Delamere has a word with son's boss

By Naomi Larkin

The head of the most powerful armed forces took a personal interest in helping sort out the future of the troubled son of MP Tuariki Delamere when he touched down in Auckland on Saturday.

When Mr Delamere, Minister of Immigration, shook hands and exchanged a hongi with the President of the United States as part of the welcoming party at the airport, he told Bill Clinton he was pleased to meet the man in charge of his son's proposed new career.

Mr Clinton is commander-in-chief of the United States Marines. Mr Delamere's eldest son, Jean-Paul, flew to Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon with the aim of joining the Marines.

"I said it was nice to be able to meet the person who was going to be the commander-in-chief for my son. I told him that my son was heading off that afternoon to join the US Navy.

"He [Clinton] said, 'We'd be pleased to have him' and asked how it happened."

Mr Delamere explained that his three children were all United States citizens. Their mother, Jo-ell Delamere, is an American.

Mr Delamere, who was in the United States Army from 1974 to 1977, said the family believed the discipline and training provided by the armed forces would be good for Jean-Paul, who has had several brushes with the law.

The 21-year-old assistant baker first grabbed headlines in March 1997 when he was convicted of cannabis possession and fined $350.

He was also sent a trespass notice by his former school, Whakatane High - of which his father was a trustee.

Mr Delamere, the Independent MP for Te Tai Rawhiti, said this was not his first encounter with a President. In 1976 he guarded President Gerald Ford during his visit to the West Point Military Academy.

At the time Mr Delamere was a sergeant and faculty member, coaching the academy's athletic team.