Links tenants deliberately withheld rent

Louisa Rust

The Director of Shellharbour Links Pty Ltd, Brad Cannen, said the company had deliberately withheld rent from the council after it failed to meet lease agreements by failing to install improvements at the course such as a driving range, car park overflow, a golf storage shed and a greater water source.

The council terminated the lease with Shellharbour Links Pty Ltd last week, evicting the tenant and taking over management of The Links Golf Club.

“The council’s statement that the course was not properly maintained was untrue,” Mr Cannen said.

“Site maintenance problems were due to the council’s failure to install another water source.

“The council’s consultant clearly said the main problem was a lack of water. I think (the eviction) is another example of council’s general incompetence.”

The team of greenkeepers made redundant after the eviction of the Links Golf Course tenant last week, said they have been treated unfairly by the council.

The sacked team – three greenkeepers, a mechanic, and two apprentice greenkeepers – does not accept the council’s claim that The Links was not maintained properly, and say their reputations have been damaged.

Former head greenkeeper Sean Cooper said the termination would damage their reputations.

“I am a really highly qualified greenkeeper, yet we’ve been dragged through the mud with this,” he said. “What they said about us not maintaining the course was totally untrue and incorrect.

“How are we supposed to get a job when Arthur Webster (council’s director of operations and services)is going around on the radio saying we didn’t do our jobs properly?”

Mr Cooper, said him and his team had been unable to collect their termination and holiday pay from either the council or the tenant, their employer.

He said he had no idea of the eviction until he turned up to work at 6am on Tuesday morning to find the club closed, with a locksmith, security guards and the council’s legal representative, Bruce McCann, on the premises.

Mr Cooper said Mr McCann issued him and his team with letters of termination when they arrived.

The termination letter, from the council’s director of operations and services Arthur Webster, said the council, “as the landlord in possession of the premises, does not require your services and you are requested to leave the premises forthwith.” It also said issues relating to pay and entitlements should be taken up with the employer, the tenant.

Mr Cooper said the terminations would hit the men hard, as several had mortgages and children.

Director of Shellharbour Links Pty Ltd, Brad Cannen, said the company would be paying the men’s entitlements for the days they had worked since their last pay date, but said he believed redundancy entitlements should be the responsibility of the council.

“I don’t feel as though we made them redundant…I don’t think I’ve sacked anyone,” he said.

“I can’t believe (the council) are able to get away with it.”

In a statement released by the council on Friday, Links Shell Cove general manager Robbie Stephenson was quoted as saying all the staff at the course were pleased by the council takeover.

“Everybody is certainly very positive about the events that took place earlier this week,” he said.

“The staff are all looking to the future and are extremely pleased to be working so closely with Shellharbour City Council.

“Everyone working here is extremely positive about the future and as I said before it is certainly business as usual.”

In response to questions about the sacking of the greenkeepers, a council spokesperson said the council “had been extremely unhappy with the way the golf course had been maintained for some time to the extent that an external consultant was hired 18 months ago to provide advice on the upkeep and maintenance.”

“Very little of the advice had been put into practice in the ensuing months with council left disappointed with the standard of the course.”

The spokesperson said the council had been “let down when the greenkeepers sabotaged and stole Links equipment upon the council removing the tenant on Tuesday.”

“Some of the stolen equipment was returned later in the week upon the threat of police action.”

However, the greenkeepers said they took the items under the belief they did not belong to the council, but returned them after they were called by the council.