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2004-1007 - Waikato
Times - Classmates angry at Waiouru accusations
by Andrew McAlley - Some classmates of the man who has helped launch hundreds
of claims of abuse against an army cadet school are unhappy with his
stance. Les Marston, of
Hamilton, was in the same class as Ian Fraser…… never once saw a beating or
sexual attack. New Zealand First MP Ron Mark, also a classmate of Mr Fraser,
denied there was a culture of abuse at the army school.
2004-1007 - Waikato Times -
Army no place for bullies
Editorial - The military, with its closed culture and strict control of the
individual, is the perfect place for bullying and abuse to go unchecked,
especially if it is disguised as discipline or punishment. That makes it even
more important that there is a system so complaints can be made, acted on
professionally, and any perpetrators apprehended. The inquiry must ensure
that such a procedure is in place
2004-1007 - Te Awamutu
Courier - Brothers’ long wait for justice
By Grant Johnston - Bruce and Murray Bain of Te Awamutu have had only one
priority in their pursuit of the facts about the death of their younger
brother, Grant at the Army’s Waiouru cadet school in 1981 - the truth. For
the past 23 years they have been convinced that the Army’s version of events
is a cover-up and that the court of enquiry was unable to hand down the
proper verdict. They will never accept the fact that the cadet responsible,
Andrew William Read, was charged only with causing death by carelessly
misusing a firearm.
2004-1007 - Stuff - Nearly
one-third of cadets abused at Waiouru - former cadet
by Colin Marshall - Nearly 300 former cadet soldiers have now contacted the
former cadet who has claimed there was decades of abuse at the cadet training
school at Waiouru. Ian Fraser says he
believes a third of the thousands of cadets suffered abuse at the school
which operated between 1948 and 1991.
2004-1007 - NZ Herald -
'Violence pervaded school'
by Nicola Boyes and Mathew Dearnaley - A pervasive culture of abuse existed
at the Waiouru Army Cadet School but it was never fully investigated, says
the man who headed an inquiry into a cadet's fatal shooting. Graham Beddie, a
major at the time, was president of the court of inquiry into the shooting of
cadet Grant Bain. ……In the course of the inquiry, Mr Beddie said, he learned
of other cases of abuse but his brief did not allow their investigation.
Meanwhile, a captain at the school, Timothy Rabbidge, has told the Herald he
recalled taking a cadet to the Waiouru base hospital with injuries the night
Bain was killed, adding he tried many times to stop "quite brutal"
bullying.
2004-1007 - NZ Herald - It's
time to grow up and put away childish resentments
by Garth George - Hear Mr Fraser: "They are compensating prisoners for
the hard time they had in prison. We were serving our country at the time and
this is what they did to us." What absolute rot. What Mr Fraser and all
the others were doing in the Waiouru cadet school was leaning a trade, the
ancient and honourable trade of soldiering, with an eye, perhaps, towards
making it a career. But some of them found that there was more to being a
warrior than they had bargained for. And note the mention of the word
"compensation". Ring a bell?
2004-1007 - NZ Herald -
Classmates dispute cadet abuse claims
NZPA - Some classmates of the man who has helped launch hundreds of claims of
abuse against an army cadet school are unhappy with his stance. Les Marston,
of Hamilton, was in the same class as Ian Fraser, who this week claimed
cadets at the former army school in Waiouru were beaten and sexually
assaulted…………"I never once saw a beating or sexual attack," he
said. "What you did have, like in any other boarding school in New
Zealand at the time, was a lot of peer pressure." "You had the normal
clash of personalities you would encounter at a boarding school with 15 to
17-year-old boys, each testing their mettle against each other."
2004-1007 - NZ Herald - Army probe
needs to be independent
Editorial - The modern Army should be an organisation in which commanders are
respected, not feared, and soldiers at all levels can expect to be treated
with ordinary human dignity. There is no need of a witch-hunt. This was more
than likely an institutional failure, a reflection of its times. But we need
to be sure. A credible independent commission could restore our confidence
2004-1007 - NZ Herald - Abuse
'no worse than in schools'
by Jon Stokes and NZPA - Two high-profile ex-Army men have defended
discipline enforced at an Army training school as no worse than at boarding
school. New Zealand First MP Ron Mark, who entered the Regular Force Cadet
School in Waiouru at the age of 16 and ended his Army career as a major, said
people were threatened in any organisation. He told National Radio's Nine to
Noon programme yesterday that while he was aware violence did occur he had
never suffered any physical abuse.
2004-1007 - Newstalk ZB
- Different memories of Cadet School
There are claims and counter claims over what went on at the Waiouru Army
Cadet School. Descriptions range from good old fashioned discipline to
straight out abuse. Trevor Gilbert, who also went on to train cadets, says
Sergeant Major Hill was a fair man. He stands by Mr Hill's statement that he
was not aware of any serious abuse at Waiouru. But another cadet in the
mid-1960s who wishes to be identified only as Dave, disagrees. He says Tiny
Hill must have been deaf and blind not to have known what was going on.
2004-1007 - Newstalk ZB -
Cadet treatment no worse than boarding school
Trevor Gilbert was at the school in the mid-60s. He says that if there was
any violence, it was only of the school-boy variety. Mr Gilbert says most
graduates went on to lead illustrious careers in the army. He become an
instructor at the school in the mid-70s.
2004-1007 - Dominion
Post - School for bullies
by Hank Schouten - Cruel abuse of army cadets by their fellow trainee
soldiers seems to have been an accepted practice. Victims of bullying are now
coming forward to tell their stories………Author Richard Taylor, a major serving
at Defence headquarters, declined yesterday to discuss the latest controversy
over bullying because an inquiry is looming, but, in his book, Taylor
describes bullying as the "single black mark on the entire cadet school
experience".
2004-1007 - Dominion
Post - Claimants' motives questioned
Officers in charge of Waiouru's army cadet school in the 1970s and 1980s are
surprised at allegations of sexual abuse and bullying and are questioning the
motivation of the accusers. Wayne Anker, commanding officer at the Regular
Force Cadet School in Waiouru in 1982 when cadet Grant Bain was fatally shot
by another cadet, said bullying at the school was no worse than at boarding
schools.
2004-1007 - Dominion
Post - Cadet in shooting case never faced trial
by Hank Schouten - A cadet corporal who shot and killed another cadet at
training school 23 years ago was never court-martialled, despite
recommendations by a formal military court of inquiry. The army, however,
denies suggestions made by the inquiry that it was tantamount to a
"whitewash". The inquiry, completed a week after Grant Bain died on
February 13, 1981, was headed by Major G M Beddie. Like all military
inquiries, it was not public and its findings have only recently been issued.
2004-1007 - Daily News - MP alleges
clam-up on army death
by Kim Schwieters - Taranaki-King Country MP Shane Ardern says he raised
concerns about the case of fatally shot army cadet Grant Bain with Defence
Minister Mark Burton two years ago. But a spokesperson for the minister is
adamant he never received a letter from Mr Ardern and that the MP never asked
Mr Burton a question in the House about the issue.
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