By Kirsty Ross
JUST as Shareen Denver was losing all faith in humanity, she lost her job as well.
The mother-of-three was sacked last month for what she described as upholding her Responsible Service of Gaming training, and for “caring too much”.
The Werribee resident worked five years at the Victoria Inn Hotel in Williamstown, on the corner of Douglas and Stevedore streets.
She often worked 40 hours a week as a casual in the bistro, gaming lounge and bar of the Western Bulldogs-owned pub.
This is where she became aware of a young family’s desperate gambling addiction – a problem, she said, the hotel management ignored.
“At first they came in one day a week for about two years, then it was virtually every day for about six hours at a time,” Ms Denver said.
The hotel management vigorously disputed Ms Denver’s claims.
BLM Club Management said in a statement: “The termination of Ms Denver’s employment has nothing to do with the responsible service of gambling. The issues relate solely to our patrons’ right to privacy.”
A statement by the Western Bulldogs described the situation as a “complex issue” that could be the subject of legal action.
Ms Denver said the couple, in the mid-20s, have two children – one six months and the other two years.
She said while the father gambled, they wait in the smoking area or outside in the car for six hours at a time.
Ms Denver said the two-year-old often wore pyjamas and had bare feet, and spent each day, including his first and second birthdays, in the pub buckled in his pram with no toys or books to play with.
She said she never saw the children move around, make toilet trips, or even eat, other than the odd bowl of chips.
The children’s cries for attention eventually disturbed patrons so much it affected business, and so Ms Denver decided to take action on their complaints.
She continually raised the issue with her bosses, the Western Bulldogs and Tattersalls.
She wrote to Premier Steve Bracks and Gaming Minister John Pandazopoulos, but was told nothing could be done.
This despite the State Government allocating in June $275,000 to the Western Bulldogs for education and awareness to combat problem gambling in Melbourne’s West.
However, Ms Denver insisted staff did not receive further training and wondered where that money was being spent.
A spokesman for the gaming minister said the money given to the Western Bulldogs was in support of the club’s Spirit West services.
He said in practice the funds would ensure marginalised young people would be told about the risks of gambling.
“So that as they get their first job, or whatever their situation may be, they have the skills necessary to manage gambling properly if they choose to gamble.”
Ms Denver said she believed the father had earlier made a cry for help.
She said he asked a staff member when people knew they had a gambling problem, and how long they could sit there before being told to leave.
The situation worsened when the family complained about a visit by a social worker, which came about as a result of Ms Denver’s last ditch effort to save the family.
Ms Denver was fired for gross misconduct, on the grounds she discriminated against the couple – an issue she took up with WorkCover.
“I never once told them to leave, nor refused to serve them,” she said.
Patrons showed their support for Ms Denver by sending a 70-signature petition and letters urging her reinstatement.
Ms Denver said she had a close relationship with many patrons, feeding their pets during holidays, taking the elderly to bingo, and organising flowers for funerals and hospital visits.
She wants nothing more to do with the industry she spent 15 years in, saying: “I don’t want to save the world, but I know I fulfilled my duty of care.”
