Too much…Jeff Gambin.
ONCE the darling of the charity world though his work feeding Sydney’s homeless, Jeff Gambin now finds his life in tatters.
The Just Enough Faith founder is penniless, homeless and facing criminal charges. Known as Jeff, Geoff or Javert Gambin, the 61-year-old is facing jail for failing to lodge tax returns for the past decade, his bankruptcy trustee is on his tail for failing to lodge a statement of affairs, a repossession notice has appeared on his front door, police are investigating his affairs and an administrator is in the process of winding up his charitable organisation, which has been feeding the homeless in The Domain each night for the past 15 years. Things began to unravel last year when Gambin, once honoured as Sydney’s Humanitarian of the Year, was accused of gambling away up to $150,000 which had been donated to the charity. A newspaper put the allegations to Gambin as he played poker machines at the Balmain Tigers Leagues Club. Bank records of the charity, which was exempt from paying tax, showed hundreds of dollars a day were being withdrawn from the ATM at the club. The allegations came at the same time the Office of Liquor and Gaming was investigating alleged breaches of charitable fund-raising laws. The foundation had been banned from raising funds in 2002, after being found in breach of the Charitable Fundraising Act three times.
Undeterred, Gambin’s fund-raising activities continued, including its 2005 fund-raiser where guests were charged $2000 a head to attend the premiere of the Russell Crowe movie Cinderella Man. The event raised an estimated $1.4 million. At the time the media executive John Alexander, along with Gretel Packer and the Wizard Home Loans founder Mark Bouris, were directors of a company set up to help Just Enough Faith to co-ordinate its fund-raising, but when Gambin failed to provide the proper paperwork, the directors quit and closed the company.