John and Jamie - The Melanoma Brothers
I have heard John and Jamie Murdoch called many derogatory names in the last year or two. I have seen a lot of jokes, cartoons and ditties that were funny but served no positive purpose on these pages. I have tried to keep things factual rather than personal. I have even deleted comments from this blog because I thought they were inflammatory. (although, true and justifiable)
Some months ago I noticed more and more people were referring to the Murdoch’s as “The Melanoma Brothers”.
Today John Murdoch has sunk to a new low and I can’t help but think that like a cancer, he should be removed.
While most of the City of Fremantle are still reeling from last month’s evictions and walk-outs he sent out this letter:
Entry not permitted in Fremantle Markets
The Management of Fremantle Markets has received several complaints from stallholders that you were in the Fremantle Markets between 10 December and 13 December 2009 behaving inappropriately and making abusive and rude comments to some stallholders.
These actions were disruptive to our business and to the businesses of our stallholders and to the experience of customers of the Markets.
Accordingly, please note that Fremantle Markets Pty Ltd:
Has determined to exclude you from entry to the Market; and
Will regard you as a trespasser and take appropriate action accordingly if you enter the Markets.
(signed John Murdoch)
Let's not forget that these evicted stallholders were the very people who were ousted because they spoke up FOR the stallholders.
There were no questions asked - no reference to whom or what was alleged – no dialogue at all; just a spiteful and petty email, for what, one last act of violation.
If a melanoma is not detected early and removed it will eat away at the entire organism, often resulting in death.
http://sonyagreen.blogspot.com/
Labels: brian ciccotosto, fremantle markets, john and jamie murdoch, john murdoch
posted by Editor at 10:22 AM
15 Comments:
John and Jamie Murdoch seem to feel that they can do whatever they wish without repercussion of any kind or nature whatsoever. They are singlehandedly destroying the Fremantle Markets environment that made it a tourist destination. They have raised rents beyond reason with a view to forcing existing stallholders out of business and have now added insult to injury by not only destroying the livelihoods of stallholders but banning the very people who helped make Fremantle Markets what they were from setting foot on the property.
Destroying the livelihoods of the people who held stalls at the Markets wasn't enough for them. Banning old stallholders from the premises just because they were instrumental in standing up to the injust rent increases imposed on stallholders by the Murdoch's is ridiculous.
Unanswerable accusations are yet another example of the malicious nature of these brothers who have been handed control of one of Fremantle's best known tourist draws by the City Council without so much as a blink of an eye towards the rights of the tenants whoses livelihoods have depended upon the Markets for decades.
This kind of malicious behaviour needs to be stopped. The Murdoch brothers are like a cancer slowly destroying a landmark destination for locals and tourists alike. It would seem that they answer to no-one.
When is the City Council going to see them for what they are? Does the Fremantle Markets have to disappear off the map before something is done to protect the rights of the people who made it what it was? If another failed trendy eatery is their idea of what the Fremantle Markets should be, then they are heading in the right direction.
No-one goes to the Markets for the cheese and deli selections. They go for the atmosphere, the variety and the people. The people are slowly going, the atmosphere is dismal and the outlook for this property is dismal.
The people of the City (the State and the Country) should hold the Council responsible for the decline in this great landmark's place in Fremantle's history before it's too late.
What an absolute joke. First they proclude decent folks from making a living and now they send an email with unsubstantiated accusations and proclude them from even entering the premises that has been the source of this living for many years. The Murdochs seem to be stooping to extreme lows and this last move is reprehensible. Surely the Fremantle Council must see that these two are a blight on the landscape of tourism for their fair city. Wake up before it is too late and the cancer spreads through the whole tourist industry in Freo.
We live in Sydney and have been keeping up to date with the carry-on of the Fremantle Markets via websites and media.
We booked our holidays at Fremantle for the Xmas and January 2010 Holidays,-looking foreward to returning to the joyous ambiance that we experienced there a few years ago.
A big part of that was the time we spent wandering the Freo Markets, we commented to our family's back home,on how happy the stall holders were to each other as well as to the general public, be they customers...or just wanderer's of the markets. I feel sick to the pit of my stomach at what "the murdoch's" have done to the livelihood of those stallholder's.
We have decided to vacation at Mandurah... instead of Fremantle.
Cancelling our holiday there,regrettably means not supporting the Freo Markets, and Fremantle Resaurants, Cafe's, Hotels,(our accomodation)Public Transport,Theatre's,Movies,and other social networks.....
What a pity Fremantle Council...... Have "the balls"to stand up to john and jamie murdoch, and sack them, and appoint management that does not need to bully, and intimidate the very people who make the Freo Markets what they ONCE WERE...but will now, never be again.
As a stallholder still trading at the markets, I believe its collapse is now inevitable and will happen sooner than thought possible.
Every week the crowds plummet further and the Murdochs' refusal to send out crowd figures (as opposed to the daily reports last summer) fools nobody. Ann insults (and sometimes amuses) us with ridiculous newsletters informing us that customers love the new feeling of 'space' (ie empty stalls), but we are the ones who talk to hundreds of visitors each weekend and they tell us that the market has completely lost its 'soul'. They are not fooled by pot plants, benches and traders spread over several stores. (By the way, the general public are OUR customers. WE are actually YOUR customers but you are too arrogant to realise this).
Each week, traders sink further into financial stress and wonder how, if things are this bad at xmas, they can possibly afford the rent over winter. Over the next 4 weeks, I know of many stallholders who plan to leave. Meanwhile, many of us are frantically wracking our brains for a way out, not wanting to be the last ones standing in an empty market. Still, they treat us with contempt as they foolishly destroy 150 businesses and inevitably, their own.
Its no secret that the key to a successful business is to keep your customers happy and they will keep shopping with you. Conversely, upset them and word spreads like wildfire.This simple retail fact is playing out in front of our eyes now at Fremantle Markets.
Take 150 stallholders. Lets say half of them are angry (understatement). 75 tell their friends and customers, say 100 people each who then go on to tell their frinds and on it goes.
The numbers keep compounding.
Do this in a community like Fremantle,who enjoyed and supported the markets and you're creating a diaster. Word spreads across Perth and people stop coming. It's playing out before our eyes. Empty stalls the week before Xmas...this is unheard of. ...I feel sorry for all those stallholders who have suffered because of this and all those who undoubtedly will. It's madness..Do the Council and the Murdochs want to destroy this icon? Are there other plans for the site? This whole saga has been mired in contoversy from the start. Its never made sense and this apparent self destruction is bewildering in the extreme.
If Nero fiddled while Rome burnt, what is Brad Petitt going to do while the markets crumble.
It’s a train-wreck about to happen and while we all stand screaming and waving at the driver we already know it’s too late.
I have had so many phone calls and emails today that I am becoming overwhelmed. Businesses have walked out, some are setting up in the mall and others are trading from the football oval. Good for you Brian Ciccotosto and SFFC for showing that the people of Freo do matter and that the people do care. Thank you also to the many regular customers who have supported the football club in showing Scotty and the boys that the market is not a building or a rent roll; it’s their community.
Today I was staggered to hear that the Murdochs have ‘banned’ the Fremantle Herald from entering the premises. What, no freedom of speech, no freedom of the press – are you insane? What planet do you live on?
Seems it’s not just the Herald; one person told me that they have been told that they are not to read whilst manning a stall.
The Murdochs have forced stalls into opening on Thursdays (after much dispute a few years ago – and saying emphatically that they would not fight it again). For weeks now stallholders have suffered having to pay yet another days rent (approx 25% more on top of the other increases) and as already argued, no one shops at the markets on Thursdays.
One person told me she took less than $10 for the days trade. A number of others have told me that they are paying to be there on Thursdays.
They all pay extra for advertising and a few years ago Freo Markets would run TV ads and huge ads in the West prior to Christmas. No one saw any advertising other than sign writing on the tram (which only drives around Fremantle) Obviously, customers didn’t see any advertising because the market has been a ghost town every Thursday. But, even if they did advertise they still don’t get it, “The Markets are not viable mid-week”.
Most of the stallholders end up sitting there and reading.
And talk about Ann Meyer; sending out her newsletter stating she had employed a mystery shopper. The audacity of this woman – to come back and say that the mystery shopper thought the stallholders weren’t smiling enough!
Go Ann, you are a gem, talk about turning lemons into lemon meringue pie. Yes the vacant stalls are lovely. Funny how they are all placed around your daughter’s coffee shop.
Annie came bouncing in chortling her own praises and singing out how she was going to bring 60,000 people through the markets every week-end. Each week the customers are dwindling and Thursdays you could count them by the score. The Wednesdays ‘trial’ you could have counted by the tens.
She sends out her newsletter calling stallholder complaints “Bollocks” and then goes on to say that the Management feels Bullied. Bullied? You?
You rob people of their business, tell them what and when they can read, ban customers, close down trading hours, bring in direct competitors to establishes traders, have people working in 40degree heat while you sit in air conditioning and I heard today that one guy was told that he was not to buy from his usual supplier who just happens to be one of the X stallholders.
To really cap off the banality of your newsletters you insult businessmen and woman by adding a recipe to your ‘Heralding’.
hey lets ban the nurdoch's for 1 year for each time they have abused or upset the stallholders or the customers. No better not, that means they would live longer than moses. dont want that.
You should see the markets this weekend. There are empty stalls everywhere on what is close to the best weekend of the year. The "food" area down the back has only two stores in the middle and yet still, they are dishing out crazy, crazy rent increases. Could it be that they actually want to empty the building, because I'm finding it increasingly hard to believe that anyone could be that stupid!
Angie Raphael, from the Fremantle Gazette, wrote an article about stallholders being banned this week.
The incident was so petty that I didn’t want to mention it at all, and I also don’t want these important issues being sidetracked by such nonsense. But, I felt I needed to bring attention to the vindictive nature of the management.
I copied and pasted the email on this blog exactly as it was written. In Angie’s article she quotes Jamie Murdoch:
Jamie Murdoch defended the decision, claiming he was concerned about Mr Wright’s “provocative behaviour’.
“For this reason we have banned Colin and Mrs Wright from entering the markets this weekend (Dec 19 and 20), which is our legal right.
In the original letter John stated:
Please note that Fremantle Markets Pty Ltd has determined to exclude you from entry, will regard you as a trespasser and take appropriate action if you enter the markets. Nothing at all about 2 days’ exclusion. He did not ask for comment nor did he mention what was alleged.
He claimed that he had receive several complaints from stallholders; Colin had acted inappropriately and made rude and abusive comments to some stallholders and his actions were disruptive to their business, the businesses of stallholders and the experience of customers.
His ability to exaggerate is matched only by his overall inability.
Colin Wright has always conducted himself with dignity and diplomacy and it irritates me to write about this silly spat, but I will not let the Murdoch’s get away with such BS.
Only one person complained. She does not own a stall – she is a part-time employee. Unlike real stallholders, she gets paid a set amount no matter what, she has invested nothing and she is untouched by the devastation of those who have lost everything. Her opinion is hardly qualified on these matters.
Colin has been personally affected by the heartache of all of the stallholders and has worked tirelessly to protect and defend them. He is respected by them and deserves a whole lot better than some smart-mouthed jibe by an employee.
She called him a swearword as he walked past her. He turned and repeated the word to her. That’s it. What a lot of silly nothing.
There were NOT several complaints – there was only one. No-one else heard anything, so how customers and businesses were disrupted is sheer BS and it’s pretty obvious that the Murdoch’s used this bit of fluff to do what they wanted to do, which is what they have also done to others who have challenged them.
Trespass? Grow up, you sound like John Wayne – time You got out of Dodge!
You are not the first to speculate about the motivation behind this. I wonder if the head lease has an insanity clause? I hear three more people have decided to leave this week after yet another price hike. They appear to be culling; culling stallholders and also customers. Why?
One of the shop keepers at the Markets told me about your blog and I think what you are doing is fantastic. I use to go to the Markets all the time but now go less and less because it's not the same. I use to always see friends and we would stop and chat, have a few laughs and I'd do my weekly fruit and veg shop. It always had a good community feel to it, like the markets in Europe or Asia but it's lost that now. Somebody said it had "Lost it's Soul" and I think that's right.
I liked how different it was...it was an icon in Freo....sadly those days seem gone unless what the new managers are planning can resurrect it.
What once belonged to the local community now belongs to a company...with all the fluff that goes with that...smaltzy PR speak, triple bottom lines, top heavy management and a severe lack of empathy for what existed or for the part the shop keepers played in making it so unique.
Sorry Shopkeepers but I won't be coming back...it's not your fault and I really do feel sorry for you ...but it's SOULESS.
Anne did email us a list of business ideas during the week so there should be plenty of new businesses to plug up the gaps. Suggestions include a hardware store, antique bookstore (never mind that a great one couldn't absorb their rents), Australiana store (never mind that the existing one has just been evicted though the new one must trade 7 days per week), potter (perhaps they don't read this blog), fabric store (not sure how you would fit a cutting table and rolls of fabric in a tiny space) and a Build a Bear store. The list of ways to blow your money were endless!
God love them - cos no other bastard does!
Greed and Ego. Its that simple. in the end they all fall down.
I can't believe they would evict the Australiana shop. A tourist destination but they don't want memento’s there. At one stage they wanted artistic workers creating on site. How a casual potter, painter, sculpture, dressmaker or welder works in 40 degree heat in a 12 sq metre space and manages to fit a kiln, cutting table, workbench etc shows about as much business acumen as a gormless worms.
Don’t forget they also had a Bonsai shop on that list and at the same time evicted the fantastic one that they had.
I think there was also a mention of a sheep shearing demonstration. Well they did have such innovative drawcards as the Punch and Judy show and sexy apples and this year a town crier.
Visionaries I believe Ann Meyer called them. Visionary like a gold top mushroom I would say.
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