By Stephen Cauchi
10 December 2021
A heavy thunderstorm that swept through Melbourne has ruined the ceiling and kitchen in one vicarage and possibly damaged other church property across the diocese.
The thunderstorm that hit Melbourne on Thursday 2 December dumped tens of millimetres of rain across the city within a couple of hours, causing flash flooding and damaging property.
The western suburbs were particularly hard hit with Essendon Airport recording 22 millimetres of rain.
A vicarage in Maribyrnong, owned by Ascot Vale Anglican Church, felt the full force of the storm with water pouring through light fixtures in the ceiling into the kitchen.
The vicarage is being rented out to tenants, who managed to film the deluge.
“The kitchen is out of action at the moment and there were delays in getting insurance to address it. There’s water damage to the ceiling,” said the minister of Ascot Vale, Reverend Andrew Esnouf.
“I’m not sure how serious the damage is to the kitchen. They’ve not been using the electricity in their kitchen and apparently the benchtops are damaged as well.”
