Speaker in hospital

Press, 31 August 1977, Page 3

Speaker in hospital

PA Wellington! Sir Roy Jack, the Speaker) of the House of Representatives, entered hospital last, evening for major surgery,! and may not be back in Parliament until next year. Sir Roy, who is 63, and has been troubled by what he thought was a “tummy Ibug” over the last week or so. was examined by doctors last week. He received the results of tests of Friday, and was advised to enter hospital immediately.

“It was decided that I should have an early operation to deal with an obstruction in the alimentary canal, and that it should be removed with a minimum of delay,” he said yesterday. The Chairman of Committees, Mr J. R. Harrison; (Nat., Hawke’s Bay) is expected to act as Speaker, while Sir Roy is away.

! Sir Roy, who was cheerful las he went through a series of meetings with colleagues and Parliamentary correspondents vesterday, spent an hour in the Speaker’s chair W'hen Parliament met at 2.30 p.m. Several Labour members called out “Good luck” as he walked past the Opposition benches on his way out of] the Chamber when the Housej went into committee for the: Estimates. A member of Parliament] since 1954, Sir Roy has already announced he will not be a candidate in next year’s General Election.

He was also cheerful yesterday when he spoke to journalists. “I am profoundly, sorry to be such a nuisance to so many people,” he said.

Sir Roy said he was one of the fittest older member of Parliament and that his doctor had told him his blood pressure was that of a man half his age. A keen jogger, he used to go for midnight runs from his flat in Parliament House but stopped this because the police warned him it might be dangerous to be on the, streets on his own late at

! night. I ] Sir Roy said yesterday! that he had been for a f regular two-mi le run ini I Wanganui, his home town, ini

ithe last three weeks. ’! “I’m about the last bloke iin the House who should iihave got this packet,” he usaid ruefullv.