The prominent founder and director of Illawarra children's charity KidzWish Chris Beaven says she has been suspended from her role, ending a 16-year association with the organisation.
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The public face of KidzWish since 2004, Ms Beaven told the Mercury that she had been secretly ousted by other board members in August.
"Unfortunately on August 20, they held a board meeting ... without me," she said in an interview on Tuesday.
"They have suspended me. I've been suspended. Evidently, I was accused of micromanaging new staff."
She said could not explain further, as she had been locked out from all KidzWish communications.
"The board has stopped me talking to anyone," she said. "I've been unable to talk to staff, stakeholders and sponsors."
As a well-known figure, Ms Beaven said keeping quiet had taken its toll, which is why she decided to send out a new set of details - including a generic gmail address instead of her KidzWish one - to various contacts, including the Mercury.
"I couldn't even go to the Hawks game on Monday night, because I was too sad," she said [Ms Beaven has been an avid supporter of the team for decades].
"So now, I have told my family that today I am announcing my retirement."
Ms Beaven said she always intended to retire in March 2020 but wanted to see the completion of the new KidzWish Place project.
"My intention was to get the house finished, and it has not been an easy project," she said.
The celebration that the first slab on the $6 million project had been laid took place days before her purported suspension. This was over two years since the first sod was turned, and the project was originally meant to be finished in 2018.
The NSW Government provided a $1.5 million grant to help complete the building, intended to triple the number of sick, disadvantaged or disabled children supported by KidzWish.
Ms Beaven said she had no idea what would happen between now and her intended retirement date of March.
She also did not know the status of the upcoming KidzWish Ball and Christmas party.
"You would have to ask the board, I just don't know," she said.
"Sadly, the board does not have the same vision I have had, and have continued to have over the last 16 years.
"I do not wish for anything negative to happen to KidzWish. I would like to see KidzWish succeed, that's why I started the charity all these years ago. I have literally put my heart and soul into it."
The Mercury attempted to contact various members of KidzWish, eventually speaking to chairperson Ken Jordan, who said "we officially don't have a comment".
He then went on to say, "I would just say to you that the stuff she has said to you today is incorrect. Her resignation date is not until March."
Pressed to elaborate, he again said "our stance is no comment", however he did confirm that the "current plan is for KidsWish to run the party and ball in November".
This is not the first time there has been tension between Ms Beaven and other members of the board. In 2008, she took three other board members to the NSW Supreme Court in an effort to stop them representing the charity.
The defendants argued Ms Beaven resigned from the charity on numerous occasions during the dispute. They eventually settled out of court, with Ms Beaven confirmed as a director.