Spread across two tables at the Cabbage Tree Hotel in Fairy Meadow, on Friday afternoon drivers and employees of North Wollongong trucking company Barnett's Couriers were trying to figure out what went wrong.
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Late in the evening on April 30, an email was sent to employees and contractors announcing that the long-standing business was closed for good.
A cyber attack had crippled the business for weeks, and the owners decided to pull the plug.
Those who delivered for the business that operated from Brisbane to Melbourne are now trying to understand what's next.
An employee who asked not to be named just six months ago bought a house.
The employee had worked on and off for the company for over a decade and said the closure came as a surprise.
"It's bewildering to shut down so quick," they said.
Dave Bailey worked as a contractor for the business, and was paying off loans for his prime mover that he purchased in December 2023.
Driving between Wollongong and Melbourne, Mr Bailey had a consistent amount of work right up until the business stopped taking orders.
Now, Mr Bailey is unsure of his future.
"I'm on the scrap heap," he said.
"I'm 62, and I'm not the only one. Who's going to employ us?"
According to those who attended the meeting on Friday, employees were given a payment equivalent to three weeks notice, while for most of the drivers who worked as contractors, they were given a one-off loyalty payment of $1000 during the stand-down period.
Drivers said the company seemed to be in good health up to the reported cyber attack, with trucks heading out and returning with a full load.
Once news of the cyber attack broke in mid April, however, deliveries stopped apart from those that were already in process and the company shut down.
Those the Mercury spoke with said they were assured their personal information including bank details were not part of the cyber attack.
The Transport Workers Union has been in touch with drivers, and has attempted to make contact with management, but was still just as in the dark as workers as TWU state secretary Richard Olsen said on Thursday, May 2.
"It's very disturbing what's going on with Barnett's," Mr Olsen said.
On Friday, emails to Barnett's generated the same automatic reply that announced the business's closure on Wednesday, May 1, with an update that outstanding accounts will be resolved.
"We have a small team who will be finalising all outstanding accounts in the coming weeks," the message states. "Your patience is appreciated whilst our team also work through the backlog of queries that we have received."
Calls to Barnett's management team went unanswered.
The business, founded by Bob Barnett, operated for over 40 years, expanding from Wollongong to Sydney services to transporting freight along the east coast from Melbourne to Brisbane.
