10 December 2004
Colly Collard lashes out, in the best
possible taste

It’s up to me, apparently to tell the rather unedifying story of a bit of fallout from the now-withdrawn defamation suit emerging from a few little observations of mine (click here for that story). This latter episode involves a moustached little man named Colin Collard. Now, I don’t wish to seem prejudiced, but my dear departed husband, a rather large chap, used always to warn of the problems that can lurk in apparently inoffensive small men. But perhaps this latest turn in Col’s behaviour is down to arrogance because of the riches gained though owning the successful Wine-of-the-Month Club; who knows?

He also owns and edits an associated magazine called Good Taste (which allows me to hope, at least, for a saving sense of irony). You might have heard of it: not long ago he decided that only he should have a magazine with the word ‘taste’ in the title, and went to court in an unsuccessful attempt to take another magazine off the shelves. Good Taste seems to me a glossy vehicle for trivia, advertisements and advertorials: to serious journalism, you might say, what Amarula Cream is to fine old cognac. The sort of thing that the advertising/magazine industry loves to give effusive praise and awards to, of course. (And Grape, you ask, on this continuum? – well, perhaps a good SA brandy). I’m told that a journalist who left it recently just couldn’t take the hollowness of it all any more.

(You must excuse my diversions, I’m old and a trifle exercised over all this.)

Surprising but true – it must be admitted that Col doesn’t think very highly of Grape in general or of my style of engaging with the world, and he took a strongly partisan position alongside Mr Howe, who was suing us (he apparently writes for Col). Keen to argue his case that one shouldn’t say nasty things about others, he let fly with a startling display of anti-Grape splutterings to a journalist writing about the court case.

Then, following the withdrawal of the lawsuit, vindictiveness seemed to succeed vitriol, and Col started harrassing our Associate Editor, Angela Lloyd, who has been a member of the tasting panel of his wine mail order outfit for over eighteen years.

He might have thought that Angela’s contaminating association with Grape was harmful to her judging abilities – anyway, he demanded again and again that she distance herself from Grape’s editor, and notably what had been said in my little column and taken as defamatory. Angela, of course, didn’t see why she needed to say anything at all about it to Colly. What on earth did her opinions about wine-writing integrity have to do with him, or her work for him?

So he asked her (by email, all of this – he doesn’t seem keen on attacking a long-term employee in what my husband would have called a ‘manly’ face-to-face manner) to resign from the tasting panel. She declined. ‘Well then you’re fired’, writes he. Another email told her briefly that she had, er, messed up (I’m old-fashioned, dearies, and can’t bring myself to use the obscenity that Colly thought appropriate in the circumstances).

Now, I believe, after some other people have suggested to him that this is not really sufficient grounds for firing someone, he’s adducing all sorts of other reasons.

But there we are. That is how a person outraged by my rudeness sees fit to exercise his own good nature and sense of fair play.

Not that it’s the first time that Col has been involved in questionable dismissive behaviour with those who work for him. On a previous occasion the relevant official body found him guilty of unfair constructive dismissal, and Collard Media was ordered to pay R36 800 in compensation to the employee. Did she get the money, though? Not a chance. The CC was pretty promptly liquidated: not unreasonably Ms du Preez felt this was a rather improper ploy to avoid paying her.

Certainly Col – very far from insolvent himself – did not feel that his sense of honour required the settling of this debt. Now, if Angela deigns to pursue the current matter through legal channels, I can’t see how this occasionally choleric little man will again avoid paying up.