There were no protest marches after Erebus, but the death of 257 passengers and crew left a nation desperate for answers. Common sense prevailed, and the march was quietly abandoned.
At the time I suggested it was a scab best left unpicked, that the record was perfectly straight, without any need to rewrite it, and that a parade would only reopen once-deep divisions within society. Mayor Christine Fletcher said the welcome-home parade would be 'a rare opportunity to revisit this part of our country's history, to set the record straight and record our appreciation of these men and women and their families'. It's reminiscent of the ill-fated attempt of Vietnam War veterans in 2001 to get a belated welcome home parade up Queen St for themselves, 26 years after the last defeated American troops - our allies - fled Saigon. Progressive leader Jim Anderton's backing for ' some public acknowledgment' from the Government that the pilots of the DC10 that smashed into Mt Erebus 25 years ago were not to blame can only end in tears. If history is to be rewritten, the job is best left to historians, not politicians.
