Suspended Tabak To Seek Legal Advice

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31289, 8 February 1967, Page 15

Suspended Tabak To Seek Legal Advice

The national cycling representative, T. J. Tabak, is seeking legal advice on the validity of the New Zealand Cycling Council’s decision made last month to suspend him for failing to appear before it to answer charges about his behaviour at the Kingston Commonwealth Games.

In a telephone interview from Invercargill last evening, Tabak confessed he was quite bewildered by the situation.

“All I seem to know comes from the newspapers. I have not been told what the charges are against me; I don’t know how my appeal is going but every now and then something appears in the press

which is completely new to me.” Tabak said that he was most worried about not being able to ride in the Canterbury or New Zealand championships. “I thought that once I appealed I might be able to ride until my case was heard, but now I see in the press that my entries for the New Zealand championships cannot be accepted as entries close the day before my appeal could be heard.” Tabak said that he had writ-

ten to Mr V. Ross, chairman of the cycling council, and had received a reply that there might be a council meeting on February 28 or perhaps on March 6. “So I am still in the dark. Everyone else except me appears to know what is happening.” Tabak said that the whole business had interrupted his training. “I came to Southland to try and earn extra money and prepare myself for the championships but now it seems that any training is just a w,aste of time. “I still can’t see how I can afford to go to Wellington to appear before the council to answer unspecified charges. It would cost me about £4O what with travelling costs and loss of wages. That loss might be worth it if I knew what I had to answer “That is why I have approached a solicitor. There might be a way in which the whole thing can be solved without my being put to so much expense.” Asked if he had any idea what the charges were against him, Tabak said: “No. I have read the comments of the cycling manager at the games and that is all.”