Ill-health costs war veterans chance of Pacific trip

Fifteen of 80 veterans picked to take part in a Veterans Affairs Office commemorative tour to the Pacific this weekend have had to pull out for health reasons.

The veterans leave today for New Caledonia and the Solomon Islands for services to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II.

They will be accompanied by Veterans Affairs Minister George Hawkins, dignitaries and 70 Defence Force personnel on an Air Force Boeing 757.

The trip was conceived by a small group of RNZAF veterans who initially looked at hiring a private plane, but the tour was taken over by Veterans Affairs when the group sought funding assistance from the department.

Veterans Affairs announced the trip in March and a ballot was held to select the 80 veterans to travel to the Pacific. About 266 veterans entered the ballot, which closed on June 30.

Veterans were informed a few weeks later and asked for an extensive medical check to ensure they were fit enough to travel.

Wally Ingham, a former member of the RNZAF 30 Squadron and Servicing Unit, said most of 78 veterans in the original RNZAF group missed out.

"They opened it out to all people, the Army and the Navy. I'm not disregarding that fact, but we put all the spade work in and we missed out."

The slowness of the ballot left just three weeks to organise paperwork.

Veterans Affairs director Jesse Gunn said the 15 who made the brave decision to withdraw on medical grounds were quickly replaced by veterans who were fit enough to go.

"The last withdrawal we had was Friday morning [last week] and the person we put on had his medical papers to us by Friday afternoon.

"So there's been heaps of time."

Most last-minute veterans had their medical examinations signed off by their doctors and back to the department within three days, she said.

"So I think three weeks is ample time."

- NZPA