Print broking surf boss awaits sentence

The former general manager of volunteer association Surf LIfe Saving NSW created a sham print broking operation, through which he funnelled its print jobs, outsourcing them to trade suppliers, then sending inflated invoices to Surf NSW, without admitting that he owned the business.

Hanks spent the cash on two luxury properties in Sydney's exclusive Northern Beaches, and on a $490,000 cataraman. His fraud was eventually discovered by suspicous staff at Surf Life Saving NSW, who even asked him if his brother owned the print broker, which Hanks denied.Matthew Hanks skimmed $1.8m from Surf Life Saving NSW through his print broking company Sea Hear Speak, and another fraudulent scheme involving buying cars at the organisation's wholesale rate, then seling them on the private market.

Hanks had a background in print, but was being paid $200,000 a year as the general manager of Surf Life Saving NSW when he instigated the sham print broking scheme. He admitted scamming $1.84m in six fraud charges.

The scam is the biggest scandal to hit the charity in its 114 year existence, and it said the consequences of the fraud were  substantial and ongoing, with staff departing and financial struggles ever since, with current board member Andrew Waller telling a pre-sentencing hearing yesterday that the impact was having a "tsunami effect" on the organisation.

In a victim impact statement Waller said, "His actions bought the entire staff cohort into disrepute with the volunteer membership, the board and even within the staffing ranks. The culture of the workforce changed immediately from one of collegiality, camaraderie and trust to one of distrust and innuendo."

Some $600,000 has been repaid with civil proceedings leading to a settlement of $1m. Hanks now claims to be homeless. He will be sentenced next month.