"The way it really was"

Re Mr Brown's letter on Student Travel Bureau (STB) in Salient 25/5/81: I would like to draw further attention to some of the historical inaccuracies in his letter, while at the same time agreeing with most of the general sentiments expressed therein.

1.	Mr Brown refers to the fact that Underwood "bulldozed" the Executive into upping the guarantee to $40,000 in 1979. It is true that this in fact did happen (in effect) while I was President, but it is also true that I was the only member of the Executive at the time who disagreed with the signing of the guarantee, and indeed my dissent to the Executive motion was noted in the minutes of the said meeting. I think that the way I voted on the issue clearly demonstrates to Mr Brown that my understanding of the issues involved and the financial realities were anything but inadequate. Indeed, it was for some of the very reasons so well described by Mr Brown that I decided to vote to oppose any further guarantee commitment at the time.
2.	Mr Brown was not present during the closed committee discussion on the guarantee at the Time, but I can only say that when I openly stated my opposition to the signing of the extended guarantee commitment that I was derisively laughed at by other members of the executive.
3.	I too would like to know where all the money went... perhaps just like Mr Brown. The article seemed to say basically that it was bad luck that made STB the way it is today. I disagree, and I believe that those responsible for some of the "management" in the past should be made publicly responsible to the students whose money went down the drain.
4.	I feel bloody tempted to say to those whose views prevailed over mine in 1979: "I told you so". If only people would learn the easy way rather than the hard way!
5.	When any body corporate signs a guarantee they do not actually owe the money per se, nor do they pay the money over. For this situation to arise, quite obviously the BNZ would have to 'call up' the said guarantee (which admittedly there is a strong possibility of their doing so at present on the face of it).
6.	If anything the only thing that I regret when looking back at the sequence of events that led to the decision to 'up' the guarantee by the Executive in 1979 is the fact that I did not damn well dig my toes in and personally refuse to sign the documents concerned and taken the issue to a Special General Meeting as well as consulting with the solicitors.

The moral of all this is: 'never back down when you believe you are right even when you are forced in a situation where you are opposing a decision reached democratically by a majority'.

This letter necessarily does not contain all the facts it could for reasons of practicality and is only a brief synopsis of some observations I have chosen to make at this juncture.

If anybody wishes to take up further points with me concerning any of the points I have made I would be happy to discuss them at any time.