An investigation is underway following the “significant theft” of money from a Northern Beaches private school’s parents’ association bank account.
The Pittwater House Parents’ Association (PHPA) has allegedly had a large but so far undisclosed amount of funds stolen from their bank account over an “extended period of time”, undetected because of a number of forged bank statements, according to correspondence sent by the school’s principal and CEO, Dr Nancy Hillier to parents this week. The allegation has since been confirmed to Manly Observer by police.
Pittwater House is an independent, non-selective, secular school offering a private school education for students from Pre-Kindergarten to Year 12, based in Collaroy. A group of volunteer parents manages the PHPA, planning and organising events throughout the year, as well as managing the Clothing Pool (a second-hand uniform shop). All funds raised through the activities are donated back to Pittwater House to benefit students.
The letter, sent on Monday 2 September, outlined that the Pittwater House Schools’ executive team does not have access to the PHPA’s accounts, and the school’s Business Manager became aware of the matter last week (week commencing 26 August).
Police confirm a report was filed on the 28 August.
Dr Hillier reveals that “amounts totalling a significant sum have been stolen from the Association’s accounts from time to time over an extended period” and notes that the “alleged perpetrator is not a member of the elected committee of the Association”.
Manly Observer contacted Dr Hillier for a comment, however, she informed us that as this was now a police matter, she was unable to provide any additional detail to the distributed letter.
In the letter, Dr Hillier highlighted, “This has come as a great shock to us and is extremely disappointing”.
Coincidentally, last week the PHPA sent out a recruitment request for a treasurer to join their team. The advertisement noted that the role is “crucial to the success of the PHPA, and we are looking for someone with a strong background in finance and accounting”.
Dr Hillier was unable to respond to our questions regarding when the treasurer role became vacant and we are not suggesting the two events are related. It is not suggested that any previous holder of this position is in anyway involved in the matter.
It is not known why the board has no oversight on the accounts as stated in the letter. The school’s most recent financial statements do not refer specifically to income provided by the PHPA, though there are mentions of voluntary donations and events income. Police say they are as yet unable to advise how much is thought to be stolen as the investigation is in its infancy.
According to Dr Hillier’s letter, the PHPA committee wasn’t aware of the missing money as forged bank statements were being provided to them. Manly Observer was unable to ascertain who was providing the forged bank statements, but we understand the person responsible may be aware they are under investigation and we will not be reporting further until it becomes a matter for the court.
The school principal emphasised that, “it is not suggested that any office bearer of the PHPA has engaged in any wrongdoing”.
“Upon becoming aware of the situation, I immediately informed the Chairman of the Board of Directors. The police were then contacted and have commenced an investigation,” Dr Hillier said.
Dr Hillier wrote that she hopes to provide further information to parents in the coming weeks and asked for parents to refrain from speculation while the police investigate.
“My focus is on supporting the students of Pittwater House and I am busy showing prospective families around the school,” Dr Hillier told us.
