Onkaparinga CEO Mark Dowd’s Mt Everest charity climb receives $10,000 from developer wanting to build resort in McLaren Vale
Onkaparinga CEO Mark Dowd has received a $10,000 donation from a Chinese developer for a charity trek to Mt Everest’s base camp — a developer who wanted to build a multimillion-dollar hotel in McLaren Vale.
Onkaparinga chief executive Mark Dowd has been raising money to climb Mt Everest for charity, with more than $10,000 worth of donations coming from a Chinese businessman who wanted to build a multi-million dollar hotel in McLaren Vale.
Mr Dowd is trekking with the Little Heroes Foundation for its Mount Everest Base Camp event and has so far raised $20,876. Of that, $10,599.99 has been donated by Fortune Source Holdings.
Documents show the current director of that business is Highbury-based developer Yun Fung Chung.
In 2016, The Advertiser reported Mr Chung, a private real estate and property developer from the Guangzhou province, wanted to build a luxury hotel in McLaren Vale, committing up to $50 million for the development.
At the time, he wanted the hotel to include 300 rooms, a restaurant and spa.
It would be the wine region’s first five-star hotel.
However the location of the proposed hotel was not disclosed.
Onkaparinga has been scandal-plagued for the past 18 months, starting with the council paying Mr Dowd’s $6818 golf membership joining fee to the prestigious Kooyonga Golf Club in Lockleys.
That was part of a strategy to attract Chinese investment to Adelaide’s southern suburbs.
A spokeswoman for Onkaparinga Council said: “In relation to your questions on Mr Dowd’s travel, we wish to advise that he is on approved leave undertaking travel in his personal capacity and is uncontactable.
“On his return, we can present your questions to him, and he can consider whether to provide responses to any questions that are related to his official role as the council’s CEO.”
The Advertiser visited the registered business address of Fortune Source Holdings in Pulteney St in the Adelaide CBD, where staff said Mr Chung was overseas.
They declined to provide his contact details.
A woman at Mr Chung’s Highbury residential address said he was not there.