Exorcism, beer, rugby in sacked driver’s defence

Press, 9 December 1983, Page 24

Exorcism, beer, rugby in sacked driver’s defence

PA Auckland An exorcism, two bottles of beer, and an early morning All Black match were mentioned in defence of an Auckland Regional Authority bus driver, sacked for allegedly arriving at work smelling of alcohol. Mr Nephi Mikaere, aged 44, of Mangere, who is appealing against his dismissal before the Tramways Appeal Board, said he had drunk only two bottles of beer more than 12 hours before arriving for work.

Mr Mikaere told the board that he had had trouble sleeping after a child in the family had died in September. He arranged with a friend from the Ringatu Church for ritual services to be held in the early hours of September 30.

The rituals to remove spirits from the house in-

volved going to a nearby river, the cemetery, and his Mangere home.

After they had been performed, Mr Mikaere said, he and a church official had watched the All Black match about 3.30 a.m. and had drunk two bottles of beer each. Of his condition when arriving at work the next afternoon, Mr Mikaere said he was tired but “certainly not incapable of driving the bus,” and was “angry and surprised” at his dismissal. The whole A.R.A. disciplinary system appeared to be under review, the board heard yesterday. The board, comprising Judge Nicholson (chairman) and the president of the Auckland Tramways Union, Mr Gary Froggatt, has reserved decision as to whether the A.R.A. should have dismissed Mr Mikaere. The dismissal became the

centre of a dispute that resulted in a strike by A.R.A. drivers on December 1 and 2.

In his closing submissions, Mr H. C. Keyte, counsel for the A.R.A., said the board had only to decide whether the A.R.A.’s decision to dismiss Mr Mikaere was the correct one.

He submitted that dismissal was the A.R.A.’s only option in its own interest and that of the public because of Mr Mikaere’s work history, an incident in June, and the alleged incident leading to the dismissal early in November. Counsel for Mr Mikaere, Mr Paul Skinner, said that the October 30 incident, which had led to the dismissal, should be viewed alone, because the A.R.A. had had the opportunity to use other disciplinary measures for any previous incidents and in some cases, had done so.