Connect Global rehab facility at Swan Bay to close after Hussein Chamas fiasco
The board of a rehab facility, which once housed fallen TV star Andrew O’Keefe and has been at the centre of a government inquiry, has decided on the centre’s future after a fresh controversy involving a vanishing fugitive.
Newcastle
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A troubled drug and alcohol rehab centre, which once housed Andrew O’Keeffe and found itself at the centre of a bizarre fugitive hunt, is being wound down.
The board of the Connect Global facility on the banks of the Karuah River at Swan Bay decided at a meeting Tuesday night to wind up the 10-year operation.
The centre has come under continued criticism from politicians and law enforcement and was at the centre of an investigation by the NSW Attorney-General’s Department.
It has made the headlines again in the past week following the bizarre disappearance of alleged drug importer Hussein Chamas, who appears to have walked out of the facility after management followed orders from what was purported to be from the NSW Supreme Court.
The alarm was raised about Chamas, who left the facility at Swan Bay in Port Stephens on January 8, after he failed to return a few days later.
The NSW Supreme Court has since confirmed the document, which boast the court’s stamp and a signature, was not produced by the court.
The Australian Federal Police continue to investigate the allege bail breach despite Chamas being captured on boards a yacht off the coast of the Northern Territory on Sunday.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the board said the decision to shut the centre’ doors to new clients was made after recent adverse press reports and an on-site incident of recent weeks.
The Board continues to advocate for drug and alcohol rehabilitation which is an overwhelming need in our community,” the statement said.
“Parents, partners, siblings and friends of drug and alcohol addicted men are desperate for services which can provide hope for their restoration to the community.
“The Board has resolved for the foreseeable future not to accept new applications or solicit any clients as resulting from bail applications made to any NSW Court.
“We also are determined to continue to service our current clientele within the facility to continue to pursue their need for rehabilitation.
“The winding down of the operation of CGL has been in place for some months resulting in our resident numbers at the facility declining from a peak of 40 men approximately one year ago to 20 participants as of today.
“The Board has also resolved to continue working with authorities, including the police, the Department of Health and Local Government to ensure that staff, on site visitors and residents are safe whilst at the facility.
“We will continue to work with the authorities to ensure that any men currently on bail strictly comply with their court mandated bail requirements.”
The Connect Global facility was the brainchild of Christian Pastor Ross Pene, who used investors money to buy a row of cabins on the banks of the Karuah River in 2013.
Pene, who invited media organisations into the facility on numerous occasions for “exclusive” insights after it had suffered bad press, is not believed to be in the country and is understood to have cut ties with the centre in December.
That negative coverage occurred before and after it became the temporary home of former game show host Andrew O’Keefe, who was bailed to live there after his first fall from grace in 2022.
In August 2023, it was again in the news as the Daily Telegraph revealed that a resident had been arrested after attempting to flee as police were conducting bail checks.
The negative coverage has also made the facility less commercially viable, with less than half the beds full.
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