Ron Don: P.M. ‘misinformed’

Press, 28 March 1981, Page 1

Ron Don: P.M. ‘misinformed’

The Prime Minister (Mr Muldoon) was misinformed if he thought that a majority of New Zealanders were opposed to the Springboks’ rugby tour this year, said the chairman of the Auckland Rugby Union, Mr Ron Don, in Christchurch yesterday. . “I don’t know why he said that — I’m finding tremendous support for the tour wherever I go,” Mr Don said. •

He encountered spontaneous backing for his

stand on the thorny South African tour issue on leaving the studios of Radio Avon after sharing a talkback session with Ms Pauline McKay, of HART. Two self-employed men in a van bearing the legend, “SA tour is OK,” made a special trip to congratulate Mr Don on his championing of sports links with South Africa.

“They told me that all their customers bar one, who opposed the tour through a fear of violence developing,- were in favour of the Springboks coming,” Mr Don said. “That is the voice of the public ■speaking.” The controversial Auckland administrator said that the once'silent major*’ ity was now becoming vocal through the establishment of pro-tour groups. He spoke of an Auckland taxi-driver who

was moved to start his own organistion, called “Fed Up,” because all his passengers had told him they were for the tour and he was tired of ready pronouncements by anti-tour factions. The driver had been persuaded to link with the Christchurchbased S.P.I.R. to make for a more unified front, Mr Don said.

“Every trade union that has taken a secret ballot on the tour has come out in favour — that’s the voice of the people, too.” Mr Don said his first inclination was to decline Radio Avon’s invitation to. debate the tour issues with Ms McKay and field listeners’ questions. But he changed his mind because he felt there was little pro-tour material coming forward in Christchurch.

Repeating his charge that the New Zealand public was often misled over South African matters, Mr Don cited the news item from South Africa about

Craven .Week defections as an example? / The report On the South African.schools’ rugby festival said that 15 schools in the Transvaal were against participation because of the i presence of Coloured sides. “That was correct as far as it went,” Mr Don said. “What the story did not mention was that those 15 were from a total of 300 secondary schools in the Transvaal, and there were also 680 primary schools in favour of Craven Week, In any ease, .those 15 schools have since

dropped, their opposition, so there is nothing to prevent Coloured teams from taking part.” Mr Don said a lot of rugby was being played across racial lines down to school level in the Cape and and around Natal. There was little in the Transvaal, because nonwhites in that province .were “soccer crazy.” « I “What many people can’t understand is that the situation in South •African can’t change overnight,” he said, “They are proceeding slowly because the changes arg monumental.”’