NOVEMBER 2003

Nuclear Ships

New Zealand doesn’t have any of those does it? Well, no but …

We need to remember those lads that went in HMNZS Pukaki and Rotoiti to Christmas and Malden Islands in the mid 50s to take part in the British Nuclear Bomb Tests, and also in HMNZS Otago and Canterbury sailing off Mururoa in 1973 to witness the French exploding a nuclear bomb over that atoll. There are a number of these men who are now suffering with various ailments, not least of which are cancers that can probably be linked back to their service in these “hot spots” and they should make application to test their eligibility for a War Disablement Pension. Your RSA should be able to provide you with the appropriate form, or you can ring me at 04 384 7994, or War Pension Services on 0800 553 003.

This is not where it ends though. Because of the special circumstances of the deployments, but not due to any “clear association between the ill health of the children of ‘Operation Grapple’ veterans and their parents’ service” (here I’m quoting the Hon George Hawkins, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, from his media statement of 26 November 2002), the Government has extended additional assistance to the children of Operation Grapple veterans.

What does this “additional assistance” cover? It covers adrenal gland cancer, and acute myeloid leukaemia, in addition to spina bifida and/or cleft palate/lip. These illnesses and conditions would be in children conceived after their parents’ service at Christmas and Malden Islands. This assistance includes a top-up to GP charges, pharmaceutical charges, supports service charges and part-charges for equipment.

Over and above that there is the question of counselling for these children including genetic counselling for those children who have health concerns and who are making decisions about having their own families. These counselling services are available for the children of Operation Grapple veterans through Veterans’ Affairs New Zealand Case management system. (Ring 0800 438 8372).

Having mentioned the nuclear bomb, we should also remember those people who, at the end of WWII, went to Japan as part of the occupying and reconstruction forces and spent time around Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Many of them walked around and worked in areas that had been contaminated by the ‘A” Bombs. They were probably wearing shorts for at least part of the time, and it’s also quite likely they picked up a small souvenir or two and put them in their pockets.

All of the above service people were in dangerous situations. There may have been little in the way of immediate peril, but the insidious nature of radiation has given them major problems years after their initial exposure.

If you believe that what you’re ailing from came from any of these areas and times of service then please test your eligibility to a War Disablement Pension. The worst answer you can receive is a no, and you can take that answer all the way up to an appeal; and who knows you might receive a War Disablement Pension and the chance of free treatment and prescriptions for your disability.