“We are hanging in there” and “so appreciative” of all the support.
They are the words of reinswoman Monique Burnett who spoke to RSN 927 today about the horrific blaze that overwhelmed the family’s Forbes barn in the early hours of Friday, resulting in the tragic death of 12 horses.
“We just want to thank everyone so much for all the generosity and support,” Burnett said.
“The way that we’ve been brought up, you’ve got to get up and you’ve got to move forward. All the other horses need our help and to be looked after, so everyone’s just literally pushing through.”
Burnett joined Michael Felgate, Dan Mielicki and Matt Stewart on this morning’s program and said her mum, trainer Rita, was “putting on a brave front, as she’s always done”.
“She’s very appreciative (of the support),” Monique said. “This morning she had a bit of a headache and was a bit run down. On the night of she was there front and centre trying to run into a fire to save horses and having to be held back.”
Monique said during the fire “everything just happened in minutes, seconds, and it was just chaos”, adding the 24-horse barn “held most of our stuff – veterinary supplies, rugs … everything’s all gone”.
The tragic fire has prompted an extraordinary response from the harness racing community, with more than $100,000 across 292 donations pledged on a mycause fundraising page.
“I honestly just can’t believe it,” Monique said. “It’s literally so overwhelming the support. I’m so appreciative, but our little industry just seems to pull together and help out when things get tough. In a way it’s not unexpected, but the appreciation is unbelievable.”
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