Council stonewalled gym owner Carolyn Reynolds on lease negotiations, court hears

Rock climbing gym owner Carolyn Reynolds told the court she ‘never had a response to anything’ after trying to contact the City of Darwin about her lease.

The Darwin council is seeking an order for Rock Centre owner Carolyn Reynolds to vacate the property.

THE City of Darwin stonewalled businesswoman Carolyn Reynolds’ attempts to renew the lease on her Doctor’s Gully rock climbing gym before it lapsed in the middle of last year, a court has heard.

The council is seeking an order in the Darwin Local Court for Ms Reynolds to vacate the property after she failed to renew the 25-year lease in time.

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In cross examining Ms Reynolds on Thursday, lawyer Sarah Pringle, quoted from a letter sent in May after the lease had ended in which the gym owner formally requested a renewal of the lease.

But Ms Reynolds said she had also given earlier written notice although she didn’t know if it reached the council after she went into intensive care following a wasp sting around the time the lease was due to expire.

“There had been written correspondence but in the furore of me being really unwell I’m not sure if it actually got to council,” she said.

“I don’t know whether the letter got there or not, we never had a response to anything.

“I assumed we were just using and carrying on with the same lease conditions.”

Ms Pringle put it to Ms Reynolds that she simply forgot to renew the lease after becoming unwell but Ms Reynolds insisted she had given oral notice of her intention to renew prior to the lease’s expiry and was not required to give notice in writing by the deadline.

“I didn’t have to put it in writing, I’d already extended the lease,” she said.

Ms Reynolds daughter, Gemma Reynolds, who manages the gym, also gave evidence, telling the court the council had rejected their attempts to secure a meeting to discuss the future of the lease.

“We tried out best to communicate with the Darwin City Council but they’ve always knocked us back,” she said.

“They never got back to us, we’re good people, we didn’t expect the system to be broken.”

Judge Alan Woodcock adjourned the matter until 11am on Friday for closing submissions.

Ms Reynolds indicated she may not feel up to returning to court so soon but Mr Woodcock said he would proceed without her if she didn’t show up.

“This matter will be completed tomorrow,” he said.