Re: “Didn’t feel heard”, GH 10 May 2023.
I know what it feels like “not to be heard” because when Sir Robert’s messenger approached this Minister for veteran support in 2021 he was told: “I don’t work 24 hours a day bro, make an appointment at the office in town.”
The parody is that the Minister’s decree that “she didn’t feel heard” is a karmic reflection of the way she turned her back on the memory of the men and whānau of 28 (Māori) Battalion and their Campaign and Battle Honours hard won.
The nugget is that on ANZAC day 2023 the 98-year-old veteran got it done whilst the Minister of Veterans Affairs’ planning for “emancipation” were in their advanced stages.
We wish her well on her healing journey in the wilderness where she will continue to be avoided like the bubonic plague.
Āke Ake Kia Kaha E.
Harawira Craig Pearless
