 |
Tim Leonard, owner and licensee of the Old Bar Cellars near Taree on the NSW mid-north coast, where staff were directed to prevent groups of "coloureds" entering the store. |
|
Licensee directs staff to stop groups of 'coloureds' entering NSW Liquor Stax store
Issue 158 - 25 Jul 2008
NATIONAL, August 1, 2008: Staff at an award winning NSW liquor outlet were directed to refuse entry to groups of Aboriginal people - whom the store owner described in a written memo as "coloureds" - and were counselled that individual Aboriginal customers should not be left alone near the spirits section of the store.
Tim Leonard - the owner of Old Bar Cellars on the NSW mid-north coast - also directed staff to prevent black customers from entering the store unless they agreed to be escorted around the premises and searched on the way out.
The startling revelations are contained in a typed memo distributed by Mr Leonard to all staff of the Old Bar Cellars in February this year, a copy of which has been obtained by the National Indigenous Times.
Old Bar is a coastal town near Taree with a population of around 3,000. Just last year, the Old Bar Cellars won the state's most prestigious award - Liquor Store of the Year 2007 - at the NSW Liquor Store Association Awards. Part of the judging process was based on "customer relations- acknowledging and greeting a customer etc".
The shop is part of the Liquor Stax franchise.
Mr Leonard told NIT he wrote the memo because he felt "violated" after an Aboriginal woman was caught on security video allegedly stealing spirits from the store.
In response to the alleged theft, Mr Leonard wrote to staff telling them there have been "three known incidents of shop-lifting involving the one coloured girl plus friends who has (sic) come in with two or three other coloureds".
As a result, Mr Leonard explained to staff, new store policies regarding Aboriginal customers would be enforced.
"If any group of aboriginals mixed or otherwise comes into the shop you will ask them to leave (this does not include any customers of a long term basis)," Mr Leonard wrote.
"Say to them they are not allowed in - but can come in individually if they are willing to be searched on their way out.
"If they ask why, it is because of a recent spate of shoplifting involving people of their appearance.
"If they start yelling or otherwise, call the Police."
Mr Leonard also instructed his staff to accompany any individual Aboriginal customers around the store, and to ensure black patrons were not left alone near bottles of spirits.
"If one chooses to come in then you will escort them around the shop. If necessary, ask other customer (sic) to wait," Mr Leonard writes.
"You will not let them near any spirits unless you are standing next to them."
Despite the obvious danger of confronting shoplifters, staff are also directed to lock themselves in the shop with the customer, then call police.
"If you believe or know someone has pocketed a product and they refuse to show you what is in their pocket or under their jumper - then go to the front and shut/lock the grate and call the Taree Police saying you have a customer in the shop who you believe has taken some stock and they are currently on the premises."
During an interview with NIT, Mr Leonard tried to explain his bizarre use of the term "coloureds".
"The coloured situation is relating to the fact they weren't pure bloods, they weren't whites - the people just happened to have coloured skin," Mr Leonard said.
"How do you distinguish people who have some colour and no colour?"
Mr Leonard acknowledged that non Indigenous customers had also stolen from his store, but that staff had not been instructed to search white people prior to them leaving, to follow them around the store or to restrict their entry as a group.
"The intent of the circular was to make staff aware that if they [Aboriginal people] came in as a group, they should be extra aware of it and to escort them around the store," he said.
Mr Leonard acknowledged the memo was improper, but described it as a "gut reaction" to a series of alleged thefts he found upsetting.
"We felt violated. We run a store and go out of our way to help the community and everyone in it and we had members in the community who had violated our trust.
"It was a gut reaction to a situation where I was very unhappy with the treatment we'd received as people trying to run a fair and honest business.
"It wasn't racist, it wasn't mean to be racist - it was to highlight a fact we had an issue that need to be addressed by staff and myself.
"I have never done anything racist in my life. I have never been guilty of discrimination against anyone of age, of colour or anything in my life.
"We were violated, and we were violated such that I reacted."
Mr Leonard said most of the directives in the memo had not been followed through.
"None of it has been put into practice, other than people of that description come into the store and they get escorted about."
Mr Leonard later explained that "people of that description" was a reference to "people who come in who look suspicious".
A week after NIT first interviewed, Mr Leonard - and after the Sydney Morning Herald had also begun following the story - Mr Leonard issued a written apology.
"As the Licensee and owner of Old Bar Cellars I apologise to every person involved or affected by my memo issued earlier this year.
"It was never my intention or otherwise to be racist towards any group of people in this community. I realise that the words I used were totally inappropriate.
"The actions of the memo were retracted and never put into action at any stage. No customer of this store was ever refused service or entry for any reason except as per the [Responsible Service of Alcohol] guidelines.
"The problem was resolved by relocating products in the store to a different location and instructing staff to be more vigilant with regards any group of people acting suspiciously in the store.
"As a sponsor of the local community, where over 2 percent of our net profit goes towards supporting all of the major sporting clubs, schools and various groups and activities in the community, I apologise sincerely to anyone affected by the memo."
Liquor Stax head office in Sydney declined to comment, referring NIT to Old Bar Cellars.
• You can download a copy of the original memo by clicking on the first Related Link below.
http://www.nit.com.au/downloads/files/Download_179.pdf
http://www.nit.com.au/story.aspx?id=15622
 
|