UPDATE | RSL confirms employees were sexually assaulted
Castle Hill RSL Group has responded to a raft of shocking sexual assault and mismanagement allegations levelled at the iconic club.
Ray Hadley has revealed several cases of female staff being harassed and assaulted by male staff members.
After telling the story of a 19-year-old employee who was repeatedly harassed by her supervisor, only then did the club step in and sack the man.
The story prompted several other listeners to contact Ray with their own stories of workplace abuse within the company.
After demanding to know why these cases have been grossly mismanaged, the Castle Hill RSL Group has responded (see the full statement below).
“We can confirm that a number of female staff members at the C2K Fitness & Aquatic Centre lodged complaints against a male colleague late last year.
The complaints related to inappropriate conduct from a male staff member toward women inside and external to the workplace.
An External Investigator was engaged by the Club to look into the allegations and upheld the female staff members’ complaints. At the conclusion of the investigation, the male staff member tendered his resignation.”
The man in question was also accused by a parent of inappropriately touching a seven-year-old girl during swim lessons.
“Upon reviewing the CCTV footage of the lesson, the Manager assured the parent (in writing) that all contact with her child had been appropriate and in-line with a standard swimming lesson.
We acknowledge that the matter should have been escalated to the Upper Management of the Club.”
Click PLAY below for the full interview
CASTLE HILL RSL CLUB STATEMENT
Over the past 24 hours the Castle Hill RSL Club Group has conducted a thorough investigation into various allegations raised on the Ray Hadley Morning Show in recent days.
We can confirm that a number of female staff members at the C2K Fitness & Aquatic Centre lodged complaints against a male colleague late last year.
The complaints related to inappropriate conduct from a male staff member toward women inside and external to the workplace.
An External Investigator was engaged by the Club to look into the allegations and upheld the female staff members’ complaints. At the conclusion of the investigation, the male staff member tendered his resignation.
It should be pointed out, that the male staff member was stood down as soon as the allegations against him raised and he remained suspended until his departure from the Club.
One female employee was advised by the Club’s HR Manager and the Manager of the Swim Centre that she may wish to take her complaint to Police as it related to an alleged incident which occurred at a private residence outside of work hours.
Allegation of inappropriate touching of a child:
The Manager of the Swim Centre was contacted by a parent in late July last year, who had raised concerns about the way her seven-year-old daughter had been touched during a Saturday morning swim lesson.
Upon reviewing the CCTV footage of the lesson, the Manager assured the parent (in writing) that all contact with her child had been appropriate and in-line with a standard swimming lesson.
Namely – the parent was told it was common practice for a swimming instructor to:
* touch a child’s back to provide support and remind them to keep atop of the water when doing backstroke
* tap or pinch a child’s toes to remind the swimmer to keep their toes on top of the water when doing backstroke
* touch a swimmer’s thighs to assist with streamline kicking and correct body positioning.
The parent was urged to make further contact if she remained concerned but no further correspondence was entered into. The child in question is still enrolled in swimming classes at C2K.
While the Club supports the Swim Manager’s assessment of the parent’s complaint, we acknowledge that the matter should have been escalated to the Upper Management of the Club. We are conducting a review of our procedures to ensure that any future complaints are dealt with in this way.
Gymnastics:
In February, the head coach of the C2K gymnastics centre, along with his two assistant coaches, took up a lucrative offer from a rival newly-built gymnastics centre.
A number of the C2K centre’s elite athletes also followed these coaches to the new venue to progress their careers.
The club has received numerous e-mails from these athletes thanking the C2K gymnastics centre for its support of them through their years at the club.
There is in excess of 200 children daily through the C2K gymnastic centre’s programs
Overseas trip by directors:
Six directors of the Club are currently undertaking a study tour in the United States.
The directors are attending a food and beverage conference in Chicago and reviewing hospitality and leisure venues in Las Vegas and Southern California.
This trip has been fully transparent, with approval sought and gained by members at the last Annual General Meeting for a fund relating to the professional development and education of directors, including the provision of travel and accommodation.
Two staff members are also participating in the study tour, with the approval of the Board of Directors.
A full breakdown of the specific expenses will be presented at the next Annual General Meeting, and these expenses are also reviewed annually by the Club’s independent auditor.
Final point:
The Club prides itself on representing the community and its values and we continually strive to ensure that we operate a safe and welcoming environment for all of our employees.