Board member Paul Scurrah departs Gold Coast Suns in wake of Stuart Dew sacking

The fallout from the Gold Coast Suns sacking of senior coach Stuart Dew continues with a key member of the club’s off-field team departing the club, effective immediately.

GC SUNS Chairman Bob East.

Influential Gold Coast board member Paul Scurrah has quit the club following Stuart Dew’s shock axing.

The foundation board member and former Virgin Australia CEO and Managing Director has stood down immediately.

Scurrah was due to vacate his role as football subcommittee chairman in September, but brought forward the move following Dew’s departure.

At a board meeting on Monday he was one of a number of members who opposed the idea of sacking Dew immediately and preferred the club wait until the end of the season.

But the board ultimately voted to remove Dew immediately from his role with a year still to run on his contract.

Stuart Dew was sacked on Tuesday. Picture: Getty Images

Former Virgin Australia CEO Paul Scurrah. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen

Scurrah had been a board member for 13 years and in 2020 was awarded life membership at the club.

He was highly respected within the AFL and an influential figure at the Suns.

It is understood Scurrah, the Pacific National CEO and Managing Director, had found it difficult to regularly travel from his Sydney home to the Gold Coast and that informed his initial decision to step down.

His immediate departure now makes five board changes this year alone, following the exits of Tony Cochrane, Leschen Smaller, Rob Charter and Sam Riley.

They were replaced by Jessica Mellor, Kurt Tippett and Mark Witheriff, who officially joined the club’s board in May this year.

Only two months later, the new-look board was tasked with making one of the most difficult decisions it could make – to sack the club’s coach.