Fraud case linked to caravan firm collapse goes to court

IT’S been two years since one of the state’s major caravan firms collapsed owing creditors millions of dollars. Now another chapter in the story of the firm’s failure is set to play out in court.

WHEELS TURNING

THE wheels of justice continue to turn slowly in relation to the alleged fraud perpetrated against failed caravan and campervan company BJ Saggers, trading as Brisbane RVs.

City Beat readers will recall that the Burpengary-based company collapsed in 2018 owing creditors an estimated $4 million. A former employee of the company is set to appear in the Brisbane District Court for mention on May 28 charged with defrauding the company for an estimated half a million dollars.

Administrator Lee Crosthwaite, of Worrells, has told creditors, that a civil claim against the employee is also pending for losses suffered from the alleged fraud.

Crosthwaite says that in order to justify the considerable cost of pursuing the civil claim, he must be satisfied that the former employee has the financial capacity to satisfy a claim.

“I understand the former employee may have an interest in real property, however I do not know the equity, and possible money in a trust account, which I have been unable to verify,” he says.

He says he was in the process of applying to the Attorney-General’s Department, and the Australian Security and Commission, for funding to undertake further investigations. Watch this space.

UP IN THE AIR

JOHN Wagner admits the aviation industry is in a “world of hurt” at the moment because of coronavirus.

But at the Wagner family’s privately-owned Wellcamp Airport west of Toowoomba there is some optimism. Wagner tells City Beat that freight, much of it fresh produce, continues to be shipped out of the airport to Hong Kong via the weekly Cathay Pacific cargo flight.

A Cathay Pacific freighter at Wellcamp

“We are actually looking on putting on one or two more freight services,” says Wagner. Demand is rising as the shutdown of commercial passenger flights into Asia puts a premium on cargo space.

Wellcamp has seen a significant drop in passenger numbers on all routes in and out the airport. Qantas and Air North announced that from late March they will temporarily stop flights to and from the airport.

But Wagner says a daily Rex flight to Mt Isa continues to depart as do fly-in, fly out operations. The Qantas Group Pilot Academy also was continuing to operate as normal.

SUITS YOU, SIR

VETERAN PR man Geoff Rodgers ventured out of his coronavirus bunker at Ascot this week to attend a meeting in George St after a month in lockdown and it was all a bit of a shock. “I had to put on a business suit,” says Rodgers, who runs local PR outfit Rowland. “It felt a bit like the first day of school.”

Rodgers says he is being kept busy these days helping firms formulate communication responses to the coronavirus.

Geoff Rodgers

“Companies should be preparing now for the road to recovery,” says Rodgers, who is working with a major transport firm on ensuring they clearly communicate with staff, government and the public on their response to the pandemic. “The good companies know this is a s@$t sandwich but realise we have to find a way to navigate around it.” Rowland is working alongside its affiliate FleishmanHillard on its COVID-19 Global Taskforce which is advising some of the world’s leading brands on crisis management during the pandemic.

ON THE MONEY

ONMARKET, one of the country’s largest capital raising platforms, has hired start-up veteran Anthony Owen as it expands operations in Queensland. Owen is well known in the Brisbane start-up environment as a founder and chief executive of several start-ups over the past 20 years. Queensland is quickly gaining a reputation as one of the most vibrant start-up and scale-up scenes in Australia.

Since equity crowdfunding commenced in Australia over two years ago, there has been approximately $50 million raised by over 75 companies, of which nearly $10 million has been raised by Queensland-based companies.