Racism storm as store bans 'coloureds'

August 1, 2008

ALLEGATIONS of racism have been levelled against the owners of last year's NSW liquor store of the year after staff were instructed to keep "coloureds" out of the shop unless they were willing to come in individually and be searched - and to call police if they refused.

Tim Leonard, the owner of the Old Bar Cellars near Taree, on the North Coast, wrote a memo to staff in February outlining new rules for Aboriginal customers: "due to the fact that we have now had three known incidents of shop lifting involving the one coloured girl plus friends who has come in with two or three others coloureds [sic]".