Fraudster’s heavy toll on chief

Show society almost collapsed

A FORMER Geelong Show president has come forward about how the fraudulent actions of former chief executive Jacqui Patmore caused her to plunge into a period of stress and mental health trauma.

Former Geelong Agricultural and Pastoral Society president Sheree Seiffert revealed her mental health suffered after Patmore ripped off the organisation for more than $117,000 between 2012 and 2016.

The 47-year-old was granted bail in March in the Geelong Magistrates’ Court after appealing her 18-month jail sentence on charges of theft and obtaining financial advantage by deception.

Ms Seiffert said she chose to step down last year from her two-year stint as president after Patmore’s trail of fiscal destruction which left the 160year-old organisation hanging by a thread.

“It took a mental toll on me, those two years,” she said. “There was a lot of lack of sleep and having to be at the showgrounds a lot — with phone calls and meetings to sort things out. “You don’t get away from it. “I had to step down and take solace with myself and family.”

The presidency had meant much to Ms Seiffert because she was the first woman to hold the position.

She said the case had sparked a fiscal overhaul, with management left scrambling to pay off debts and rebuild the financially dire situation.

“Everyone feels the blow of it all,” she said. “It’s very hard — it’s taken a long time to recover.

“There’s a lot of fractured relationships between committee members and in the committee of management.

“It’s been a tough time for everyone.”

Patmore misused a company credit card for hundreds of personal transactions, building a credit card debt of more than $84,000 after splashing out on restaurants, cosmetics, clothing and veterinary bills.

According to Ms Seiffert, alarm bells did not immedately ring.

It was not until she started receiving phone calls from as range of suppliers demanding payment in 2015 that she realised something was wrong.

“Everything seemed to be going smoothly,” she said.

“I had a conversation with a supplier who said they hadn’t been paid, that was my first inkling — that’s when it all started coming out.”

Patmore moved to resign soon after, in January 2016.

“She hasn’t made any payments whatsoever, she has never apologised for anything,” Ms Seiffert said.

“I would have liked to be president for longer, but it didn’t work out that way.

“She doesn’t appear to have any remorse for what she’s done.”

Current show president Tom McCann said the organisation had finally recovered financially.

“Predominantly the shock is gone now, it’s just the reality of back to life as normal and punching forward to getting things back on track,” Mr McCann said.

“This year the show is going to be bigger and better beyond what it has been.

“I’m so proud that we have bounced back.”