Native Title group confirms sacking of Darryl Pearce

11
3113

Update 8.15am December 17:
 
LAE Enterprises, a company connected to Alice Springs’ native title organisation, Lhere Artepe, today confirmed reports in the Alice Springs News Online that Darryl Pearce (pictured) has been sacked.
The statement said: “In response to the need to address significant business challenges, in particular the slippage in timing of completion of the Mt Johns Stage 1 [real estate] Project (above right), the Board of Lhere Artepe Enterprises has reviewed operating costs and made a decision to reduce ongoing overheads to ensure LAE’s continued financial sustainability.
As a result of this management review, the CEO position for LAE Enterprises has been made redundant and Mr Darryl Pearce has left his position with the company effective 2 December 2011.
The Board recognizes the key role Darryl has played in the development of LAE and wishes him all the best for the future.
The Board of Lhere Artepe Enterprises is actively reviewing the current and future situation of the company and its entities.
Through this review process the Board has already taken steps to ensure that it has a strong focus on effective management while also reducing overheads. This includes the recruitment earlier this year of an experienced general manager for the company’s supermarkets business, Peter McGannon.
Together, Peter and the Board are bringing a clear focus on operational discipline of the LAE Supermarkets.
The Supermarkets are sound businesses of many years’ standing, and the Board looks forward to a year of consolidation and improved business performance in 2012.
The Board is confident these developments will ensure that the LAE companies continue to be successful and viable enterprises. A clear focus on operational discipline will ensure a robust future for LAE.
 
Updated 09.30 December 13

 
By ERWIN CHLANDA
 
Darryl Pearce  has been sacked from the position of CEO of Lhere Artepe Enterprises Pty Ltd (LAE), which Bob Liddle describes as the investment arm of the Alice Springs native title body.
Mr Liddle is a senior member of the Mbantua estate group, one of the three moieties of Lhere Artepe Aboriginal Corporation (LAAC).
He says his sister, Pat Miller, the Territory’s Deputy Administrator and chairwoman of LAE, gave Mr Pearce notice in writing a few days ago.
A meeting will be held at 10am today in the Lhere Artepe office to discuss immediate and long-term moves.
An insider says the meeting was called by president Brian Stirling some time ago, before Mr Pearce’s sacking, but it is likely members of a group within Lhere Artepe seeking to reform the native title body will be attending.
Mr Stirling did not respond to a request for comment from the Alice News Online.
The Alice Springs News attempted to contact Mr Pearce when rumors of his dismissal surfaced but he did not reply.
He was also the administrative officer of LAAC “on contract” from LAE.
LAE is involved in real estate development in Mt Johns Valley.
The civil engineering company CDE Civil, which was involved in the construction of the development, and has Mr Pearce as its only director, went into liquidation recently.
A prominent member of the reform group, Ian Conway (pictured left), says notices of today’s meeting were sent “to some people, but not to everyone”.
Asked this morning whether reformers will be there in force, Mr Conway said: “We cannot get people enthused right now because they link Lhere Artepe with the old regime.”
He says the town’s official native title body needs to be reformed “for the benefit of all the people, not individuals. People of the town. We need to bring back the town to what it used to be, bring back relationships between everyone as it was originally.
“Arrernte people need to be recognized as the controllers of the country so far as Indigenous people are concerned.”
Mr Conway, whose father was one most senior custodians of the town, says the directions should come from the book “The town grew up dancing” by Wenten Rubuntja. He says 30 years ago the town’s people were in harmony but since “I have seen the whole thing fall down.
“It’s been coming slowly over the last few years and now [the tensions are] revved up.
“Everyone is an expert, but they have no idea about leadership and protocol. These were followed totally when I was a kid. There was no criminal activity between black and white people.
“We need to give again to Aboriginal people the same respect as others enjoy in this community.”
In his view these changes should be the principal objective of Lhere Artepe: “We don’t want to own millions of dollars of real estate, but we need to have recognition for the ‘right’ people, such as the people at White Gate. They have been removed from decision making, and now they may be pushed off their own land.”
Mr Liddle says the reason for Mr Pearce’s sacking was “his failure to keep all the directors advised of the deals he was doing, lack of accountability and inadequate procedures”.
Mr Liddle says there will be an investigation by an independent auditor of the events leading up to the sacking.
It appears funds were borrowed without board approval, and negotiations appear to have taken place about the development of further land in the Mt Johns area over which native title has not been extinguished.
“No deals can be made without consulting the native title owners,” says Mr Liddle.
The News has again sought comment from Mr Pearce and will report any response.
The News has covered extensively the bitter and protracted controversy surrounding Mr Pearce (google our site).

11 COMMENTS

  1. Hi Erwin, how are you. It was very pleasing to read about this man being sacked. A long time in coming. There are many more of his kind within Lhere Artepe.
    This particular family and a certain other have wreaked havoc for years by shanghi-ing Lhere Artepe and taking control of it from other true traditional owners (T/Os) by the unbalanced unfairness of structure in the three groups and Lhere Artepe’s constitution.
    My son and I are T/Os of the Irlpma group and for years my family has never received any monies (not one cent), from Lhere Artepe via Irlpma.
    As usual each of the three groups are dominated by the largest of one family group.
    THE ISSUES ARE AS FOLLOWS:
    [1] THERE ARE THREE GROUPS WHEN THERE SHOULD BE TWO, UNDOOLYA AND IRLPMA.
    The only reference of Mbantua on Strehlow’s map is of a Mbantua Lhere (a river) near Harts Range. (Makes one wonder where Mbantua, the T/Os group, has originally evolved from.)
    If you require this reference of Strehlow’s map I shall be happy to forward this on.
    [2] VOTING RIGHTS AND REPRESENTATION IS UNBALANCED IN THE GROUPS.
    Each of the three groups vote individuals up as 10 MEMBERS. Please understand that me being a T/O does not make me a MEMBER of Lhere Artepe. To become a MEMBER a T/O must first be voted up by the groups individually. (Hence the unbalance due to a small family of individual T/Os in one such group.)
    I and my family have no voice. The MEMBERS of Lhere Artepe only support their own families, not representing of the whole group.
    [3] Certain family T/Os including myself, are being excluded in payments of monies that they are entitled to as T/Os and some family members receive more payments than others.
    SOME POSSIBLE IDEAS OF ACTIONS:
    [a] To remove the power of imbalance and unfair representation by One vote, each family T/O represented evenly from each family group. To then be represented evenly as MEMBERS up on Lhere Artepe.
    [b] OVERHAUL THE SELECTION OF T/Os THROUGH STREHLOW’S DOCUMENTATION OF EXISTING ARCHIVES: Strehlow’s archives to be used as guidance for families to connect themselves to their ANCESTORS and to COUNTRY of their ANCESTORS’ DREAMINGS.
    [c] Changes to the CONSTITUTION of Lhere Artepe and the groups, for fairer voting rights, and money distribution to all T/Os once [b] has been applied.
    [d] Seek an overturning of justice Olney’s decision on adoption in the Federal Government vs Hayes case.
    [e] Ask for a fair, independent tribunal to sort out the mess.
    Regards Merrill Bray
    Mobile: 0409 085137

  2. Similar problems elsewhere around country are receiving media attention.
    Commonwealth structures with abusive new-speak terminology without proven, understood, explainable, meanings in law, did little other than promote confusion, ignorance and conflicts concerning rights and responsibilities, with foreseeable problems arising.
    Conflicts like who are “true traditional owners”.
    All these corporations need:
    (a) regularly update and make available to public their shareholder lists, their rules;
    (b) make available a period during which anyone who claims any right to be a member can lodge their names;
    (c) internally sort out who is, or is not, entitled to be a member;
    (d) disputes unresolved internally may by determined judicially;
    (e) regularly publish in written format for all members their minutes of meetings and their required reports;
    Anything less promotes exploitation of ignorance – to benefit whom?

  3. Bob Liddle lodged the first land claim in the early 90s but for one group only. If it wasn’t for that claim the so called knowledgeable people would not be running around now like chooks with no heads. Lhere Artepe should never have been formed.

  4. So what you are implying Mick in your note is that knowledgeable people (Traditional Owners) have no authority to protect their rights. We are not running around like chooks with our heads cut off. All we are doing is getting fair and equal representation in the whole running of the corporation and prevent people like Bob Liddle and family assuming that they are in control and are “ROYALTY” amongst the Central Arrente people.
    On another note, your letter clearly displays a lack of knowledge from you when it comes to understanding the dynamics of the Aboriginal skin structure and how it is so important to the whole ownership and duties that lie within ownership, required to carry out control and governance on our level … Aboriginal level!

  5. To Michael Liddle: No, that’s not my implication and to me it just highlights that you lack the skill of interpretation. Also, to condemn a family that has worked hard, both physically and mentally, for decades to be successful achievers, with your misguided views, also highlights another important characteristic that we as the older generation try to instill in the younger generation. Respect. You lack this.

  6. Well, well, well. I have finally got a bite to such a nerve pinching true comment. But anyway … instead of hanging our laundry out for everyone to see, please call me. I will be more than happy to speak to you.

  7. Re. Mick Liddle: Why isn’t 2 Bob Bobby Liddle’s name on the Hayes vs The NT Government for the Native Title Claim itself?

  8. William or Willaim as it is spelt here … it’s evident in all your posts that you demonstrate so well your lack of knowledge in your diatribe. However in regard to any listing of a legal cases you can’t list all people when referring to legal cases, here let me help you. Listed below are the original applicants. Third name listed is Mr Robert (Bob) Liddle.
    INTRODUCTION
    1. This is an application for a determination of native title in relation to land and waters in and near Alice Springs in the Northern Territory.
    The applicants are:
    Thomas Stevens Peltharre
    Robert Francis Stuart Kngwarraye
    Robert Liddle Kemarre
    Augustine Rice Ampetyane
    Wenten Rubuntja Pengarte
    Patrick Peter Stirling Kemarre
    Veronica Golder (Campbell) Pengarte
    Myra Hayes Ampetyane
    Rosie Ferber Ampetyane
    Doris Stuart Renehan Kngwarraye
    Stewart Oliver Angale
    Clem Ellis Pengarte
    Phylis Blanche Campbell-Kenny Ampetyane
    Jean Stuart Kemarre

  9. OK FIVE MINUTE real t/o tell me what group did MOST of the singing dancing at the yeperenye festival? ANTULYE MEN AND WOMAN. AND IF YOU NOW SO MUCH ARANDA LAW YOU SHOULD NOW TO TALK FOR LAND YOU HAVE TO BE A ARANDA / LAW MAN / I CAN SEE TWO boys ON THAT LIST.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here