Luncheon Club service disrupted

ACON says the closure of the Larder and Luncheon Club on Wednesday and Friday last week was unavoidable — but the organisation expects both services to return to normal from this week.

The Star Observer was contacted by clients who had been disappointed after around 40 people turned up for lunch on Friday, only to be turned away without explanation.

“They just said there was no lunch today,” one client told the Star Observer. “When I asked why, they said they didn’t know. It was the same thing last Wednesday when I went to get my groceries in the Larder.”

The client had travelled in from Sydney’s outer suburbs on Friday and and Wednesday and was unsure if he would be able to make alternative arrangements during what was left of the day. He was concerned he might need to spend money he needed for bills to buy food for the weekend.

ACON CEO Nicolas Parkhilll told the Star Observer ACON did not have contact details for many of those who used the Luncheon Club and Larder so it was not possible to warn them in advance of the closures.

“The decision to shut in each instance was not taken lightly and was brought about by circumstances and in a timeframe that didn’t allow for lengthy lead-time notice to be provided,” Parkhill said.

“The Wednesday larder service and Friday meal closures were both related to one-off occurrences that, in my judgment, necessitated that level of response.

“There are, however, many similar same-day alternative service options available to clients in this area and further afield and we ensured that the location of these services was made known to anyone who arrived here, along with our sincere apologies.”

The Star Observer understands that an incident occurred in the café area on Wednesday afternoon following the meal service and that the Friday closure was also related to this incident.