24-8-93 Submission On Wig This submission outlines the reasons why people signed the petition of Lois Short and 16,157 others on the Wigram Airfield. Many people who signed the petition talked about the historic role of the airfield as the birthplace of aviation in New Zealand These people tended to be particu- Jarly supportive of the need to maintain the aviation services at Wigram. A second group of people wished the aviation functions of Wigram to be retained for another reason. It was noted that the runway, hangers and other ilying facilities were uniquely suited to aviation. Given the huge amounts of money that had been spent on renewing, upgrading and extending these facilities in recent years, it was considered to be extremely wasteful to abandon aviation at the base. Indeed, many be- Lieve the wrong decision was made in relocating base functions away from Wigram. A third group of people pointed out the economic value of Wigram as a functioning entity to the Christchurch area. These people tended to argue that the best economic gains in the future would come out of the further development of the aviation functions ram enabled by the Wigram facilities. A fourth group did not want to see the valuable Wigram resources split up, and believed this couldonly be ensured if the site was maintained in public ownership. Forthis group, aviation services would become the central focus for a wide range of activities with deally a mix of civilian and military uses. If this was notpossible, they wished to see some kind of joint venture activity involving govemment, local authority and Airfield private sector uses. There was strong opposition to any possibility of the land being divided or sold. As there is little shortage of land in the immediate area, this was not seen as necessary. The petition of Lois Short and 16,157 others demonstrated the depth of feeling about the Wigram Airfield in the local community. The signatures were collected by a handful of volunteers in a very short space of one and half months. The Wigram Develop- ment Support Group fully supports recent attempts by the Christchurch City Council to lease the land to enable aviation activities to be developed over a period oftime. The group believes that this is the only way to maintain an integrated approach to the development of the site. It is the only hope for the maintenance of aviation activities at Wigram, and the only way the value of the land and its infrastructure, can be maintained into the future. 27-8-93 Kelford Kams founder but S By JOHN pecial HAWKINS Although Ron Rutheriord has left for the Gold Coast, Kelford Kams, the business he founded mere than 24 years age in partner ship with Norm Kelly, will continue under the guidance of Grant Hart. Kelford Kams' works in the area of camshafts, and performance parts have gained the company a good reputation throughout New Zealand. Work undertaken includes camshaft reprofiling - for both standard and performance requirements - parts soureing, camlobe rebuilding, camshaft degreeing, repairing camshaft journals, and refacing and hardening rockers. It also carries an extensive cam profile ist business library, which has been built up over 20 years and provides invaluable information to suit vehicles from veteran through to the present day. The business also stocks Kent Performance equipment and its performance protiles are approved by the Motorsport Association for the Holden , HQ and Mini 7 classes. Grant Hart is a car enthusiast with a background in engineering, having served for 12 years as general manager of Betstone Mobility Systems, a light engineering company specialising in manual and powered Wheelchairs. His interest in motorsport began in 1951 when he attended the Lady Wigram Trophy meeting and watched Les Moore win in the Alfa Romeo P3. departs continues His most memorable moment in motor racing was the unforgettable engine note of ken Warton's supercharged 1.5-litre V16 BRM at Wigram. After a background in trials and as a flag marshall, he more recently took up classic car racing, firstly with an MGB GT and recently with a Hillman Hunter Gls. In taking over Kelford Kams, he sees the opportunity to combine his engineering experience with his love of vehicles in a business venture. Two experienced staff members, Phil Harbison and Jason Gourlay, have been retained, while Ron Rutherford will provide technical backup.