Richard Goodwin with some of the images he captured when fire tore through The Downs Shopping Centre. Photo: Martin Kennealey
Camera IconRichard Goodwin with some of the images he captured when fire tore through The Downs Shopping Centre. Photo: Martin Kennealey Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Wembley Downs remembers shopping centre fire 10 years on

Laura PondStirling Times

A PHOTOGRAPHIC exhibition is marking 10 years since fire destroyed a Wembley Downs shopping centre.

The fire ripped through The Downs Shopping Centre on October 19, 2008, causing several million dollars of damage and gutting shops.

Neighbour Richard Goodwin was one of the first on the scene and took dozens of photographs of the incident and the aftermath.

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These images are on display at the centre, which was rebuilt in 2010.

Mr Goodwin said the fire shocked the community.

“The loss of a place that also acted as a social hub was hard-felt,” he said.

“The pastor at the neighbouring Church of Christ organised a community gathering the following Sunday so people could come together in support of the shopkeepers and each other.

“In the weeks and months that followed, I photographed the charred remains of the building and later the clean up.”

He also captured the centre’s rebuild.

The photos are on display until Sunday and will then be donated to the City of Stirling’s local history centre.