Embattled Geoff Salmon still a director of Carenne Support

Despite a belief that Geoff Salmon has been sacked from the board of Carenne Support, he remains a director despite being under investigation over his shoddy business dealings, his own company going broke and assaulting a Carenne whistleblower.

Documents received from the Australian Securities and Investments Commission indicate that Carenne Support retains Lee Churches, Geoff Salmon, Graeme Grundy, Terry Mahony, Paul Knight, Carol Smith and Darryl MacAuley despite adding Catherine Bird as a director since 1 March 2011.

The only change involving Mr Salmon is being removed as the company's secretary (the person who deals with ASIC) in November 2010, to be replaced by blog addict Mary Housler. This is probably an attempt by Salmon to avoid ASIC looking into Carenne Support with his own business dealings being under investigation.

Why Mr Salmon is a director of Carenne Support while receiving free therapy for his own son is an interesting question. It is obvious that his sole purpose in setting up the organisation was to milk it for his own benefit and to give Christine Porter a job.

It is not the first time there has been confusion over the board of directors of Carenne Support. In November 2009, Christine Porter removed herself after being exposed on Sydney Indymedia in October of that year for receiving remuneration from the organisation while she was a director, contravening taxation laws and Carenne Support's fundraising licence. Most people had been led to believe by Porter that she resigned from the board when she started being paid.

Anybody for a scallop? Salmon's company in over $6.1m in debt

The company belonging to one of Carenne Support's most well known directors, Geoff Salmon is in excess of $6.1 million in debt according to records from the Australian Securities and Investments Commission. The company, Salmon & Speck Pty Ltd has been in liquidation since November 2010 after creditors called in an administrator. At the creditors meeting, Salmon was the only person who voted against the company being wound up for failure to pay its debts.

The company is due in the Supreme Court for a number of appearances over the next few weeks due to its debts and according to the administrator, there are "ongoing investigations" into the company's management (which includes Mr Salmon).

In the administrator's six month report to ASIC it has been revealed that of the $6,399,397 owed to creditors only the secured amount of $224,696 has been paid (or 3.5% of the amount owed).

Mr Salmon is not a suitable person to be running a non-profit organisation like Carenne Support that holds charity status when it is obvious he couldn't run his own company and owes a fortune to others.

Mary Housler committed federal offences: nedkelly

Carenne Special School's nedkelly has reported to Carenne Gate that Carenne Support pawn, Mary Housler has admitted to tampering with the mail of other bus operators in an attempt to gain an advantage.

Nedkelly claims that she was recently told by Mary Housler that her and Geoff Salmon had come up with a plan to get more bus runs from next term. They were told by the Special Transport Unit that contracts would be extended to the end of 2011 due to the delay of the tender process so long as they signed a form, to be sent out by the department indicating that they wished for their contract to be extended.

According to nedkelly, she was shown a form belonging to another bus operator that Mary Housler had taken from their mailbox. "Mary showed me this form that was sent to someone else, she was laughing and saying that if he didn't send it back by the end of the month he wouldn't have a run next term," said nedkelly.

Nedkelly claims it is not the first time Carenne Support has tampered with other bus company's mail. She says that towards the end of last year, she was given a copy of an invoice sent to Dick Spears from the department by Mary Housler who admitted she had taken it from his mailbox, copied it and then reposted it to him. Housler said they had the invoices for two operators because they needed to know the price they charged as Neil Moon wouldn't tell them.

It was from this document that Carenne Support became aware that Dick Spears was overclaiming on his bus run.

Nedkelly says she sent the stolen invoice to Bathurst Detectives who took it and did nothing about it.

Former driver guilty of negligent driving occasioning GBH

Craig Graham, a former bus driver for Capebase who continued to be employed on a run driving special needs children from Blayney to Carenne Special School has pleaded guilty and been convicted of negligent driving occasioning grievous bodily harm in Bathurst Local Court.

Mid last year, Craig Graham was turning from William into Howick Street in Bathurst when he struck an older woman, writing the bus off and seriously damaging the woman. The woman has had to have quite serious surgery on her hips following the injury. Following this incident, Graham was charged with negligent driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, one of the most serious of all driving offences. Despite this and his continual attempts to defraud the department, he continued to drive for Capebase until he was replaced by Steve Minshull in March.

"Blayney Lady", who has a student on the bus said that a number of parents in Blayney had contacted Neil Moon after hearing of Graham being charged and demanded that he be sacked or that their children be allocated to another run. Neil Moon refused at the time, saying that he wasn't confident that Graham had done anything wrong and that students were not at risk due to his driving. When Graham was sacked, Moon contacted parents and talked Minshull up, claiming he was "far better" than Craig Graham and had a "wealth of experience" in special needs transport.

When the matter was before the court on Friday, 17 June, Graham's solicitor James Horsbrough of Bird Legal told Magistrate Jan Stevenson that his client was pleading guilty but wished to explain that the accident happened because the corner was blind and he was unable to see the woman crossing the road. The court then took a short recess so the magistrate could examine the corner with the prosecutor and Graham's solicitor.

After the recess, the magistrate sentenced Graham, placing him on a 9 month good behaviour bond and disqualifying him from driving for 12 months.

Carenne Support places students in serious danger

Carenne Support, reputed on this blog to be incompetent, corrupt and for student's welfare to be the least of their concerns seriously placed students at risk on Tuesday afternoon when they allowed Dave Graham to drive his bus to Lithgow in hazardous conditions.

The department had previously been told that students were allowed to stay at the school because of road closures and because it was too hazardous to take them home, however, it has been learned that Dave Graham did the run to Lithgow despite the conditions and the road being closed at 3:20PM.

It was learned through the Lithgow Mercury that Dave Graham had to be rescued by emergency services after hitting a snow drift at the bottom of Yetholme Hill. The situation could have been far worse, with the conditions being described by many as treacherous.

Once again, just like the unroadworthy buses and maligned therapy program under Christine Porter, Carenne Support is placing profit before students.

When Neil Moon was questioned about the incident, he claims that Dave Graham did the run without his permission and he knew nothing about the bus having to be rescued.

It's high time that Carenne Support lose their bus runs and are blacklisted from doing business with the department. They continue to breach their contract and continue to place lives at risk.

Students spend lonely night at Carenne due to Moon's incompetence

Just when those of us watching Carenne think that Neil Moon couldn't do anything more stupid or ridiculous he manages to surprise us by doing something even more stupid. Carenne Gate can reveal that students from Blayney and Lithgow slept at Carenne last night because Neil Moon didn't arrange for Dave Graham or Steve Minshull to take the students home early.

As cold weather fell across the area yesterday, it was made well known that roads out of Bathurst could be closed due to snow. By 3:20PM, the Great Western Highway between Bathurst and Lithgow was closed. Questions have been asked about why Neil Moon did not arrange for students to go home early.

Instead, a number of staff had to stay back to supervise students, some of which were stuck at Carenne overnight because of Moon's stupidity. It's about time that Peter Harvey wakes up to himself and does something about the incompetent, pompas fool running Carenne.

UPDATE: Information has come to hand which indicates that the department has been misled by Neil Moon about this incident. I will update this tonight - SEA Snitch

Simone Russell's fake injury

As readers of this blog would know, Simone Russell has been off work for most of this year, first claiming stress as a result of postings on this blog and then due to a neck strain she claims to have gotten at work.

Staff at the school are well aware that the true reason Simone doesn't want to work is because she is a racist who has been paired with a lady of African heritage. She doesn't want to have to work with Mrs Okello because she thinks she is too good to work underneath a "black woman."

This is a fact which is well known to Neil Moon, Peter Harvey and Carole McDiarmid, yet she can continue to get away with it. If it was anyone else they would be told to tough it out or walk out the door.

A more recent reason for Simone's fraud is because she has been planning her daughter's 21st birthday, which was held on the weekend. Unfortunately for Simone, it appeared in the Western Advocate on page 10 today where she can be seen leaning her neck slightly to the side, which would hurt her already injured neck.

It is obvious that Simone Russell is milking the system dry and should be sacked. If Neil Moon and Peter Harvey don't have the manhood to do it, they too should be charged with supporting her fraudulent claims.

Image from Western Advocate online, used under Fair Use provisions.

Photographic evidence of Angie Cranston "touching up" a student denied by Moon

A number of parents have found a photograph of Angie Cranston putting her gloved hand up the inside of a young student's clothes a major concern. The photograph appeared in last week's newsletter. For the student's privacy I won't post the photo on this blog.

One parent claims she contacted Neil Moon about the photograph last week, telling him she believed it was inappropriate. The parent claims that she was concerned about the photograph breaching the students privacy and being against child protection rules.

"I couldn't believe it, I opened up the newsletter and you have Angie with a gloved hand putting it up the inside of his clothes. If she was doing a procedure on him it shouldn't be in the newsletter and if she wasn't, it's clear child abuse."

Neil Moon responded to the parent by claiming that the photograph only appeared in the draft newsletter and was removed by office staff before being circulated. He said that she was the only one who saw the photo. The parent says that she has contacted other parents who claim the photograph appears in their newsletters as well.

"This Neil Moon is a liar. He tells so many lies he doesn't even know what's true anymore. How can this incompetent man be the principal of Carenne?" asked the parent.

Carenne is a school so entrenched with problems that it can never be fixed without dismissing most of the staff and re-staffing it. The culture of silence and lies that has existed for at least ten years continues under Neil Moon, the school's leader for a year and a half. It is time that Peter Harvey finds the guts to take action about the school.

Auld and Gavin supporting pedophillia among students

A concerned Carenne Special School staff member has contacted Carenne Gate alleging that Michael Auld and Melinda Gavin have been encouraging a sexual relationship between an older and younger student. This is not the first time that Gavin has been accused of encouraging students to have sex.

The staff member claims that Neil Moon has been made aware of the relationship but has told staff "not to worry about it as the students are with 3 years age of each other". The concerned person says that the relationship is illegal because one of the students is below the age of consent and that Neil Moon hasn't got the "guts" to do something about it.

It's time that another review into Carenne Special School is carried out and staff such as Gavin and Auld are sacked.

Corrupt organisation rewarded with another bus run

The organisation at the centre of the Carenne Gate Affair, Carenne Support has been rewarded with another bus run despite the plethora of issues surrounding the organisation in a shock to parents, staff and others alike.

It has been reported that Carenne Support has been given a run to Kelso for students attending Carenne, despite the well evidenced allegation that Carenne Support was ripping off the SNTS, using buses it misled the community to obtain, its officers getting physical with whistleblowers, defaming whistleblowers, dishonest employment practices, breaches of confidentiality, neglect of students, using unroadworthy buses, refusing to transport students and defrauding the RTA.

With these issues, nobody would reward Carenne Support. What it shows is that the SNTS is flawed and the allocation process is corrupt.

Cop with nine lives to return to Bathurst area

Scott Russell, the corrupt police officer who keeps getting away with unprofessional behaviour is returning to the Bathurst area according to nedkelly.

nedkelly told Carenne Gate that she was told by Simone Russell yesterday that it was safe for her to return to work because Scott was coming back from Colleanabri and would protect her and "take care of all the bastards causing trouble for their family."

In the past, Scott Russell has been implicated in leaks of police information, harassing staff at McDonalds in Bathurst, harassing and threatening Lyn Duncan, being involved in the cover up of his pedophile son Jeremy and threatening people making complaints about his family.

It is frightening that someone as corrupt as Scott Russell with a chip on his shoulder is returning to the area in a position of responsibility where people he has threatened are.

Who runs the biggest pile of junk into Carenne?

A number of parents and staff at Carenne Special School have contacted Carenne Gate concerned about the condition of the "town bus" used by Peter Williams to transport students. They claim it is dangerous and unroadworthy and that Neil Moon has refused to make a report to the Special Transport Unit about the vehicle's condition.

According to staff, some time ago the vehicle was involved in an accident which caused damage to the vehicle's structure and the driver's door. The driver of the bus is unable to get in or get out of the vehicle through the door as it no longer opens. According to parents, the bus has been in an unserviceable condition for some time, with the rear window being made of perspex which has discoloured and cracked and the body being full of rust.

Carenne Special School trouble-maker "hatho" has told Carenne Gate that she was told by Peter Williams yesterday that he wasn't going to have the bus repaired until the school holidays. "This ---- is using the bus until the holidays before he even thinks of having it fixed and he hasn't even got a suitable relief vehicle like he is supposed to."

Peter Williams has long been a close friend of a number of Carenne staff according to sources at the school and previously provided transport from the school to RDA prior to its relocation to the rear of Carenne. They claim that he is being given special treatment because of who he is and that staff have been threatened by Neil Moon that if they contact the Special Transport Unit they will be reprimanded.

Students miss out on RDA while Melinda Gavin takes a holiday

Once again, Carenne students have missed out on the Riding for the Disabled Association horse riding program because Melinda Gavin has taken a holiday to participate in an endurance horse ride. At the same time last year, students missed out on RDA while Gavin took a holiday.

The RDA program has been beset with problems, mostly revolving around Melinda Gavin and corrupt teacher Michael Auld. It has been accused of taking part of federal government trade training centre funding for the school, not having proper insurance, took participation fees from the school during its suspension, the inappropriate funding of Michael Auld's RDA therapy farm by Carenne Special School and the over-reliance upon Melinda Gavin.

A number of angered parents and school staff have contacted Carenne Gate to ask why the RDA program has been suspended once again while Gavin takes a break during the middle of the school term. Parents feel as though they are being ripped off after being forced to pay $100 per year for their child to take part. In previous years, RDA has been funded by Carenne at a cost of $80 per student to the school.

An angry "concerned" told Carenne Gate "I am sick to death of that f---ing bitch Melinda Gavin taking holidays and disrupting RDA. RDA is paid for students to do it, why do they have to put it on hold just because the bitch wants to take a holiday. How many weeks were lost last year because of their bullshit?"

Other parents asked the same question, wanting to know why Melinda Gavin is the only person who can be at RDA while Carenne students are there. "Why are they so reliant on Mrs Gavin? Are they scared someone might come in and find something out?" said the parent.

A Carenne staff member on the RDA committee told Carenne Gate that the committee has for some time been trying to get RDA to train someone else to do the position in case Mrs Gavin is away and claims that the suggestion has always been scuttled by Mr Auld and Mrs Gavin. The staff member complained that Mrs Gavin had a "sweet deal", being able to work at RDA one day a week while being paid and then getting holidays through the middle of the term to go horse riding.

It is highly suspicious that Mrs Gavin and Mr Auld will not allow someone else to be trained to perform the job when she is absent, given the amount of time she has off work and the level of disruption this causes the RDA program. What is Auld and Gavin trying to cover up?

Carenne Support driver's dangerous parking

A local taxi operator who picks up and drops off students at Bathurst's infamous Carenne Special School has complained to Carenne Gate about Carenne Support's driver, Richard Webster parking his vehicle where he does of an afternoon.

The taxi driver said that Mr Webster has been parking his vehicle on the lawn next to the driveway into the school making it difficult to people walking past. He claims Mr Webster does this because he is unable to walk too far.

"This bloke can't park on the street down from the school and walk up, the bloke can hardly walk. That scares me that this guy is driving a bus with children on it," said the taxi driver.

The taxi driver said that he was very concerned about Mr Webster being able to drive properly, having seen him drive dangerously around town. "This guy doesn't look at giveway signs, he plows on through. He is a menace on the road."

A parent known to this blog as "concerned" was contacted and told Carenne Gate that she has had concerns about Mr Webster for sometime. "I don't like how he is affectionate towards students or how he drives. His driving is very poor, the way he drives when he leaves my house is pretty bad."

The parent claims that Mr Webster told her several months ago that he had been involved in an accident in his own vehicle and that he was charged with negligent driving. "He openly told me that he had been charged with neg driving, I was thinking at the time why would he tell me this? Why is he still driving a bus if he has been charged?"

It once again shows that Carenne Support do nothing about incompetent and unfit people working for them.

Jeremy Russell: Why is he not in jail?

It is well known that Jeremy Russell no longer works at Carenne because of an incident involving a 14 year-old girl which he was attempting to groom for sex on the Internet website Facebook. According to sources at Carenne and Simone Russell herself, Jeremy got away with it because he was "set up".

People who read the numerous Carenne blogs would know from the Inside Carenne Blog that the profile Jeremy was using to groom this young girl remains the profile he uses to this day. Of course the Police have done nothing about it because the investigation was interfered with by corrupt policeman Scott Russell.

The department received a copy of the messages from a person claiming to be the underage girl's father, which were used to revoke his authority to be a bus escort.

Jeremy well aware of the girl's age according to these messages:
JR: lol yeah . . . So your turnin 16 soon . . . Thats not bad at all
Girl: nah 15 soon babe
JR: oh yeah . . . Thats alright. . . . Doesnt bother me at all

Jeremy then gave the girl his mobile phone number: "If u wanna txt me u on my number is 04213X2413"

In the tradition of his family, Jeremy said he would buy the girl alcohol:
Girl: how did u know im a vodka chick? sorry I went b4 my phone went
flat. so u would buy me booze ay?
JR: oh i duno i guess id seewhow lucky u were lol
Girl: oh really, how lucky could i get?
JR: i duno but its lookin pretty high at the moment

On another occasion, Jeremy promised to buy the girl Vodka while he drank beer:
JR: ill buy u vodka ill drink beer

The girl was then told that Jeremy would do "terrible things" to her:
Girl: not yet. oh so what would you do about it if you could?
JR: haha . . . I would do terrible things
Girl: i mite like though :)
JR: lol theres only one way to find out

Jeremy confidently told the girl that there was nothing her father could do if he told anyone:
Girl: what if he tells who you work for or the police. oh babe, i need cuddles
JR: whats he goin to say? Nothin he can say will do anything . . Where not goin out so there is nothin he can do
Girl: u dont want to go out but you would have fun with me? thats not nice
JR: i didnt say that . . . But what would ur dad think . . . I would go out with u aswell so dnt think i wouldnt

When the discussion turned to sending photos to the girl, Jeremy attempted to procure her for child pornography, he said he would send her anything she wanted as long as she sent the same back. He also told the girl that she shouldn't tell her parents about the relationship for a while.

On March 13 2009, Jeremy again asked the girl for naked photos:
JR: i was just lookin at ur photoswand u are fuckin hot and have a very nice body. . . U will definately have to show me it lol or send me some pics
Girl: ooooh u want me to show u my body. thats hot babe :) ill show you mine if you show me yours.
JR: haha u wanna see my fat
JR: haha y dnt u see it in person

On March 16 2009, Jeremy offered the 14 year-old sex:
JR: i have a brand new bed which needs breaking in . . Interested?
Girl: hell yes. id love 2 break it in
JR: so wen do i get to meet u
Girl: i dunno. hows that bed
JR: awesome its worth 1800buckr and 1300 is just the mattress
Girl: nice
JR: yeah lol
Girl: so ur job pays good
JR: Oh yeah . . Its not bad money . . .
Girl: sweet
JR: yeah wat u doin?
Girl: nuffin aye
JR: lol the same as me . . Im fuckin bored
Girl: me too. its fucked up
JR: Ill fuck the shit out of u if u want lol

This is the sort of person that Simone Russell, a SLSO at Carenne and Insp Scott Russell have protected. How can Simone possibly remain at Carenne when she covered up this level of filth?

Is this Bathurst's biggest scammer?

Yesterday, the Western Advocate wrote that over $4,000 had been raised by the King Cain Bathurst Wallabies Triathlon Club for the benefit of Janelle Kemp's son Will and another boy in the Bathurst community.

We reported in November that Mrs Kemp's son was to be the beneficiary of a fundraising effort for the club on behalf of the John Maclean Foundation.

The Kemp family have received assistance from the local community a number of times, including being given a $6,500 walker over other students at Carenne and from Colin Kemp's employer Country Energy. According to one Carenne parent "The Kemp's are given preferred treatment over less fortunate families. I could only dream to receive the income those two are on and I get no help from anyone. It's ridiculous. She is nothing more than a bludger, a liar and a scammer."

"If Janelle Kemp had any decency she would give the money to someone more deserving," said the parent.

In what can be best described as sickening, Mrs Kemp has used her disabled son to get ahead at every available opportunity. She began working at Carenne without special education qualifications because she had "life experience" due to her son being disabled. Once at Carenne, she had her niece Laurie Clifford given a job there also.

Janelle Kemp, who abuses posters on this blog under the alias "Blog of Lies" has come under fire a number of times on this blog. It was revealed that she received Special Needs Transport assistance over another parent, that she accused parents of leaking information to this blog despite providing information to it herself, that she was part of the reason that Geoff Salmon attempted to carjack Brian Carter and that she left her son in her van unattended.

Janelle Kemp has also been implicated in neglecting a junior student who was sexually assaulted by a senior student and when that student's family sought for her to return to Carenne pulled all the stops out to stop it from happening.

With this sort of background and history does it make Mrs Kemp Bathurst's biggest scammer?