Lake Bennett resort in trouble over use of lake water in kitchen

The restaurant at the Lake Bennett Resort has had its registration knocked back.

Former CLP candidate Carolyn Reynolds is fighting to have a ruling by chief health officer Hugh Heggie overturned in the Local Court.

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THE restaurant at the Lake Bennett Resort has had its registration knocked back due to concerns about the use of lake water in the business’s kitchen.

Resort owner and one time CLP candidate for Goyder, Carolyn Reynolds, is appealing the decision in the Local Court following a ruling of NT chief health officer Hugh Heggie in December last year.

Representing herself, Ms Reynolds told the court on Friday the trouble had started back in 2016 when she was struck by lightning following her unsuccessful bid for office.

Ms Reynolds said the lightning strike happened during a “amazingly huge storm” and “from then onwards it has been one thing after another”.

“The lightning went through my phone, through my hand and threw me across the room,” she said.

PROBE into Lake Bennett resort restaurant over food claims

Ms Reynolds said the storm also “fried” the resort’s electrical wires and damaged one of the pumps that extracts water from the lake.

She said those problems were addressed and signed off by a plumber and electrician but Mr Heggie’s “delegates” continued to pay her visits and “then started changing the reasons why the resort was closed”.

Ms Reynolds said the water used in food preparation was boiled and had been through the resort’s “treble filtration system” and that “people’s safety is absolutely of paramount importance”.

She said the water was “perfectly okay” and had been tested.

“Every year we close the resort for at least a week and at that time the whole system is cleaned through,” she said.

“The water that comes into the kitchen is of absolute best practice.”

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Ms Reynolds said while there had been allegations of people becoming sick at the resort, “not one case” had been substantiated and anyone who fell ill had been drunk.

“Yes, they did have poisoning, your honour, alcohol poisoning,” she said.

During the often combative and circuitous hearing Ms Reynolds repeatedly complained that she had not been permitted to cross examine herself.

Judge Tanya Fong Lim also rejected Ms Reynolds’ submissions relating to “corruption”, “ongoing persecution” and Mr Heggie’s personal character or that of his acquaintances.

In 2016, Department of Health officials confirmed Ms Reynolds had been written-up for violations of the Food Act after “numerous complaints” but said no action was taken.