WA’s iconic Leeuwin tall ship has hit rough seas after the departure of its chief executive triggered staff resignations, safety warnings and the loss of support from one prominent backer.
The STS Leeuwin II captain this week raised concerns about the safety implications of the loss of experienced staff since Leeuwin Ocean Adventure Foundation chief executive Carol Shannon was stood down in April, saying he was “not willing to jeopardise the safety of the ship, its crew and trainees”.
The ship will now return from Dampier to Fremantle earlier than planned.
At the same time, former WA Governor Malcolm McCusker’s McCusker Charitable Foundation has told the Leeuwin board it would not provide future support because of a loss of confidence relating to Ms Shannon’s departure.
Leeuwin Ocean Adventure Foundation operates the STS Leeuwin II, which runs voyages and youth programs.
It relies mostly on government funding, supplemented by corporate support and donations.
The West Australian understands the sudden nature of Ms Shannon’s departure, a lack of explanation for it and uncertainty over future plans have alarmed some Leeuwin staff, volunteers and supporters.
Among them is David Forrest, who has been involved with Leeuwin since 2008 and sits on the board of governors. He said he was “absolutely horrified” that Ms Shannon was sacked with no explanation. He only learned about it weeks later
“It’s pretty horrific,” he said. “This is so unheard of in the Leeuwin culture since the inception of the ship. Nothing has ever happened like this in this organisation before.”
McCusker Foundation director Tonya McCusker said boards had the right to make changes but stakeholders need to be inspired to “come on that change journey with you”.
“Unfortunately, this has not happened and it is with sadness that we informed the Leeuwin board that they had lost our confidence and we would not be providing further support,” she said.
Tensions escalated this week when Leeuwin Captain Bryn Davies emailed the board with his concerns about the operating and support arrangements in place for the ship.
“My best recommendation is that we take immediate action to organise the. . . ship to wind up its current operations and return to Fremantle to arrive by mid to late August,” he wrote in an email seen by The West Australian.
“This is because nothing has been done to stabilise and suitably appoint replacements for staff who have and will be choosing to leave as a result of the dismissal of our current CEO and the now lack of suitably experienced and informed personal [sic] to take their place.”
He said he expected a “majority of staff will have resigned” by the time Ms Shannon leaves in mid-August. According to Leeuwin’s 2022 financial records it employs the equivalent of 14 full time staff and has 130 volunteers.
“You must understand that our voyaging operation cannot run safely without a functional office and suitable crew. . . I believe that our ability to continue operating up here is limited,” he wrote. “I am not willing to jeopardise the safety of the ship, its crew and trainees by what is now a very short period before our organisation becomes inevitably defunct.”
Ms Shannon told The West Australian it had been her privilege to have held influential roles at Leeuwin for nearly three decades. “I’ll always continue to support Leeuwin,” she said.
The West Australian put a series of questions to chairman Warwick Pointon about Leeuwin’s operations and Ms Shannon’s departure.
In response he provided a statement in which he talked about the work done to “build organisational capacity to deliver our iconic youth development program”. and the need to evolve.
He said safety was “at the heart of our priorities” and the need for financial stability meant Leeuwin must “demonstrate a continually improving value proposition”. He said Leeuwin, as a non-profit, could not compete with the salaries offered by the commercial maritime industry.
“Following several months of discussion with the board, Carol Shannon, who has led the organisation for seven years and been involved for more than 25 years, will step down on the 18th August after completing a three week handover process with the newly appointed CEO,” he said.
“Carol’s remarkable contribution has made Leeuwin what it is today, and we are planning on celebrating her service on her final day.”
Ms Shannon’s replacement, Annette Harwood, will start on July 31.