4 days ago
WA charities devastated over missing funds linked to former Sydney Swan Troy Gray's show
West Australian charities say they have lost hope that they will ever recoup thousands of dollars of lost fundraising they claim to be owed by a "philanthropic travel show" aired on Channel 7.
Media Watch yesterday revealed more than 30 charities across the country say they are owed money raised from Adventure All Stars.
The show's mission, according to host and executive producer Troy Gray, was to combine entertainment with philanthropy by taking volunteers on the trip of a lifetime while raising awareness for their chosen charity.
Rach Mac, chair of Perth-based anti-domestic violence charity Broken Crayons Still Colour Foundation, said $60,000 she and other volunteers raised during the program's broadcast run was yet to be paid.
In a statement to Media Watch, Mr Gray, who played 51 games for the Sydney Swans between 1992 and 1996, said Ms Mac's claims were "baseless assertions" and "vile commentary" that had caused reputational damage.
Four months ago, an Adelaide court ordered Mr Gray and the company Charity TV Global (CTVG) to pay the charity the $60,000 owed.
In Western Australia, the ABC has spoken to several wildlife rehabilitation charities involved in the show, which reported similar experiences over the past three years.
Two of the three, based in the Perth Hills, claim they never received any of the money they raised.
Possum Valley Animal Sanctuary in Mount Helena is entirely volunteer-run and looks after about 350 animals on site.
Vice-president Mark Hayman said it raised between $20,000 and $30,000 for an episode in the NSW Blue Mountains, but never received any money or a breakdown of where it went.
Kanyana Wildlife chief executive Danny Shelton said the organisation signed on in 2023 but had not even featured in an episode due to filming being delayed until late 2024 and eventually cancelled.
Mr Shelton said he had not heard back from CTVG about the approximately $25,000 raised, if the charity would receive it, or where it had gone.
Waroona-based Greener Pastures Sanctuary was one of the more fortunate charities.
Founder Rachael Parker said it received about a third of the roughly $60,000 members had raised, though CTVG did not send any breakdown of verified costs.
"[I'm] shocked that somebody could do that to charities, especially small charities that really struggle to stay afloat, especially in the current climate," she said.
Greener Pastures featured on the same episode of the show as Broken Crayons Still Colour.
"The fact that they haven't seen any of their money and we received such a small amount," Ms Parker said.
The full amount of the fundraising would have gone towards building a new barn and more veterinarian stations to help the almost 120 animals the sanctuary cares for.
"That would have made a huge difference to the animals here and our ability to carry on doing the work that we do."
All three animal rehabilitation charities had considered legal action but ultimately decided it would be too expensive.
The ABC made multiple attempts to contact Mr Gray about the wildlife charities' claims, but did not receive a response.
The Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission cannot legally comment on any investigation, if an investigation is underway, or if concerns have been raised about individual charities.
All these charities, almost entirely reliant on donations, wished they had never gotten involved in the show.
Mr Hayman said he would like to see Mr Gray take responsibility for the role he played.
"I think Troy Gray and his team were disingenuous in continuing to promote their endeavour when they were in such a significant financial shortfall.
"But it would be nice to see some recognition and some acceptance of responsibility in terms of the financial management of the organisation."
In response to Media Watch's questions on why some charities did not receive any money, Mr Gray pointed to a huge increase in production costs during and after the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.
"Since the inception of our groundbreaking platform, our net monetary returns to aligned charities have remained consistent," he said.
"However, our costs have escalated significantly, and without brand support, our social enterprise can no longer sustain operations or meet our increasing debts.
"What hurts deeply is knowing that some of the more recent charities we worked with couldn't benefit in the way those in past years did. That reality weighs heavily on me."
