Following inquiries surrounding Carenne Support's fundraising licence, it has been discovered that the Carenne Special School bus appeal in 2004 and 2005 may have been conducted unlawfully and without a licence.During my investigations I have discovered that Carenne Support first received a licence to conduct fundraising in NSW on April 3rd 2007, despite the bus appeal being carried out two years earlier. At the time of the bus appeal, the Bathurst community was led to believe that the buses (valued at some $130,000) were for Carenne Special School.
No mention was made at the Carenne Charity Ball in late 2004, which cricket legend Doug Walters attended, nor was it made at the handover of the buses in July 2005.
It has now been revealed that these buses, purchased for Carenne Special School are in fact owned by Carenne Support and one is used for a highly-profitable bus run. Even though donors were misled about the appeal being for the school and not the attached charity, Carenne Support did not hold a licence to conduct or benefit from the appeal at the time it was ran.
In addition to this, Communities NSW advised me today that Carenne Support's fundraising licence lapsed between April 2009 and Janaury 14 2010 as they had not re-applied. Any fundraising appeals conducted during this period are also illegal. You would think that a fundraising licence would be something of importance to a charity and it demonstrates the negligence of those involved in this organisation.
