the first place.
Speaker 1 (11:31):
Exactly, That's exactly right.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
It's crazy when the victim, you know, well, I don't
know their motivations of the behavior. Obviously at the bottom
it's the criminals. What they're doing is wrong, and they
know right I'm wrong.
Speaker 1 (11:48):
Everybody does what they're doing, well, particularly assaulting women. You know,
it's absolutely bloody wrong. Just very quickly, Nikki, we are
going to have to go to the National news, but
we've got listeners getting in contact with us. How can
we in Darwin support you and your crew in Catherine?
Can we buy a virtual coffee or something. I know
(12:10):
I'm putting you on the spot.
Speaker 2 (12:13):
I wouldn't know. I don't know, I don't know.
Speaker 1 (12:18):
Oh well, Nikki, please know.
Speaker 2 (12:22):
You great? Please come down go to the Gorge Catherine.
It's a beautiful community and I you know, when why
do I stay here? I stay here because my customer
is a light family. The beautiful Catherine community is amazing,
and come down, go to the gorge. See what Catherine
has to offer. There's a lot of beauty in this
(12:44):
place and it's a shame a few arseholes are spailing it.
Speaker 1 (12:47):
Yeah, you're spot on, Nikki, you are absolutely spot on.
Thank you so much for joining us on the show
this morning. I know it's not easy to have to
relive what has happened to you. My love to you.
I hope that you and your staff are okay.
Speaker 2 (13:03):
Thank you, thank you.
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