Tizard in defence visit to Chathams

Press, 25 February 1988, Page 3

Tizard in defence visit to Chathams

By

OLIVER RIDDELL

in Wellington The Minister of Defence, Mr Tizard, will leave for a two-day visit to the Chatham Islands today to inspect the work of defence forces there this summer. He will inspect the work of a Territorial unit, 6 Engineering Services Squadron. Mr Tizard’s visit will be made in the context of a call by the chairman of the Chatham Islands County Council, Mr Bunty Preece, to leave a permanent defence establishment on the Chathams. The 75 members of the Wellington-based squadron are on their two-week annual camp on the Chatl :

hams. Mr Tizard and his party will tomorrow inspect improvements to the Waitangi breakwater and quarry blasting, and will fly by light aircraft to Pitt Island to see repair work on the Pitt Island wharf. The party includes two members of Parliament, Dr Peter Simpson (Lab., Lyttelton) and Mr Ken Shirley (Lab., Tasman); the Chief of General Staff, Major-General Don Mclver; Support Command Commander, Brigadier Graham Birch; the C.G.S. Military Assistant, Lieutenant-Colonel Roger Mortlock; and the R.N.Z.E. chief engineer, Lieutenant-Colonel Alan Beaver.