20-9-93 Wigr all am backers say is not yet lost By Mike Crean Christchurch people should not feel all is lost with moves to close the air force base at Wigram, according to people fighting to save it. While the general attitude of people seemed to be that the closing of the base was a foregone conclusion, this was not the case, Lois Short said. Mrs Short advertised in the Star last week for interested people to contact her with a view to forming a support group to help keep Wigram oen. There had been many callers but most felt not much could l said. They felt sentin base and wished it Some, like her, felt sighted government activities at the base. Mrs Snort had bee base all her life. Her there on job schemes sion and her only so llot there. The base or its injection of $ try s economy. t was ideal for pilo be done, Mrs Short nental ties with the could be retained. annoyed at shortpolicies in cutting en interested in the father had worked during the Depres on had trained as a was also important 20m a year to the ot training with th flat Canterbury terrain around it. It was the traditional centre for training and should be kept running, she said. People who felt as she did should band together and by weight of numbers put pressure on MPs and the government. A Christchurch man leading moves to save Wigram agrees it is far too soon to write off the chances of success. Bob Davidson is heading a group of interested business and aviation people making submissions to the air force for the retention of the base as a combined military and civil training and operation taciuty. "I feel considerable hope the tacility will be retained," Mr Davidson said. The move to close Wigram was based on cost-cutting but the alternative to this was to use it as a money earner, Mr Davidson said. His group was trying to show the air force and the government it could earn considerable foreign exchange and create many new jobs with wider use of the facilities at Wigram. Mr Davidson said the training and operating centre could be feasible at Wigram