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Essendon’s new CEO Andrew Thorburn resigned a day after his appointment over his position in a church divided over abortion and homosexuality.
The former NAB boss, who resigned in 2019 after scathing criticism at the royal banking commission, was announced Monday as Bombers’ successor to Xavier Campbell.
But within hours of his appointment, Thorburn’s ties to a controversial church organization came into the limelight, and Tuesday night the embattled Bombers were looking for their third CEO in less than two months.
Essendon’s new CEO Andrew Thorburn stepped down a day after his appointment
Thorburn is president of City on a Hill, a church that condemns homosexuality and has a 2013 article on its website titled “Surviving Same Sex Attraction as a Christian.”
If you struggle with same-sex attraction, it’s vital to talk to a mature Christian you trust so you can get the long-term support and responsibility you need to survive these temptations. the City on a Hill article. is reading.
Another sermon, published in 2013, but this week on the church’s website, compared the “freedom” of abortion to the Jewish holocaust.
Today we look back on [with] sadness and horror at concentration camps, future generations will look back with sadness at the legal murder of hundreds of thousands of people every day through drugs.’
In a statement on Tuesday, Essendon chairman Dave Barham said the board had accepted Thorburn’s resignation after they made it clear that he could not hold positions at both his church and his football club.
“As soon as comments regarding a 2013 sermon from a pastor at City of the Hill church came to light this morning, we took immediate action to clarify the publicly held positions on the organization’s official website, which was posted in directly contradict our values. as a club,” Barham said in a club statement.
Former NAB CEO Thorburn is chairman of the controversial City on a Hill church
The City on a Hill Church has several locations in Victoria and has published tough stances on abortion and homosexuality online
“Essendon is committed to an inclusive, diverse and safe club, where everyone is welcome and respected.
“The board has made it clear that while these are not views expressed personally by Andrew Thorburn and which were also made before taking up his role as chairman, he could not continue to serve in his dual role at Essendon Football Club and as chairman of City on the Hill.
“The board respects Andrew’s decision.”
In his first interview after being appointed to lead Essendon, Thorburn had said he understood that some of the Church’s views are “offensive and upset.”
Thorburn joined City on a Hill in 2014, and he says some of the articles and talks on the church’s website predate his involvement and that he had never heard such feelings during his time there.
Barham stressed that both the board and Thorburn were not aware of the 2013 article before reading about it on Tuesday morning.
“The core of my belief is the belief that you have to create a community, take care of people, help people’s faith and respect them as people,” Thorburn told SEN on Tuesday.
Before heading NAB between 2014 and 2019, Thorburn was in charge of Bank of NZ for six years.
Victorian Prime Minister Daniel Andrews, an Essendon fan, described City on a Hill’s views as ‘absolutely appalling’ but insisted he renew his Bombers membership
He pointed to those jobs where he led thousands of “diverse” people as proof that he was the right person to take Essendon forward.
“My role as CEO is to ensure that the organizations I lead, which I believe hold my record for this, are inclusive, welcoming and caring,” said Thorburn.
Earlier on Tuesday, Victorian Prime Minister Daniel Andrews had labeled the church’s views “absolutely appalling” but said the decision to appoint him was ultimately a matter for the club’s board.
“There are many reasons to be a somewhat disappointed Essendon supporter,” he said.
Thorburn was hired to replace Xavier Campbell, who stepped down as CEO of Essendon in August
‘I don’t want to take this lightly, but I am not naming a CEO of the football club Essendon or the CEO of a football club. That is a matter for the board.
“That kind of bigotry, that kind of hatred, that kind of bigotry. It’s just wrong. To dress that up as anything other than bigotry is just plain false.’
Andrews, an Essendon fan, however, said he would continue to support the Bombers and renew his membership.
“Essendon’s footy club is about more than one person,” he added.
The Bombers unveiled Brad Scott as their new head coach last week
‘I would like to encourage all Essendon members to renew their membership. And I hope we can get on the back page of the newspaper a little more often than on the front page.’
After a surprise final in 2021, the Bombers dropped to 15th place on the ladder this season, firing head coach Ben Rutten at the end of the campaign.
The club unveiled Brad Scott last week as Rutten’s replacement.