Category: General News

AS HE stepped into the dock of the District Court on Monday, the bankrupt former director of Albany’s Rare Coin Company, knowing he would go to jail, turned and mouthed ‘I love you’ to his wife and one-time business partner, Barbara.

Robert Colin Jackman, 63, had earlier pleaded guilty to 36 counts of stealing a combined $1,856,020 from rare currency investors between September 2011 and July 2013 when he placed his company into voluntary administration.

Five of Jackman’s victims listened in the public gallery as prosecutor Katie Kemm said the company had grown from an annual turnover of $615,000 in 1997 to $44.3 million in 2010 when the impact of the global financial crisis hit.

Defence lawyer Bruno Illari said Jackman became overwhelmed by investors “clambering” to call in a coin buyback guarantee the defendant had offered.

“This became a bit of a flood,” Mr Illari told Justice Julie Wager.

“To try to dig his way out of these problems, Mr Jackman tried, unwisely as it turned out, to expand the business rather than contract it.”

Jackman bought a Sydney coin company Mr Illari said had “turned out to be a real lemon”.

He considered entering the Chinese market where Mr Illari said a business partner had “ripped him off”.

Coins sold for one client were often used to pay other clients who were demanding their money back.

Mr Illari said the company had grown “exponentially over a period of time with no review of the business model”.

The company, which had 40 employees at one stage, only had one bank account from which all receipts and expenses, including staff wages, were paid.

Ms Kemm said Jackman had ordered staff to lie to investors, telling them that valuable currency he’d been keeping for them had not been sold when in fact they already had.

In a 168-minute interview with police, Jackman later explained he had become inundated with stock “and clients who were pushy”.

Ms Kemm said the amounts stolen from “ma and pa investors” ranged from $6000 from Pauline Hanlon, to $380,000 from Stephen Hallister, who had stored a rare holey dollar with Jackman.

Jackman’s victims included 93-year-old Molly Sweet, who is now 100.

Ms Sweet lost $45,270, $50,310 and $76,590 from three pieces of rare currency Jackman sold but did not pay her for.

She has a disabled son who Ms Kemm said was “no longer able to be sensitively cared for in the way anticipated”.

In her victim impact statement, Brenda Barrett, 67, who lost $98,500, said she had worked at a fish processing factory all her life, and now could not enjoy her retirement.

Mr Hallister, a FIFO worker, was “extremely angry” after losing $452,000.

Another victim, Leanne Marshall, said she felt betrayed after Jackman’s staff “lied straight to her face”.

Ms Kemm argued there was “an informal and trusting relationship between the offender and his clients”, and the breach of that trust was an aggravating factor in Jackman’s offending.

She told Justice Wager the charges on which Jackman was being tried only dealt with the complaints of 21 victims.

Receivers for Jackman’s company had identified a total of 136 investors who allegedly had not been paid.

Justice Wager ordered Jackman to pay restitution for each piece of stolen currency.

But defence barrister Bruno Illari warned the chances of Jackman ever repaying the monies were slim.

He said Jackman had no prior criminal record, which was “unusual in a case of this kind”.

Mr Illari said Jackman was once named Albany entrepreneur of the year, and neither he nor his wife – who together owned a $6000 and a $4000 car and had $6000 in savings – benefitted personally from the thefts.

“They didn’t have a lavish lifestyle,” he said.

“It was all done to keep this company afloat.

“By 2013, the wolf was well and truly at the door.”

Ms Kemm argued Jackman “might have been a first offender at the start but not at the end of the offending”.

“Clearly, social status was of some importance to him,” she submitted.

She argued that imposing a significant term of imprisonment was the only option open to Justice Wager.

“There is evidence of remorse,” she conceded.

“The real difficulty is the sheer loss at a community level and at a personal level for each of the complainants.”

In summing up, Mr Illari said Jackman accepted there would “most likely be an immediate term of imprisonment”.

Jackman, who has Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, will spend at least 25 months in jail after being sentenced to a maximum four years and two months imprisonment.

Each of the 36 charges carried a maximum seven years penalty.

As Jackman was escorted from the dock into custody, Barbara Jackman got up from her seat and walked toward him to say goodbye from a distance separated by security guards.

MENTAL health care in Albany will receive a facelift this year following the announcement on Tuesday that a new community mental health service would be set up in the former Albany Community Hospice building.

The proposed six-bed facility will be the first regional step up/step down service and will provide short-term residential support and individualised care for people discharged from hospital for a mental health issue, or where admission to hospital can be averted by intervening earlier.

Step up/step down services are also planned for Broome, Bunbury, Karratha and Kalgoorlie.

Mental Health minister Roger Cook made the announcement during a visit to Albany on Tuesday and said a tender of between $400,000 and $500,000 would be up for grabs for a local contractor to upgrade the former Albany Community Hospice site, situated behind the new Albany Health Campus, to the necessary standard.

“There are great deficiencies in WA for sub-acute mental health care,” he said.

“So I am very proud to announce this process.

“Keeping people out of hospital and in their community is often the best way to support their recovery from mental health issues.

“We recognise the benefit this type of service will bring to the continuum of community-based support to the Great Southern, and we are making it a reality for the people of the region.”

Local member for Albany Peter Watson reinforced the need for local mental health services close to home for patients, and said the new step up/step down service would be a “great bonus” for Albany.

“Mental health is the elephant in the room, and that elephant is starting to make more noise,” he said.

“We’ve got to have innovative ways of mental health care, and we’ve got to have something close to home.

“It’s terrible when people have to go to Perth for health care; this new service will give them a better chance of a quicker recovery.”

The Albany step up/step down service will be appointed to an experienced non-government organisation by the Mental Health Commission, and this organisation will work in collaboration with the WA Country Health Service.

The new mental health service centre is expected to open in mid-2018.

THE difficulty of going ‘cold turkey’ following today’s removal of off-the-shelf codeine-based medications can be managed, according to an Albany pharmacist.

Terry White Chemmart Chester Pass pharmacist Brad Smithson said he sees around two dozen people each day coming in-store to purchase codeine medication, mainly for pain relief, and said addictions to codeine often started from customers’ continual use of the opioid drug after it had served its purpose.

“It can be a good option in the short-term, for migraines for example,” Mr Smithson said.

“However, some people might just not know there are other options for pain relief.

“I’m quite excited about these changes, because it opens up conversations with people to talk about treatment, and gives the opportunity to treat them with something better.”

Mr Smithson acknowledged the difficulty people may now face with the codeine access restriction, but said there is help for those who need it.

“It is going to be difficult for people to go ‘cold turkey’,” he said.

“But we can help people taper their codeine use, such as by gradually replacing it with paracetamol.

“We have some excellent GPs in town and there are many options available for pain relief, so there should be a positive outcome for everyone.”

As of today, consumers will no longer be able to purchase medications containing codeine, unless they have a prescription from a doctor.

Popular medications affected include Nurofen Plus, Panadeine, Codral and Mersyndol, commonly used for pain, cold and flu relief.

The limitations on codeine access follow a study by the Faculty of Pain Medicine, which found a significant mis-use of codeine has led to almost half a million Australians incorrectly using the painkiller.

Australian Chief Medical Officer Professor Brendan Murphy said there is compelling evidence of harm caused by overuse and abuse of over-the-counter, codeine-containing medicines.

“There are numerous studies showing that codeine is not the miracle pain relief drug people think it is,” he said.

“In fact, according to research by the Faculty of Pain Medicine, paracetamol and anti-inflammatory medications, alone or in combination, are adequate over-the-counter preparations for most types of acute pain occurring in a community setting.

“For more complex acute or chronic pain, medical input is warranted, and so it is essential that a person sees a GP.”

YOU don’t have to listen very hard to hear the Richards name reverberate around the corridors of Albany Senior High School.

Between the four generations of the Richards family that were represented at yesterday’s centenary assembly, it seems everyone knows someone that was principalled, taught, or was just a mate of a Richards.

Arthur Richards, pictured centre left, was the principal of ASHS from 1968 to 1979, and was a well-respected member and contributor to the education system.

Re-commanding his principal’s address voice and doing away with the microphone, Mr Richards reflected on his time at ASHS at Wednesday’s commemorative assembly.

“I wish I had a time machine, so I could go back to 1968,” he said.

“Because from that time and for the next 11 or 12 years, I enjoyed that time more than any other time in my life.”

His son, Will Richards, pictured centre right, was both a student and a teacher at ASHS, standing at the front of the chalk board from 1983 to 2013.

Arthur’s great-grandkids Grace and Hunter, pictured wearing the infamous Milo tin blazers, are current students of ASHS.

Their father, and Will’s son, Paul, also attended ASHS in the late 1980s and was a school prefect.

The eldest Richards is now 95 years old, and the youngest is going into year 11.

A RING ROAD that would take pressure off the state’s worst roundabout and improve truck transit to the Port of Albany could be built in three years if the ducks line up on a final funding submission to be lodged with the federal government next month.

This week, Main Roads Great Southern regional manager Andrew Duffield told The Weekender that Stage 1 of a funding request for the $172 million project had been submitted to Infrastructure Australia in October.

He said Stage 2, providing a focused rationale for the planned route, would be submitted next month for consideration under a national partnership agreement between the Commonwealth and Western Australia on road and rail projects.

“I guess we’re hoping that toward the middle of this year we’d have an indication as to whether the submission is successful or not,” Mr Duffield said.

“We’ve had support, anecdotally, from key players.”

The State has committed $35 million to the ring road project, about 20 per cent of the overall estimated cost.

Mr Duffield said the ring road would take pressure off the Albany Highway/Chester Pass Road roundabout, which carries 50,000 vehicles a day, including about 1000 heavy vehicles.

In terms of crash numbers, the roundabout is regional WA’s worst intersection, and the state’s worst roundabout, with 213 prangs causing $5,185,641 damage in the five years to the end of 2016.

“The project’s not about the roundabout per se,” he said.

“It’s about providing safe and efficient access for the long-term to the Port of Albany.”

Stage 1 of the road – Menang Drive, which connects Chester Pass Road to Albany Highway – was completed in 2007 at a cost of $15.9 million, but Stages 2 and 3 have since stalled for lack of funding.

Most of the ring road route would be 90km per hour, dropping down in speed as trucks and cars approach Frenchman Bay Road and continue along the foreshore to the port.

Mr Duffield said that, depending on cashflow from Canberra, the road would be built over a two-year period if funding can be secured.

RECEIVERS for the embattled company that runs Albany’s Mt Romance sandalwood factory have assured workers their services are still required.

A spokesman for receivers McGrath-Nicol told The Weekender his firm wanted the Quintis Group, including Mt Romance in Albany, to keep trading while options including recapitalisation or sale were explored.

“Retaining a strong base of existing employees is an important part of continuing operations on a business-as-usual footing,” he said.

“As such, it is premature to be talking about payment of entitlements.”

The spokesman said that, in any insolvency situation, worker entitlements were always guaranteed by the federal government.

On January 24, Richard Tucker of Quintis administrator KordaMentha advised employees they had “a statutory priority of payment in respect of outstanding entitlements such as wages, superannuation, holiday pay and long service leave”.

The McGrathNicol spokesman confirmed Mt Romance workers were entitled to attend the first meeting of Quintis creditors to be held today at the Duxton Hotel in Perth.

Staff and creditors have been told they can participate via teleconference.

A second meeting, where creditors will vote on Quintis’ future, will be held at a later date.

Suppliers to the sandalwood factory are now receiving letters from Jason Preston of McGrathNicol explaining his company has assumed control of Quintis’ affairs and possession of its assets.

“We are continuing to trade the Quintis Group while we undertake an urgent assessment to determine the best course of action to preserve its business,” Mr Preston has advised.

“The receivers and managers would appreciate you making goods and services available to the Quintis Group on your usual trading terms when requested by me or my authorised representatives.

“All supplies made against signed purchase orders dated 23 January 2018 and beyond will be paid on normal terms.”

To get paid, suppliers must close their existing account with Quintis and open a new one in the name of the receivers.

Payment will only be made on debts incurred after January 23, when McGrathNicol was appointed, and not before on debt owed by Quintis.

Mr Preston added that suppliers with orders made before January 23 would need to contact KordaMentha “as a matter of urgency” to determine whether the order was still required.

Quintis recently told its sandalwood growers that investors had taken up to $20 million of additional bonds, which would be sufficient for the company to keep operating as usual while sale or recapitalisation was being assessed.

The company’s liquidity issues had seen it mired in a self-imposed trading halt since May.

The 60,000sqm Mt Romance plant is the world’s largest distiller of sandalwood oil.

ALBANY’S navy cadets got an inside look at the real deal last week when they visited HMAS Stirling for the annual Australian Navy Cadet Maritime Camp on Garden Island.

TS Vancouver Lieutenant Gary Fullarton said the 11 Albany cadets who attended the camp had a busy week.

“Everyone participated in sailing courses as well as helping to instruct those courses,” he said.

“There were also tours on HMAS Stirling and some other naval ships that the cadets loved.

“The camp was really good for getting the kids out on the water, and to meet other cadets from across the state.”

From the camp, brother and sister cadet duo Able Seaman Hannah Tickell and Able Seaman Oliver Tickell were selected to join the Westralia Flotilla Sailing team for the National Sailing Regatta in Sydney in April.

Lieutenant Fullarton said it was a huge achievement for the siblings.

“TS Vancouver has had cadets in the state team for the past three years,” he said.

“WA came second last year, so hopefully Hannah and Oliver will be able to bring us the win.”

TS Vancouver is on the lookout for new recruits.

Young people that are turning 13 this year and older can attend an open night on February 9 from 5.30pm at the headquarters off Princess Royal Drive near the Brig Amity.

For more information on the open night or Australian Navy Cadets you can call Commanding Officer Lieutenant Graeme Palmer on 0429 063 607.