Rural gun club may lose charity grant after paying Sunshine Coast business that went into liquidation

A small rural club fears it has lost thousands of dollars, including a Cancer Council grant, following the collapse of a Sunshine Coast shed business.

Wallumbilla Rifle Club secretary Shayne O’Neil said the loss of a Cancer Council Grant after they paid for a shade shed that has not been delivered would set the club back years.

A rural Queensland club is among the many customers who fear they’ll lose thousands of dollars following the collapse of Sunshine Coast-based Transportable Shade Sheds.

The manufacturing company went into liquidation on April 3, with owing about $1.3m to suppliers and creditors and a yet to be identified amount to customers, according to liquidator Robson Cotter.

Wallumbilla Rifle Club secretary Shayne O’Neil said their more than 100-year-old club had used a $22,488 Queensland Cancer Council Grant to help pay for a shade shed for members.

“We applied for the grant as it is the only way we get the infrastructure,” he said.

“This really would have increased our operating times as sometimes it is too hot at Wallumbilla to shoot unless it is early morning or late afternoon.”

The club is located approximately 40 kilometres east of Roma at Wallumbilla which has a population of 388.

There is currently no shade at the Wallumbilla Rifle Club and its 60 members were worried they had lost nearly $25,000 after TSS went into liquidation.

Transportable Shade Sheds, which is based in Mooloolaba and has factories on the Sunshine Coast, went into liquidation on April 3, 2023 with many customers worried that they could lose thousands after purchasing products that haven’t arrived.

Australian Security and Investment Commission documents state that Robert Salomon has been the company director since 2020.

Mr O’Neil said after they paid $24,988 for the shade shed in March, with the club adding in $2500 out of their $8000 a year budget, he found he could no longer get a hold of anyone in the business.

“I tried to contact them with no luck and only found out about the liquidation via Facebook and Google search,” he said.

“This will put the club plans back at least two to three years.

“Not only did we (pay) $2500, we (also paid for the shed) with the Queensland Cancer Council grant.”

Mr O’Neil said the club and Queensland Cancer Council had discussed the issue and were awaiting the outcome of the liquidation process.

Robson Cotter of Robson Cotter Insolvency Group said there was at least $1,372,696 owed to about 160 trade suppliers and creditors, as well as an unknown number of customers with partially or fully incomplete orders.

Mr Cotter said the next steps in the liquidation were to assess the assets and claims from creditors.

“And undertaking an investigation into the causes of the company’s failure,” he said.

Robert Salomon has been the director of Transportable Shade Sheds since 2020.

Mr Cotter said people who believed they were owed money should lodge a claim form on their website but that there would likely be a shortfall.

“A shortfall on creditors claims is certainly expected,” he said,

“It is unclear at this stage what the prospects of any return to the various classes of creditors may be.”

The Sunshine Coast Daily has reached out to the company for comment but has had no response.