British Army comes to kiwi’s rescue

Press, 26 November 1980, Page 25

British Army comes to kiwi’s rescue

A neglected First World War kiwi symbol in Britain has been restored by the British after New Zealand support felt by the wayside. “Review,” the journal of the New Zealand R.S.A., described in its August issue (and reported in “The Press”) how the huge kiwi cut in a chalk hillside in Wiltshire by New Zealand soldiers quartered at the nearby Sling Camp, Bulford, had become overgrown. Now the British Army has acted. The “Review” item publicised a restoration fund which had been opened by the adjutant of a nearby Army unit, with a promise of support from Kiwi Products, Ltd, in Britain. Four firms of landscape contractors gave estimates

varying from $4OOO to $6OOO to revive the symbol.

By the middle of last month no official response had been received from New Zealand and the Kiwi Products support was not expected to go anywhere near covering the expected cost of the restoration. When the “Review” story was raised in Parliament by the M.P. for Papanui (Mr M. K. Moore) the prospect of official help diminished. The Defence Minister (Mr Thomson) said: “From 1950 until 1967 the Government with assistance from N.Z.R.S.A. made an annual financial contribution, and maintenance was carried out by the local Scout troop and Army and civilian volunteers. This arrangement lapsed in

1967 because of increasing expense and lack of volunteers. “Regrettably the kiwi is now sadly neglected and apparently has deteriorated beyond recognition. The expense and effort to restore it and to continue to maintain it is such that the Government could not justifiably make funds available.” The garrison adjutant at Bulford has now reported: “Major J. H. Fisher and his 249 Signal Squadron have got cracking and in two days, with the help of 4-ton tractors and chalk from a nearby works site, have done a magnificent job. “The kiwi now looks really smart again and the Squadron have said they plan to look after it in future.”