Personal Statement — The Demise of Lentil As Anything

                                                                                                      By Shanaka Fernando

The true story of the demise of Lentil As Anything has never been told accurately. Contrary to what
appeared in the media, the organisation’s downfall was not due to mismanagement or lack of
integrity, but to internal manipulation, false accusations, and a series of damaging media reports
instigated by a disgruntled former director.

That individual, Professor Paul Komesaroff, a former Head of Medical Ethics at Monash University,
acted in a manner that deeply contradicted the values he was meant to represent. He
commissioned reports that were misleading and factually incorrect, using funds raised through a
GoFundMe campaign intended to support Lentil As Anything during the severe financial strain of
the COVID-19 pandemic. These funds were raised to pay wages and suppliers — not to finance
internal power plays or to position his daughter as CEO.

After working for Lentil As Anything for 17 years, I took a year’s break to volunteer in Sri Lanka as
the Director of Rainforest Rescue. When I returned in 2018, I discovered that employee
superannuation had not been paid. Fearing personal liability for this oversight, Professor
Komesaroff attempted to take control of the organisation under the pretext of helping to resolve the
issue. He brought in his daughter, Frida Komesaroff, and a new associate, Charith Senanayake,
and together they began excluding long-standing members who had successfully managed Lentil
As Anything for many years.

Throughout my leadership, I had always encouraged a culture of empowerment — giving everyone
the confidence to act with integrity, take initiative, and learn from mistakes. However, this new
faction sought control through manipulation and misinformation. They began a campaign to
discredit me, spreading falsehoods among the voting members and core team.
When their efforts failed, the majority of the core team and voting members insisted that Professor
Komesaroff step down from the board. Around this time, our community came together to launch
another GoFundMe campaign, which raised almost half a million dollars to help us survive the
ongoing financial challenges caused by COVID-19.

Soon after, Frida and Charith attempted to maintain influence by suggesting a shared leadership
model involving a few long-standing team members. During a Lentil As Anything Parliament
meeting, Frida publicly accused me of receiving payments beyond my agreed wage. This
accusation was false and malicious. Our accounts were fully transparent and managed by our
Financial Controller, Matt Pettit, and the Accounts Team — all of whom are people of integrity.
When confronted with the facts, Frida became emotional and offered her resignation.
Later that evening, I received a phone call from her father, Professor Komesaroff. He was extremely
aggressive and threatened to destroy both me and the organisation.

As Chair of the Board, he had already failed to meet several legal obligations, including the
requirement to hold an Annual General Meeting for over two years. He had also been advised in
writing by Julian Burnside that he was not a properly appointed director. Despite this, he used his
position to withdraw money from the Lentils business account to pay external associates who helped him build a
case to maintain control. The same RSM firm which conducted the so-called "investigation", which brought forward the allegations against me in the first place was one of the benefactors of this. This was a third party which we have never engaged as a company prior to Professor Komesaroff. He also appointed a close friend, Paul James from RMIT, as a co-director
in order to secure the balance of power. Mr James immediately updated his LinkedIn profile to
highlight his new role, underscoring his focus on status rather than service.

Professor Komesaroff and his associates were ultimately rejected at the AGM. Shortly after, the hit
pieces began appearing in The Age newspaper. These articles were published at a time when
Lentil As Anything was at its most vulnerable, with pandemic restrictions limiting patronage and
undermining the communal dining model that had always been central to our success.
After dedicating 22 years of my life to Lentil As Anything — investing my own savings, living in a
tent during its early years, and forgoing personal income to prioritise community outcomes — it was
devastating to witness how easily misinformation could destroy the work of so many. Lentil As
Anything was built on trust, kindness, and the belief that people are inherently good when given the
opportunity. Sadly, I also learned how destructive the pursuit of power can be, especially when
wielded against those who have only ever acted in service of others.

I subsequently reported Professor Komesaroff for bullying and harassment and successfully won a
WorkCover claim against him. I intend to make those findings public because people in positions of
power must be held accountable for their actions. One of the articles published by The Age falsely alleged that I had paid myself $11,000 beyond my wage. Even if that were true, it would equate to just $1.40 per day for every day I worked for Lentil As Anything — a claim that is both absurd and demonstrably false. Yet, readers accepted it at face
value, unaware of the damage such misinformation caused.

This statement is not written in bitterness, but in truth. My goal is to set the record straight — to
honour the thousands of volunteers, staff, and supporters who believed in Lentil As Anything, and to
remind people that integrity, compassion, and truth still matter.


Signed,

Shanaka Fernando, Founder of Lentils As Anything

11/26/2025