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Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. Volume 36, Number 2. 7th March 1973

'My Loyalty lies with Rugby'

page 13

'My Loyalty lies with Rugby'

Accusations of disloyalty have been made by some student members of the university rugby club against Graeme Atkin, one of the club's delegates to the Wellington Rugby Union.

Atkin, a 41 year old businessman and longstanding club member, has been heavily criticised for ignoring club policy by his strong support of the Springbok Tour at a recent Wellington Rugby Union Meeting.

Peter Cullen talked to him for Salient.

Salient: What sort of affiliations have you got with the Victoria University Rugby Club?

Atkin: I've been with the club for nearly 24 years. I've played for 23 of those years and have the nickname "Mum" in the club, so I'm virtually an institution. I've been on and off the committee so many times that I don't get offended when I'm dropped. Last year I was the delegate to the Wellington Rugby Union for the Victoria University Club, following Ken Comber. Three years previous to that I was on the Junior Advisory Committee of the Wellington Rugby Union. I'm not on the Victoria Club Committee this year. I'm invited as a delegate to the Wellington Rugby Union to attend meetings of the Victoria Club, but I have no voice or vote on the rugby club.

Salient: What positions do you hold on the Wellington Rugby Football Union?

Atkin: I'm on several sub-committees in the union. The main one is the publicity committee with Vince Paino and Bill Freeman. I'm also on the insurance committee which covers insurance policies and reviews of insurance policies for players and clubs, and the office fixtures and buildings committee.

Salient: But you are also on the main management committee of the union. Could you tell us about the meeting that took place on the 13th February, which got some publicity because it decided to support the proposed Springbok rugby tour.

Atkin: Well it was more or less sparked off by Tom Johnson of Hawkes Bay when he sent a telegram to all unions asking them to stage a rally on the 25th February throughout the country, as the Hawkes Bay Rugby Union did. We discussed his proposal and it was unanimously agreed that the idea was good and worth supporting. Many members were approached to organise this and from memory Mr Pat Gill was really the only official who undertook to do this. I said I would assist him in any way possible in organising a rally and sending letters out to secretaries, club captains etc.

Salient: Was your idea to assist with the rally in Hawkes Bay or to hold a separate rally in Wellington?

Atkin: We did propose to hold a separate rally in Wellington; all unions were asked to hold a rally in their own centre on that date. Just to show support.

Salient: You supported the Hawkes Bay stand and also the idea of holding a rally here, and didn't you appear on television on Wednesday the 14th of February to discuss this?

Atkin: Yes, I appeared with Pat Gill (although our names were not put on the TV screen correctly) for a very brief time stating what we were trying to do and how we were going to do it.

Salient: Weren't you nominated for your position on the Wellington Football Union by the university club?

Atkin: Yes, that's true.

Salient: Some students who are members of the club have objected very strongly to your taking a stand at the Wellington Union meeting completely contrary to that of the club which you come from and which nominated you. How do you feel about that?

Atkin: I received no orders from the Victoria Club on how to vote on the question of the tour . . .

Salient: But club members say you were disloyal.

Atkin: I'm a little concerned that they used the word loyalty in questioning my integrity. As I said, I've been with the club for 23 years and I've done a lot of work for the club because I love the club. If anyone has been loyal to the club, it's been me and a lot of older people. The University Club has a transient population, a lot of the players are here for five minutes and then move on. How many of them have sweated their guts out forming Boyd-Wilson field, digging the trenches by hand and pulling the rocks up? That's where loyalty counts, people who will come up and do the work. We've had a lot of young people coming up and criticising the club. We got one such critic for a secretary once and he turned out to be the worst secretary we've ever had. I feel that the word loyalty on one little issue, perhaps it's not a little issue to many people, but on an issue like this is not the right word.

My loyalty lies with Victoria University and the Rugby players, and I must reiterate the word rugby.

Mum knows best cartoon