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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Ben Butler, Lorena Allam and Ginny Stein

Youpla funeral insurance founder’s multimillion-dollar yacht arrives in Vanuatu

Ron Pattenden’s yacht, Dream Catcher, moored in Port Vila harbour, Vanuatu
Ron Pattenden’s yacht, Dream Catcher, moored in Port Vila harbour, Vanuatu. The collapse of Youpla Group left at least 31 Aboriginal families without money to bury loved ones. Photograph: Ginny Stein/The Guardian

A multimillion-dollar yacht owned by Ron Pattenden, the founder of a funeral fund that collapsed owing millions in unpaid policies to thousands of low-income Aboriginal families, has sailed to tax haven Vanuatu, as questions escalate over his involvement in the company from which he received $20m in tax-free income over a decade.

On Saturday Pattenden’s yacht, Dream Catcher, was moored at a pier outside the Blue Marlin fishing lodge, which he formerly owned, in Vanuatu’s capital, Port Vila. The yacht had made a five-day trip from New Zealand, where Pattenden has been living and owns a property portfolio.

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