Very sad news from Bali

After arriving home from presenting our program earlier this evening, I received an email from a dear friend in Bali advising of some very sad news.

On a couple of occasions in the past Orange Ribbon has either spoken to staff and/or drag queens at the Hulu Cafe in Kuta, and in fact on one occasion Kim Benton did a "live" phone presentation from the Hulu Cafe for Orange Ribbon some 6-7 years or so ago.

For those who might not know... the Hulu Cafe is a very well-known gay bar in Kuta (Bali) with a great drag show, very well-rehearsed, and always very popular and very busy. It was a Bali icon, and international gay visitors to Bali would always try to make a point of visiting this small, but very popular bar.

The sad news...? It was destroyed in a fire on Monday morning. This is a very sad and devastating occasion, and the Orange Ribbon team extend our sympathies to all in Bali (Hulu staff, entertainers, management etc.) affected by this tragedy.

Pasted below is the email sent out (and as then forwarded to me by my friend Izaak...) to all contacts.

Allan Smales (I've been to Hulu many times over the years...)

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Hi All,

It is with great sadness that I have to report that Hulu café was burned to the ground on Monday morning. The business was closed at the time, so fortunately nobody was inside or injured.

We have no information about the cause until the police report is concluded. The owners , staff and many loyal customers are stunned and devastated and we are trying hard to cope with this loss. At this stage, the future is unclear as there are many things to cope with including meetings with police, insurance and lawyers.

When I have more news I will let you know.

Regards,

Malcolm Warner