Official’s Dismissal Was “Great Personal Shock”

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31366, 11 May 1967, Page 15

Official’s Dismissal Was “Great Personal Shock”

"The Press” Special Service

WELLINGTON.

The New Zealand cycling coach-mechanic, Mr R. J. C. Peoples, who has been dismissed from the Amateur Cycling Association’s national council, said that the Auckland centre’s decision to replace him came as a great personal shock.

“Because of a national rule forbidding active riders to serve on the council I gave up competition especially to represent Auckland at the top level,” he said yesterday.

As yet he has had no official word about his replacement, having only read about it in a newspaper. Mr Peoples said that he had no idea why he had been dismissed out of hand without warning or advice. “One thing is for sure,” he added, “it could hardly have been because I hadn’t represented Auckland’s interests adequately at the national level. “Over the last six months I never received a single letter instructing me how to vote or air the centre’s views on any issue, and there have been some pretty controversial ones, too. “I certainly hope that the new delegate appointed to replace me is not kept in the dark to the extent that I was. “If the Auckland centre wants better representation on the council I suggest that they look into their own internal organisation first “They might then see that they should take positive steps to help their delegates know the feelings of the Auckland centre.” In the meantime, Mr Peoples, a former national road champion, Common-

wealth Games representative and the N.Z.A.C.A.’s first coach-mechanic at the Jamaica Games, may not be lost to the sport at the national level. At the same time as Auckland was sacking him, the

Waikato centre decided to nominate him as manager for next year’s cycling squad for the Mexico Olympics and also for the post of manager for the national road team going to Australia this season.