STUDENTS' WREATH R.S.A. request for change refused

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32587, 22 April 1971, Page 1

STUDENTS' WREATH R.S.A. request for change refused

A personal appeal by the president of the Christchurch Returned Services’ Association (Mr J. Green) to the University of Canterbury Students’ Association to alter the message on its Anzac Day wreath has been refused.

. Mr Green met the president of the students’ association (Mr D. F. Caygill) before the television cameras last night. Before this meeting, the executive of the association had met and had decided to leave the agreed message intact.

The message reads: “The University of Canterbury Students’ Association regrets the long history of human suffering causer’ by war as an instrument of national policy and expresses its great concern at the continuance of the war in Indo-China.” Mr Green said that if the students were to end their message at the word “policy” this would be acceptable to the R.S.A., but the words beyond this were objectionable. If the message was altered as had been requested then he would be “only too happy” for Mr Caygill to march in the Anzac parade with him.

What the R.S.A. intended to do if the students left the message intact, Mr Green declined to say. “When we lay wreaths on cenotaphs throughout the country on April 25 we will not be glorifying those who fell during any of the past wars,” said the vicepresident of the New Zealand University Students’ Association (Mr F. T. Baird) in’ Christchurch last evening. “Waste of life” “We will be recognising the unbelievable waste of human life and registering once again for past and future generations that we abhor the human suffering and degradation that all wars produce,” he said. Mr Baird was commenting on the decision of students throughout the country to lay wreaths at various Anzac Day ceremonies. There was no such thing as right and wrong in war, he said. “Great wars” “There is just maiming and killing; and. those who are being subjected to, the brutalities of existing wars have as much right to our commemorations as any who have died in what have become known, rather euphemistically, as tile Great Wars.” he said.

"Suffering knows no particular colour race or creed. War is its chief producer, is War is its chief producer it is the responsibility of all mankind. "When we gather with others in parades on Sunday we will be doing as we have done for a number of years, hoping that the men and women of this country will respond to the incredible losses and recognise that if the human race has any right to existence then this right depends on co-operation and peace between peoples and nations,” he said. More than 200 University of Canterbury students are expected to take part in an all-night vigil at the university on Saturday, April 24, before marching to the Anzac Day dawn service at the Citizens’ War Memorial. Banner march The all-night “sleep-in” at the university is being arranged by the national affairs officer for the University of Canterbury Students’ Association (Mr G. Weils). The students will march to Cathedral Square under the banner “Reject forward Defence in Indo-China.” The official wreath on behalf of the students’ association will be placed at the memorial after the public Anzac Day ceremony at 11 a.m. on Sunday.