Community club condemned for loan ad in magazine
ABC Radio,  19 December 2004

A club in south-western Sydney has admitted it made a mistake in allowing a loan company to advertise in its members' magazine.

Fairfield councillor Thang Ngo says the Mount Pritchard and District Community Club, known as Mounties, is utterly irresponsible for allowing the money lender's ad, which promises "loans for all reasons".

Councillor Ngo says the club made $219 million from poker machines last year and should not encourage its members to take loans that could be used for gambling.

Mounties CEO Greg Pickering admits the ad was a mistake and says it will not happen again.

"It's in our magazine," he said. "We certainly can't ... walk away from the fact that it's there.

"It's just that it's not appropriate and it's an oversight on our behalf.

"Definitely, we won't be placing anything like this in there again, it's purely an oversight.

"I guess it's a little disappointing that a member of council's chosen to sensationalise the thing when a simple phone call could have probably fixed it."