Bowlers rights!

[Werribee]

WITHOUT PREJUDICE

What would your call have been?

I would like your opinion about a very complex situation. I will put it all in a nutshell and you can have your opinion. This starts back in late April 2006 and the final decision was made on Friday (26/8/2006).

I have a league in the centre that has caused me a lot of concern. The league is registered with the MTBA. One of the MTBA directors is a delegate of that league. At the end of the last season we were made aware that the trophies/prizes and presentation night didn’t really match what the funds should have supplied.

We subtly made the secretary aware of this (that’s the MTBA director) and she didn’t see a problem, we even volunteered to do the treasury position free of charge- as we do for all other leagues.

As the season proceeded we noticed that the banked amounts didn’t match the collected amounts- again we approached the league secretary/MTBA director. We told her to check the books- to no avail. After a couple more weeks we insisted she check, and “whammo” major discrepancies. As soon as this happened the treasurer decided not to bowl or be at the centre any more. We tried to get the books back for weeks. We were told that the envelopes had been thrown out.

What happens next is even better. The treasurer’s daughters collected the prize fund on many of the nights in question. The treasurer’s daughter was trying out for East Coast. We made the MTBA aware of our concerns prior to East Coast final team selection (actually 6/2006). What action was taken by MTBA? Nothing. We made them aware that this girl (trying out for East Coast) was not financial in the league (according to our information and books) and was a participant in the non-banking of the prize fund.

A committee member of the MTBA visited the league. He reported back that they (the league) were happy to leave things alone- must be a different league than the one we spoke to. They were happy not to chase the money as long as this girl didn't bowl East Coast or her mum be a delegate of any league. Actually, they had another season reformation meeting last night and they were disgusted that the MTBA is allowing this girl to bowl for her state. They felt that the MTBA is protecting the said family over the 38 of them. I asked the MTBA to refer the matter to the TBAL- they didn’t.

This situation has been going on for about 5 months and through it all the MTBA has not assisted the centre in recouping the funds and has taken the side of the other family. No action has even been taken against the director who stood by and let this happen when we told her of our suspicions at the beginning of the year.

Funnily enough, the MTBA now has the missing envelopes! They amazingly appeared (of course they supported the stand of the family) and the MTBA said they can account for all missing funds with a good enough excuse. Their letter to me doesn’t mention that she has to pay back any money- it actually blames the league! We didn’t even get an opportunity to respond to her allegations.

I approached the Vic Tenpins committee for their opinion and/or support. I never got a report or call back from them. I had to chase and chase for an answer. I asked both the president of MTBA and Victenpins to call Alex Popov but as of 25/8/2006 he hadn’t heard from either of them- until I told Leanne Healey that this would be reported to the bowling community on Totalbowling, and then she called him right away! Why do we pay money or have these associations?

When something is wrong, it is wrong! No amount of trying to twist the truth and the facts will make it right. Even if the girl in question is only 17 years of age, she knew she wasn't abiding by the rules and regulations! The message they have now sent is that because this girl is under 18 she is not responsible for her actions. Under 18's have now effectively been given permission by MTBA to have a field day! If a child acts up in a tournament are they still let off? We wanted the MTBA to do the right thing for the greater bowling community not for 1 person. What about the other girl who missed out by 3 pins, and who did everything right!

Do you think it is fair that this kid should be allowed to bowl for the East Coast Victorian team? Do you think this woman should repay the money? What is your opinion on how the MTBA handled the situation?

Edi De Pellegrin

 

[Woza]

I have a league in the centre that has caused me a lot of concern. The league is registered with the MTBA. One of the MTBA directors is a delegate of that league. At the end of the last season we were made aware that the trophies/prizes and presentation night didn’t really match what the funds should have supplied.

The main concern (disregarding what the alleged people are now bowling or doing) is the accusation of misappropriated funds.
We had a similar situation a few years ago. Every league has a treasurer, president, secretary. The T.B.A. rule books outlines the job roles for each position
In short form the treasurer
TBA rule 309-4 A full financial report showing income from all sources, and all expenditure items, will be supplied to the management committee when requested, or in accordance with the requirements of the constitution
The President
TBA rule 306-3 The president will personally on a regular weekly basis check and verify that the correct amount of monies have been collected have been deposited correctly
If there is a case of Misappropriated funds then
OFFENCE 503 DISTRIBUTION OF PRIZE MONEY
Failing to distribute team prize money in accordance with an oral or written agreement.
Suggested Penalty - Not less than 3 months suspension of membership or suspension of membership or other penalty
for a period of time as deemed appropriate by the Local Association Board of Directors.
Or
OFFENCE 507 FUND SHORTAGES
(a) Embezzling, stealing, absconding with or failing to account for any funds entrusted to him or her.
Suggested Penalty - Ineligibility for life to hold any office in any league or the Association and in addition
suspension from membership for not less than 12 months or suspension of membership or other penalty for a
period of time as deemed appropriate by the Local Association Board of Directors. Any person suspended will
continue to be liable for any arrears of dues unpaid at the date of his suspension and for all other moneys due by
him to TBA and/or any association/Registered Bowling Centre. The suspension will remain in force until full
restitution has been made.
(b) Being the officer required to make periodical verification of the accounts and funds of any accredited league or
Association is guilty of malfeasance or non-feasance of any such duty.
Suggested Penalty - Suspension of membership or other penalty as deemed appropriate by the Local
Association Board of Directors.
(c) Being an officer of an accredited league or Association which has suffered a loss of funds from any cause is
guilty of deliberately making or filing a false statement in relation thereto with the proper authority in order to
obtain a greater sum than that to which the said accredited league is entitled under any insurance policy or for
any other dishonest purpose of any nature whatsoever.
Suggested Penalty - Ineligible for life to hold any office in any league or Association and in addition
suspension from membership for not less than 12 months or suspension of membership or other penalty for a
period of time as deemed appropriate by the Local Association Board of Directors.
The only thing that I am uncertain of is whether the league is controlled by the MTBA or Werribee, ie (who is the Local Association board of Directors) either way the TBA rules are pretty straight forward.

 

[Werribee]

The league bowls at Werribee as their host centre. They pay registration to the MTBA and follow their guidelines.

I hope no one misappropriated! There are just several inconsistencies (from what I understand a couple of thousand dollars worth) that need to be explained. I wouldn't accuse any-one of impropriety unless I have conclusive evidence. There should have been an investigation with a right to appeal from both parties.

And I agree with you. The TBA rules are pretty straight forward, but the MTBA or Victenpins would not consult them when I asked.

Edi

 

[Dozza]

Interesting to see 149 have viewed this topic and only 1 response.



Doriana Porto

 

[wchester]

You're in a tough situation Edi. As owner of the centre in which this league bowls, there'll be some (more likely many) who feel that Werribee Bowl is responsible for coming up with the "missing" funds. Embezzlement is a crime and as such should be dealt with by bringing the situation to the attention of your local police department.

Someone's got to blow the whistle on this family, so it might as well be you. Your loyal and honest customers will thank you for it.

 

[jedi_bowler]

Interesting to see 149 have viewed this topic and only 1 response.

Because this seems to involve rules, money and possibly a State/Federal offence. People who are not directly involved should not get involved.

Frosty

 

[rrichman]

I agree you have all the facts and i think the only right thing to do is to involve the police i only hope it hasn't been to long a time frame good luck, i also think that maybe there should be no questions as to the bowl looking after the books at a small fee for all leagues no exceptions hopefully then no problems any way my 2 bobs worth good luck

 

[Dozza]

The question still remains. Should the MTBA be doing anything about this?? The league bowlers are members of MTBA and they should all abide by their rules. So when someone breaks the rules wouldn't this mean they should take some action? Why has it been that 5 months of constant requests by the centre have gone unprocessed? We are talking about alot of money. Who are they protecting?? What do people have to hide?? Why are these people still bowling in other centres?? Why have they been allowed to make state representative teams?
Yes its a Police matter also but that would be up to the 30 bowlers of the league and I have suggested it to them. But lets start with something which should be simpler and quicker.

Doriana Porto

 

[renta]

Well here is where I stand on this issue ...Many years ago a league I bowled in that was of good rep & was by all accounts run to the letter....Let me say many in this league didn't receive their prize funds at the end of the season....Its the commitee that is the blame for for this & no one else ....its up to them to to maintain the books of the treasurer ...This job is normally done by the president who should week in & out serevice the books....If the president is away it should be passed to the vice president .....I know people will say that the trust put in to the treasurer should be enough & I would agree ,but lets face it in this instance & many others over the years it wasn't.....I myself having lost out in the same situation & not wanting to go thru the same thing again ......The leagues I bowl in now do weekly checks....For the problem you guys have at the moment I certainly would question the rest of the commitee as to the reasons why this was not done....I too would approach the police & see what steps need to taken about this matter to see how you can recover monies lost....the person that ripped us was never charged but was approached by police & came to an agreement to repay the ammout taken ...FAT CHANCE he paid a little back & that was it !!!!!

 

[Dozza]

You're right Renta but again I will ask ....


WHAT SHOULD THE MTBA DO ABOUT THIS SITUATION????


They have done nothing up to this point and what's worse is that a young innocent girl is missing an opportunity because no action has been taken. Yes the whole committee should be taken to task over this but this is for the association MTBA to deal with seeing as they are happy to take membership fees and print a rule book detailing all this. It seems the rules do not apply here.

Doriana Porto

 

[wchester]

Doriana...

I wouldn't be looking to the MTBA for action. If I were in your position I would seek out a league member to file a criminal complaint. After all, when it comes right down to brass tacks, it all reflects upon your business doesn't it?

What better way to state the Bowl's position on this matter than to put it into the hands of the local gendarmes.

 

[Jase]

Doriana / Edi...

I don't think having it aired on Totalbowling is the way

I think this should go straight to MTBA to see if it could be resolved and then if not achieved there, referred onto Alex at TBA...

I too have been in a similar situation as a bowler here in QLD and to be honest no restitution was reached.

There are rules and penalties in place against these types of offenders I am sure...

I wish you all better fortunes than we had…We lost nearly 20 grand I believe… Not a great year to win that league….

 

[peter56]

anyone who steals money should be dealt with harshly

 

[renta]

You're right Renta but again I will ask ....
WHAT SHOULD THE MTBA DO ABOUT THIS SITUATION????
They have done nothing up to this point and what's worse is that a young innocent girl is missing an opportunity because no action has been taken. Yes the whole committee should be taken to task over this but this is for the association MTBA to deal with seeing as they are happy to take membership fees and print a rule book detailing all this. It seems the rules do not apply here.
Doriana Porto

Dozza its really not up to the MTBA ..the only course I can see for them is to make sure the person in question is a member still of the MBTA for the east coast.......The MBTA should have guide lines to follow & should have advised a course of action that could have been followed....Then if the person or persons do have something to answer for...Then they should have a direction to follow .....Now understand we dont know all the facts on both sides so I have only responded on what I have read .......remember innocent until proven guilty ...not the other way round !!!!!...

 

[buddybytch]

Firstly, there are always two sides to a story, and at the moment we have only heard one side (no disrepect to the author) but if this is so then i seriously doubt that we will hear the other side.

I agree with Edi and all the other posts. If that was anyone else then the situation would have been dealt with and they probably would no longer be allowed to be part of the MTBA. Which has happened in the past.

I seem to remember a couple of situations off the top of my head.

The 1st being 2 years ago when a women was being spoken to in regards to monies missing from her place of work. She had not even been charged with any offence by the police at that stage, so she was innocent until proven guilty, and the MTBA would not let her even try out for Eastcoast. The only reason the committee found out that she was being questioned over the money was because the mother of 1 of the girls trying out for the u21 team brought the local newspaper to the bowl and proceeded to show everyone the article, telling everyone that she hoped that they would not let her daughter try out either.

The 2nd being 3 years back when a female bowler supposedly paid for her Eastcoast entry with a cheque that bounced and she was asked to pay the money she owed in cash which i believe she did. The MTBA then band her from bowling for Victoria.

My only thought on this is that as long as you don't owe MTBA money you can do as you please.

Edi, i tend to agree with most of the others.........The only way this is going to be resolved is by going to the police and bringing them up to speed. The law is clear on this kind of situation, embezzlement and miss appropriation of funds are criminal offences. I believe both mother and daughter should be charged in accordance with the law.

As for the fact that the girl is only seventeen has nothing to do with nothing.............One would think that at seventeen you would know right from wrong.

I only hope that this does not reflect on the father of the family and that he isn't punished also as he does not deserve that.

I also believe one of the criterias for bowling Eastcoast is that you bowl in a sanctioned league until Eastcoast in finished. "I don't know if this is correct but i have spoken to one of the men who is bowling in Eastcoast and he wanted to stop bowling in the league he was bowling in and he was told that if he no longer bowled in that league (as it is the only one he bowls in) then he would be dropped from the mens team."

I only have a few questions which have to be considered also, Does this girl still bowl in a sanctioned league? If she doesn't how does she qualify for Eastcoast? If she does, do either her or her mother have anything to do with this leagues committee? And does that league know of the situation at hand?

Regards
Sandi.

 

[LouLou]

Hey everyone.

I have a few questions..................If all the alligations are true does this effect all of the Victorian teams? I mean if the bowler is not sanctioned or she no longer bowls in a league does that make her illegal there for we can have the cup taken off us if we win it?

Is she allowed to pay her money or start bowling in a league tomorrow and still be part of the team?

I personally don't think this is fair to the rest of the bowlers who have bowled continually in leagues.

If all these alligations are true i believe the bowler concerned should be asked to leave the team. It is not fair on the rest of the team if we all bowl and win the cup to only have it taken away from us because one bowler was being selfish.

I was once quoted a very wise saying "There is no I in team".

Louise

 

[alexnjudy]

Privacy Laws outweighs Bowlers Rights
Good Luck
Alex

 

[JAY K]

You're right Renta but again I will ask ....
WHAT SHOULD THE MTBA DO ABOUT THIS SITUATION????
They have done nothing up to this point and what's worse is that a young innocent girl is missing an opportunity because no action has been taken. Yes the whole committee should be taken to task over this but this is for the association MTBA to deal with seeing as they are happy to take membership fees and print a rule book detailing all this. It seems the rules do not apply here.
Doriana Porto

My thoughts,
Edi Doriana , you have both gone to two state associations with no response .I think this could come under rules and ethics committee. The one person you should contact is John Coxon his email address is john.coxon@tenpin.org.au I think he will be able to advise you in the best course of action.
My personal option is that no one is above the law and shame that no one has taken action in regards to this matter at MTBA. I guess they would take action is no one sanction with them next year the it affected the bottom dollar (Hay these a thought) As someone once said to me we must be above reproach . Just my thoughts and well done for bring it to the attention to all and may be this will stop someone else doing the same.

 

[edfleminglanes]

Hi Jason, I really think that this thread has gone too far, there is a lot more to this that has not been disclosed and everyone is deemed inoccent until proven guilty. MTBA have investigated this situation and they have made Vic Tenpins aware of all the facts.Like in all court cases these associations can only make a decision based on the facts presented to them. And if there is such strong proof of mis-management in the League why was this proof not supplied to both MTBA and Vic-Tenpins ???

 

[renta]

Hi guys I have just replied to a P.M from Dozza.
I hope the way I posted did not leave people thinking I was in anyway trying to justify what either the MTBA or the person in question has done so far in this matter......regards Mick