RSA flats full of old diggers, says new owner

The man who bought a block of flats from the New Plymouth RSA is furious over claims that no returned servicemen were living in them at the time of purchase.

Denis Leatham, of New Plymouth, says the flats were full of returned servicemen including his own father.

"The only person who wasn't a proper returned serviceman was one old bloke who did all the training, but who hadn't been posted overseas before the war ended," he said.

"So it is absolute nonsense to claim that there were no old soldiers living in those flats when the RSA sold them."

Mr Leatham was responding to an article in Saturday's Taranaki Daily News in which the financially troubled RSA revealed it had sold its New Plymouth flats to fund upgrading the club restaurant to meet required health standards, and then sold its Inglewood flats to fund the upgrading of the club's pokie machine area.

The story quoted former club president Tony House as saying that when the flats were sold, the majority of occupants were no longer old soldiers as had traditionally been the case.

Mr Leatham, a builder, said that was rubbish.

"I remember getting into a fight with the RSA when the club put the New Plymouth flats up for sale.

"I told them they couldn't do it – that the flats were full of people aged in their 80s and 90s who had fought for their country, and were now worried sick they'd get booted out of their homes. One old bloke actually ended up in hospital he was so worried.

"But the RSA people said they were going ahead with the sale.

"I saw red. I told them I couldn't believe they were selling the flats from under the old diggers just so they could pay to fix up a poxy bar. So I mortgaged my house and bought the flats myself."

Mr Leatham said the first thing he did was assure the residents they could remain in their flats for as long as they wished. He also raised their rents slightly to help cover his costs, although the rentals remained well below market levels.

"I've actually done quite well out of it. As the old diggers have had to go into full-time care or have passed away, I have done up the flats and rented them out to new tenants at market rates.

"There are five flats rented out this way. But I've still got returned servicemen living in the remaining three of them, and their low rentals are being subsidised by the other higher rentals. One of the tenants is still my dad who is now 89, and we all still go to the Anzac Day services together."Mr Leatham said the Trafalgar St land on which the flats are located was actually bequeathed to the New Plymouth RSA by a Mr George Cathey – that's why there is a memorial plaque at the property's entrance.

"When I purchased the property I met with his family to tell them what was happening. They asked if I could leave the plaque at the front gate.

"I said I would be delighted to do that. Because the plaque is still there, everyone probably thinks they are still RSA flats. But these days they definitely are not."

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