Gerry Harvey, the chairman of the Harvey Norman Group of companies, has attracted new media criticism after he was seen living it up at a “lavish” event on Queensland’s Gold Coast as thousands of his customer’s homes were being swept away or engulfed by floods in Brisbane a few kilometres away.When asked by a Gold Coast Bulletin journalist about whether continuing the event in light of the hardship endured by the rest of Queensland, Harvey’s partner John Singleton said “You feel a bit guilty having a good time when you see what is happening in other parts of Queensland and northern NSW, but on the other hand the Aussie way is life goes on.”
Another media organisation wrote “Gerry Harvey, scaled new heights of odiousness last night after playing the party animal on Queensland’s Gold Coast ahead of today’s launch of his racehorse auction “the Magic Millions.”
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Under a picture of Gerry Harvey playing a fiddle alongside John Singleton they wrote “Greedy Gerry Harvey firing up by playing a violin to the hundreds of hard-partying guests at the Gold Coast Turf Club while being photographed grinning like a Cheshire cat with his wife, the CEO of Harvey Norman, Katie Page, who is paid millions of dollars a year to run hubby’s public company”
They went on to write “Daughter and heiress Georgie Harvey also put in an appearance grinning it up for the cameras with an orthodontic ally approved smile and expensive party frock purchased on Daddy’s Centurion card”.
The web site VexNews.com went on to claim that Harvey Norman was set to benefit from the Queensland floods as consumers “flock” to his stores to replace lost furniture and electrical goods lost in the floods.
In perspective, the Magic Millions is a major event that attracts thousands of people. It generates revenue for a multitude of industries in Queensland, many who are set to struggle due to “flood hardship” and the loss of revenue. The event should go ahead but maybe some of the “party” events should be toned down.
