Legion plans will go ahead—leader

Press, 12 November 1985, Page 2

Legion plans will go ahead—leader

PA Palmerston North I The New Zealand Foreign Legion plans to continue rallying for support in spite of the request by the Minister of Social Welfare, Mrs Hercus, to have the legion’s activities investigated. The legion’s organiser, Mr Charles Pakai, of Palmerston North, is adamant plans will go ahead regardless of criticism of the legion and those involved. “The kids are still going away, but it means we are just going to have to raise the funds ourselves, one way dr another,” he said. “We are still going to appeal to the public to give us a helping hand. We are going to go to the people we know, ones who are still willing to support us.” Mr Pakai said a trip to ! Auckland was planned for later this week to look into support and consider organising a camp in Auckland similar to the one held at Motukarara, near Christchurch, two weeks-ago. But this one, he said, would have no news media coverage, and would be two weeks long. Mr Pakai blames news

media reports for difficulty in getting support for the legion; “If people are out to. do something to me they are welcome to try but just as long as they leave the kids alone. These kids are having a hard time now trying to stay on the right side of the law but people just aren’t helping, at all.” Meanwhile, the Returned Services’ Association says it will check the legion before it considers giving it assistance. The association’s secretary-general, Mr Don Quigley, said, comment on assistance was “premature.” “There has been no mention of assistance. A few weeks ago a Palmerston North member of the R.S.A. brought the legion to our attention and asked us to do some checking on this group. At this stage it would be inappropriate to say whether the R.S.A. would help or not.” He said a report on the group would be submitted before the R.S.A.’s executive meeting on December 3. “I am a little sceptical to be quite honest. Untrained and inexperienced people

giving themselves military ranks is not a sound basis to train people. The two leading lights in this thing are both inexperienced and untrained.

“I also have not yet discovered any source of finance. I would like to know who is underwriting this.”

Palmerston North’s police chief, Chief Superintendent Jim Wooders, said there was no cause for police interest in the legion at present.