RSA building
The decision of the majority of the members of the South Canterbury RSA to vote for selling the land and buildings of the RSA to Yedo Investments (Robert and Damon Odey) is the worst option that can happen.
The offer of the purchasers to lease back the property to the RSA members for a time and then consider a long-term lease to the RSA with the possibility of sharing the property with other clubs is ridiculous.
In other words, nothing would change. The RSA could pay off its debt but would continue trading, two days a week, at a substantial loss each month in an old building needing a considerable amount of money spent on repairs and maintenance.
Greg O’Brien suggests the RSA could be run from a serviced office somewhere, ‘‘managing membership, fundraising, welfare applications and facilitating community involvement’’. What would be the point?
The RSAs were started for a place where returned servicemen and women could get together and socialise with a meal, a drink, and play pool, darts or snooker and other activities. Why would anyone want to join or even stay as a member, if there was no meeting place?
The other tender offer by the St John organisation, only $60,000 less, would be the ideal tender to accept. This acceptance would mean that the tired old buildings would be demolished and a new building would be built for St John and an adjacent building built to the RSA requirements. The RSA could settle all its debts and have money in the bank for investments.
St John carry out seminars and workshops regularly to train young cadets in first aid, etc and have offered to use the facilities of the RSA kitchens, rooms, etc for this purpose and this would be a guaranteed income for the RSA.
If anything happens and the tender from Yedo Investments does not eventuate, I hope the RSA members will reconsider and realise that the offer of St John is by far the best option for both the RSA and the St John organisation. D H Darling
Levels
I am disgusted with the headlines in last Saturday’s paper about the RSA. Don’t they remember the soldiers that fought for us needed the Red Cross nurses, the ambulance and stretcher bearers and now they have given it to privateers who are out for themselves. God bless our ambulance crew you did a wonderful job both in war and now. Kathleen Mehrtens
Timaru