CHERYL BOGAN couldn't believe her ears. It wasn't until the CityRail
employee repeated himself in a louder voice that she and her husband,
Jeffrey, were sure they were under racist attack by a public servant.
The customer service manager at Central Station, no less.
''They're all Jews living in the eastern suburbs; they're
all wealthy; they can afford to get a taxi,'' Roman Arnusch uttered
repeatedly, according to the couple.
The Bogans, who are Jewish and live at Bondi, had stepped
off a train late at night and asked another CityRail staff member
whether trains were still running to Bondi Junction. A ''polite and
helpful'' Arly Ribet, a subordinate to Mr Arnusch, told them that
services had finished and they would need to get a taxi.
It was then that Mr Arnusch, 62, piped up from behind with his
observations about Jews, repeating himself up to five times as other
passengers got off the train.
''I was utterly shocked,'' Mrs Bogan told
The Sun-Herald.
''You don't expect to hear that from a staff member of the railways. We
sort of looked at each other and said, 'This isn't right, we need to
say something.'''
Mr Arnusch, who had worked for CityRail for 29 years, was
sacked last August, nine months after the Bogans complained in writing
to RailCorp.
During investigations, Mr Ribet confirmed that Mr Arnusch
used the phrase ''Bondi Jew''. Mr Arnusch maintained he had said words
to the effect: ''They wouldn't mind getting a taxi because they have
plenty of money as they were living in Bondi where a lot of rich Jewish
people live.'' He also claimed the comments were directed to Mr Ribet,
not the Bogans.
Last week, however, the Transport Appeals Board
overturned the decision and Mr Arnusch, supported by the Rail, Tram and
Bus Union, will return to work on March 28 after completing a six-month
suspension without pay.
In setting aside the RailCorp decision, Commissioner
Inaam Tabbaa said: ''Whether the remark that Mr Arnusch made was in the
terms as described by CSA Ribet, or the Bogans or the appellant himself,
it was racist, offensive, uncalled for and completely inappropriate,
particularly for someone in a customer service position with RailCorp.''
Despite that, the commissioner noted Mr Arnusch's
''distinguished'' career of almost 30 years and glowing references
provided. ''Dismissal is extreme in the present circumstances as it
would serve to end his working life given his age and field of
experience,'' she said.
Mrs Bogan said she was satisfied as long as he had ''learnt his lesson''.
At his Hornsby Heights home on Friday, Mr Arnusch said:
''I'm happy with the result and, yes, I am looking forward to going back
to work.''
Asked whether he regretted his statements, he said: ''I'm just happy it has all been sorted out now.''
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