SERDE Sale: My Letter to Chairperson Mrs Coke

Apologies for delay with this but had trouble getting my letters from computer to blog, but fortunately they appear in the right format. Larger formatting are original documents that have been scanned. Will try to figure out how to get emails across too; I'm not very computer savvy.

The following is a copy of my letter to SERDE Chairperson Mrs Coke re the sale of the Penola Rd building to Bill DeGaris. Please refer to previous posts re SERDE and Bill DeGaris.

Note that Mrs Coke rang me and during the conversation kept going 'off-the-line'; I'm almost certain that she was taking advice from some-one...possibly Bill DeGaris? Also, some issues have been clarified if not resolved so there might be a question in this letter that is addressed somewhere in the previous posts, so those are not contradictions, rather questions to which I've subsequently found the answers.

After some investigation, I am still unable to find an authority who will accept a complaint about this sale.

Mrs Coke

Chairperson

SERDE Inc

c/- Gramac Solutions

Fax: 08 8724 8599

Mrs Coke,

I refer to your phone call and our subsequent conversation Friday morning 4^th May 2012 in response to my letter to former Chair Nic Kentish Wednesday 2^nd May 2012, and my previous correspondence and phone calls re the sale of the former SERDE building on Penola Rd, Mount Gambier.

As repeatedly requested in our conversation, please confirm to me in writing your verbal statements defending and supporting the Board and its conduct re this sale. If you are confident that the Board have acted appropriately, then you will have no problem committing to that in writing.

As stated in our conversation, I have responsibly taken my concerns to the people involved, being the SERDE Board, and any member of the public has a right to make enquiry as to how an organisation such as yours conducts itself, particularly with the sale of a valuable ‘public asset’ like the historic, beautiful Penola Rd building.

It is the evasive, non-responsive conduct of the Board that has given me most cause for concern and led me to investigate this further. I have lodged an official written complaint with the Board and the Board has failed to even acknowledge it.

I reiterate, for the record; it appears that the SERDE Board was looking to lease the property on Penola Rd, changed that to a tender for sale, then prematurely withdrew/closed the tender process and sold the premises to lawyer Bill DeGaris.

I reiterate, for the record; it appears that the SERDE Board has circumvented appropriate process to achieve a pre-determined outcome, namely, the sale of the Penola Rd property to Bill DeGaris.

I have repeatedly written to Mr Kentish and the Board asking for an explanation of the circumstances of that sale, namely;

      1)   Was the Board going to lease the building until Bill DeGaris asked to buy it?

2)        Why was the subsequent tender process stopped/withdrawn?

3)        How many tenders were there, and was Bill DeGaris one of them?

4)        On what date was the property returned to the market?

5)        Where was the property re-tendered and/or advertised as being back on the market?

6)        Given the apparent lack of either a new tender or any advertising, how did Bill DeGaris become aware that the property was available again?

7)        Was the same agent used for the lease and final sale processes, but a different agent for the partial tender process?  

I have visited your website but could find no specific mission statement or any information on governance structures and guidelines, board membership and structure, etc. Please provide me these documents.

Please also explain how it is that you are now the Chairperson of SERDE Inc. Has Mr Kentish resigned or retired, and you were duly promoted from deputy chair? Has there been an Annual General Meeting or similar for an official change of office bearers?

When I asked you how and when you had become Chairperson, you said you could not remember, but Mr Kentish was still Chairperson only a few weeks ago.

Also, throughout our conversation you suddenly stopped talking and seemed to go ‘off the line’ momentarily. It seemed like you were conversing with and/or receiving advice from someone. Was there anyone else present at your end whilst you were talking to me? I would consider it most inappropriate if you rang me and did not identify that there was someone else listening.

I asked you to provide me a written confirmation of your verbal statements, and a written response to the various specific points that I have raised, and that you do it by email by 9am today Monday 7^th May 2012.

As of midday 07/05/12 I have not received any communication of any sort from you, and therefore I have forwarded this matter to the appropriate authorities for review.

Yours,