CITY of Newcastle chief executive Jeremy Bath's glowing reference lauding his serial letter to the editor writing mate Scott Neylon's "honesty" and "dedication" has been erased from social media.
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The recommendation was posted by Mr Bath from his official City of Newcastle chief executive LinkedIn page almost three years ago in September, 2020, and disappeared this month after the Newcastle Herald started investigating links between the two men.
Mr Bath's words highlight the esteem in which he holds his close friend, who has lived in Japan for decades and is at the centre of a misleading letter writing campaign to the Newcastle Herald designed to sway public opinion and support City of Newcastle.
"I've worked with Scott on and off for more than 20 years, and have always appreciated his hard work, dedication and honesty," Mr Bath wrote.
"His advice has always been both on the money as well as ahead of the times. His commitment to customer service is second to none."
But as pressure mounted on Mr Bath to explain his relationship with Mr Neylon, the council boss' LinkedIn profile mysteriously disappeared last week, along with the shining testimonial.
Mr Bath's LinkedIn profile was back on Friday, the day after the Herald asked why it could not be found, but the recommendation promoting Mr Neylon was gone.
"I'm not aware of any issue with my LinkedIn profile," Mr Bath said on Friday. "I've checked it and it's active."
Several searches for Mr Bath's LinkedIn account on Thursday by the Herald led to a page that said "this page doesn't exist" with the words "Bath LinkedIn deleted" at the top of the page.
A search of Mr Neylon's LinkedIn page on the same day, which previously featured Mr Bath's testimonial, revealed the recommendation had been deleted.
It was publicly available earlier this month.
Mr Bath, who has denied any involvement in the letters, declined on Monday, through his solicitor, to comment any further in relation to his LinkedIn profile or the missing recommendation he wrote for Mr Neylon.
It is not the only social media post deleted following the Herald's revelations about the close links between the pair.
Mr Neylon, who confirmed via email that he has written the letters over the past nine years and said Mr Bath never asked him to write them, has publicly removed numerous Facebook posts, mainly the most recent detailing his life in Japan as an English teacher.
Gone from public view are also several posts that included comments from Mr Bath's wife.
The 47-year-old regularly misspells his surname as Neylan and claims to be everything from a father of a teenager to a grandfather, to having lived in five different suburbs throughout the Hunter in the past nine years, and all the while he's been living overseas.
He has declined to answer questions about the inaccuracies and inconsistencies in the 18 letters.
Mr Neylon's letters and comments have followed Mr Bath's career progression for almost a decade from ClubsNSW, to Hunter Water to City of Newcastle.
He is a big fan of City of Newcastle and critical of many of the council's detractors.
Since being contacted by the Herald last week, Mr Neylon has also stopped following the Twitter account @JeremyBath1.
Previously he was the only follower of the account. It's unknown if this is Mr Bath's account.
The two men, who have been mates since before university, spent time together in Japan where they both worked as English teachers.
Mr Bath lived in Japan for about three years, teaching and doing some journalism, before returning home and following a career in public relations.
According to a list of experience on Mr Neylon's company's website, he has worked in Japan since 1998 teaching English at a host of locations including a lengthy stint at the prestigious Zushi Kaisei Junior and Senior High School in Kanagawa, just outside Tokyo.
He told the Herald he stays with Mr Bath in Lake Macquarie when he is in Australia for work.
Do you know more? Donna.page@newcastleherald.com.au
- With verification research by Jessica Brown
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