McHenry: ‘I went too far’
OLD-AGE pensioner Greg McHenry has broken his silence about the lawsuit from former mayor Darryn Lyons that he says could send him broke and threatens to close community radio station The Pulse.
McHenry, 66, was suspended from the airwaves and made to do defamation training after he said on air in July last year that Mr Lyons’ establishments were drug dens.
After emailing an apology to the former paparazzi photographer at the time, Mr McHenry said he was shocked when Mr Lyons lodged a writ in the Supreme Court last month seeking “aggravated damages” from him and The Pulse, and claimed he had not apologised.
“I have apologised to Mr Lyons for my comments. They were unacceptable and I was wrong. As an experienced broadcaster, I should’ve known better, but I let my emotions get the better of me,” Mr McHenry said.
The writ details a series of on-air comments Mr McHenry made about an encounter at The Pulse studio where Mr Lyons allegedly brought Committee For Geelong chief Rebecca Casson to tears.
Mr McHenry accused Mr Lyons of “bullying” Ms Casson. But the damages are sought only because he said: “the places he (Mr Lyons) looks after, his establishments in town, are drug dens that are not right for the community”.
Mr McHenry, who spoke regularly on air about his personal recovery from alcohol abuse, did not name the venues.
“I saw what happened in our studio and felt I couldn’t let it go without saying some- thing, but I went too far ... and I apologised for that,” Mr McHenry said.
“I don’t think anyone imagined we’d still be dealing with this a year later. It’s got me feeling quite edgy.”
Mr McHenry hosted Roads To Recovery on The Pulse for 11 years, giving voice to hundreds of community organisations, and has kept working off-air, unpaid since being suspended.
Station manager Leo Renkin said The Pulse tried to address Mr Lyons’ grievance, issuing its own immediate apology, witnessing Mr McHenry’s mea culpa, suspending and retraining him.
While it’s unknown how much money Mr Lyons wants, Mr Renkin said a lengthy legal battle would cripple the station.
He said Pulse was running an online fundraising campaign and planning a benefit concert next Thursday and had been encouraged by the support from the community.
“We’ve tried for a year to avoid going to court; it’s something that would drain us severely,” he said.
Mr McHenry said if he saw Mr Lyons he’d say to him “I can’t understand why you’re doing it, because I’ve got no money, mate”.
“The Pulse is a community asset, and to do something that could end its life, I don’t know why anyone would do that,” he added.