The wife of a health minister and her friend thought they were going to die after they were accidentally served poisonous margaritas while on a night out.
Kara Lamond, whose husband is NSW Health Minister Ryan Park, and a friend were served the toxic drinks at the Fraternity Club in the Illawarra in October 2023.
The women were rushed to hospital moments after taking their first sips with Ms Lamonds friend suffering burns to her lips, mouth and throat.
Caustic soda, instead of cocktail salt, had been accidentally used on the rim of the glasses.
Five days earlier, a groundskeeper had tried to unclog a drain in the bar using what he thought was Drano from an unlabelled and uncovered container under the sink.
It was cocktail salt however, and he topped up the container with caustic soda, a poisonous chemical used for cleaning, when he finished.
Nathan Sloan, a lawyer acting for the NSW Food Authority, told Wollongong Local Court on Friday the entire situation was highly avoidable.
If they had taken a gulp, who knows what would have happened, he said, the Daily Telegraph reported.
Kara Lamond, whose husband is NSW Health Minister Ryan Park (pictured together), and a friend were served the toxic drinks at the Fraternity Club in Illawarra in October 2023
Both women required urgent medial attention within moments of taking their first sips after their lips, mouths and throat began to burn
Mr Sloan added the Fraternity Club failed to take the most basic of preventable measures which resulted in this systematic failure.
The groundskeeper who accidentally refilled the cocktail salt with caustic soda lacked basic food training but was tasked with the job anyway due to a lack of staff, Mr Sloan said.
Representing the club in court, Rajiv Baldeo conceded there was clearly a failure which led to the women being served poisonous margaritas.
Magistrate Les Mabbutt said the case was an example of a system that wasnt working.
The two women no doubt were looking forward to drinking in each other’s company, instead they needed medical treatment and to go to hospital, Mr Mabbutt said.
The club, through its CEO Glenn Ward, pleaded guilty to selling unsafe food, handling food in a manner likely to render it unsafe and two counts of failing to comply with the food standards code.
The womens lips, mouths and throat were burned because of caustic soda, not cocktail salt, being used on the rim of their margarita glasses
The club, through its CEO, pleaded guilty to selling unsafe food, handling food in a manner likely to render it unsafe and two counts of failing to comply with the food standards code
Mr Mabbutt said Mr Wards remorse and contrition was enough to convince him that the same mistake wont take place again.
[The Fraternity Club] is a good corporate citizen. Its been operating for many, many years and this is the first time it has been in court for a matter of this kind, he said.
The club was fined $29,500 and was also required to pay half of the Department of Primary Industrys $18,000 professional costs.
Selling unsafe food was the clubs most serious and, if heard in a higher court, the maximum fine would have been $275,000.
The local courts jurisdictional limit was only $10,000 however.