A MINI flu epidemic amongst volunteers at premier Fremantle tourist attraction the Roundhouse has forced it to close for several days this week.

The Fremantle Volunteer Heritage Guides Association opens the Roundhouse each day at 10.30am, but when the Chook dropped by on Tuesday when it was open, a rugged-up vollie fighting his own cough said they’d been stretched too thin the day before.

Inclement weather had also caused a day’s closure.

The FVHGA committee sent a statement to the Herald (appropriately via the sick bed of member Susan Lu) saying winter could be a tough time to fill the roster.

“The risk to our volunteers’ health and wellbeing is priority, as is the ongoing public access to the Roundhouse,” the statement read.

“Each winter a quick risk assessment of poor weather conditions is made as we don’t wish to leave our valued volunteers outside in the rain from 10.30am-3.30pm with very few visitors to welcome.”

The committee said when enquiries were made about firing the cannon, visitors were told it could be cancelled if the weather was unsafe.

“Our volunteers are fantastic at filling in when they can but this is not always possible due to the nature of the role, and limited availability of our volunteer guides.”

The committee said they were always on the lookout for volunteers.

But former guides president Roel Loopers described the closures as a “disgrace” on his blog site and called on Fremantle council to take over the building.

Mr Loopers said he resigned from the organisation two weeks ago after his ideas for improvements were brusquely rebuffed, saying the organisation had been procrastinating instead of dealing with volunteer and funding shortages.

“It is now time for the City of Fremantle to immediately take over the management of the Roundhouse as this significant building has to be open to the public.”

by STEVE GRANT