Bain family’s day at last

APOLOGY ACCEPTED: Neil Bain shakes hands with Major General Lou Gardiner at Saturday’s function after they unveiled Uenuku i te po He Aitua, the carving by Blackie Graham that now hangs in Te Awamutu RSA Clubrooms in memory of Grant Bain. 092081AD

Army, Police apologies 27 years’ late, but sincerely offered and graciously accepted

By Grant Johnston

Te Awamutu’s tenacious Bain family scored a unique double on Saturday - a formal apology from the New Zealand Army and Police. This happened at Te Awamutu RSA on Saturday in front of an audience of over 200 friends and supporters of the Bain family.

Major General Lou Gardiner delivered the apology on behalf of the Army for events leading up to the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Grant Bain 27 years ago at Waiouru Regular Force Cadet School, and for the way the Army had treated the family subsequently. NZ Police Assistant Commissioner, Rob Pope, apologised unreservedly to the family for police shortcomings in the way Grant’s death was handled.

As outlined earlier in a speech by Grant’s brother Murray, the investigation into the shooting by senior cadet, Andrew Read was concluded within three hours and within three days the Court had handed down a verdict of guilty on a charge of careless use of a firearm.

Mr Pope said he agreed that a charge of manslaughter could equally have been laid against the offender.

“There are things then and subsequently that the Police could have done better. We should have kept you fully informed about the prosecution process and notified any charges. I offer the sincerest apology on behalf of the Police.”

Mr Pope said Police had caused further distress to the family by a miscommunication over the availability of the police file on
the case, when it had been destroyed earlier.

“I have been told by a policeman who knows the Bain family well that you are ‘the salt of the earth’. You put your faith in public institutions such as the Police. You expect us and have a right to believe we will do the right and proper thing. We should have had higher standards of communication. This did not happen. We let you down and for that I am sorry.”

Major General Lou Gardiner said Saturday’s reconciliation was ‘overdue’. He said the death of Grant Bain had been a tragedy for the family, which had lost a loved son and brother, and for the Army, which had lost a young cadet who was a member of the Army family. He said this breakdown by the Army extended to young serviceman, Murray Bain, and caused him to question how he could continue to serve an organisation that was not as open with his family as it should have been.

“On behalf of the New Zealand Army I sincerely apologise that the systems in place at the regular cadet school failed to prevent the actions of another cadet that led to Grant’s death. I also apologise for the inappropriate use of a photograph of the deceased (lying dead on the barracks’ floor) in training programmes and for the distress this caused you. The Army is truly sorry and the lessons learned through this tragedy have now been well heeded.”

Neil Bain, Grant’s father, was gracious in accepting the apologies on behalf of the family. He said it was a great shame that the day had come too late for Grant’s late mother, Valerie, to get the closure the family had hoped for.

Thousands of hours had been devoted by Neil and sons Bruce and Murray, in attempting to get to the truth of the events surrounding Grant’s death. A real positive that turned up from that was talking to retired Army man Andy Kyle in Dunedin, who had tended to Grant after he was fatally wounded.

“It felt so good to know that someone with his compassion and humanity was able to care for Grant in his last minutes.”

Mr Bain said when he met Grant’s barrack mates and friends again in recent years - now in their 40s and married with children, it brought him up short. He said many people had helped the family in many ways and he was grateful to them all.

Read more on page 3 of today's Courier (PDF).