He said he had contacted several councillors and staff members with an offer to purchase the building for $250,000, which he said would be a less costly option for the council than demolishing it, but had not had a response.
He expressed fears the Whakatāne Sportfishing Club, which plans to move its building onto the site, will not be able to raise the finance for the move and it will have been demolished for no purpose.
“It just makes me sad,” he said.
Brian “Gibbo” Gibbons with staff member Teina Tihi, Nicole Gibbons and staff member Shaitana Gray are ready to get cooking in their new mobile kitchen, Gibbos on Wheels. Photo / Diane McCarthy
Meanwhile, a sparkling new caravan has been fitted out to offer the same great fish and chips the business always has, under the name, Gibbos on Wheels.
Nicole said she planned to open it over the weekend outside the Gibbos on the Wharf shop, and she expected to be somewhere in the vicinity of the Whakatāne boat ramp.