Nexus - 0211 - New Times Magazine-pages

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BATTLING THE BANKS Charlie v$ Goliath | When Charlie and Loraine Kerr received a letter from a firm of Sydney solicitors in August 1990, informing them that they were acting for a company which had purchased their mortgages from the State Bank of NSW, Charlie thought it was "a pretty gutless way of trying to get rid of them." But Charlie stood up for himself, his family, and for hundreds like him, -and has beaten the bank to a standstill! at war since October 1985 when the bank issued a let- ter of demand on them for $358,000. Their problems arose like many other hard-working farm- ers and business people - in the early 1980's - when eastern Australia experienced a disastrous run of bad seasons, which gave far less income than had been predicted. Charlie Kerr, like many other farmers during that period of time, was forced to borrow against his assets. As farmers, Charlie and Lorraine are not only at the mercy of the weather, but also the multi-national agri-business car- tels, those faceless people who virtually control all the prices farmers receive for grain, wool and livestock. The Kerr's problem was exacerbated when cattle pur- chased in 1983 (using the money borrowed from the State Bank), were found to be infected with brucolosis. This meant the farm had to be quarantined. Top breeding cattle of stud quality had to be slaughtered so that the quarantine of the farm could be lifted. The Bank of course, gave the Kerr family little sympathy. and refused to help with pay- ment of huge stock and company debts. Charlie, in desperation, tried to obtain refinancing from other sources and answered numerous advertisements made by people offering cheap loans, but with a catch. A total of nearly $5,000 was paid to various unscrupulous 'money lenders’ - people who not only refused to lend Charlie the advertised money, but also refused to refund his up front naumantc T= Kerr Family and the State Bank of NSW have been payments. Such operators abounded in the late 1980's, and preyed heavily on trusting farmers and small businessmen who were having trouble elsewhere obtaining finance. The main tactics of these money lenders involved advertising in local papers, and demanding up front fees usually about $1,000.00. At this point, Charlie decided to let the general public know of his humiliating position, and it came as quite a shock to the local district to learn that he was in debt to the tune of nearly $1 million. To add insult to injury, Westpac's finance arm, AGC, (who was also a creditor) repossessed a header and 4-wheel drive tractor at harvest-time in 1985. Charlie Kerr is a 40 year old farmer from the Riverina region of NSW living at a small village of Daysdale some 30 miles north of the Victorian border town of Corowa. He is married with a young family of four children, ages 6 to 11. 16¢NEXUS DECEMBER-JANUARY ‘93