By Luke Voogt
About 2000 bottles of free hand sanitiser will help locals prevent the spread of COVID-19, thanks to North Geelong liquor store owner Steve Najda.
“We’re still handing them out – I’ve bought enough stock for the next month or two,” the grandfather-of-four told the Independent.
Steve is giving away the bottles as “a small way of thanking customers”, although anyone can grab one for free without purchasing anything instore.
“There’s no conditions – we’ve had some people come in just for the hand sanitiser,” he said.
“I say, ‘here you go, stay safe’ and that’s it. We don’t care if people come from wherever in Geelong – they can just pop in.”
During 37 years operating stores on Anakie Road, Steve said he had “tried to put something back into the community in one way or another”.
“Everyone will be needing sanitiser for the next year or more. It’s not all about selling alcohol, it’s about looking after the community and our customers. Our customers are like our family.”
The bottles, available at Cellarbrations at Najda’s and ranging from 100ml to 700ml, came from Ned distillery in Campbellfield, Melbourne, Steve said.
“They helped us a lot with bonus stock. They’ve looked after us really well on the price.”
