Fourty-one year old Eric Stanley Graham was dairy farming at Kowhitirangi, nr Hokitika on the Wild, Wet, West Coast of the South Island NZ during the second world war.
-The South Island of New Zealand lays in "The Roaring Forties" surrounded by sea, angled almost square-on to the prevailing strong Nor-Westerly winds. The long central mountain spine that rises to 12,218 ft (3,724m) make the moisture laden airflow rapidly lift and chill, - causing rain to fall heavily on the narrow coastal flats that border the steep 'rain-forest' clad mountain slopes.
That 'West Coast' rain makes the grass grow - but the washed-out ('pakihi') soils over an iron-pan - and short fast flowing boulder-filled mountain rivers don't make for an easy life farming. - Graham was having problems with his stock health - and his cream had been rejected and dyed blue as contaminated, by the Co-operative Dairy Company.
- He blamed his neighbours. - Sinking into debt, his behaviour became aggressive and threatening over several years, and he was in dispute with the local police - who had for some time been trying to collect his .303" rifle for the war effort.
After he threatened a neighbour and a carpenter with a rifle, four police officers went to Grahams farm on October 8th, 1941 where they were confronted at the door and shot. - Also shot was an agricultural instructor, George Ridley. - The next day two members of The Home Guard approached Graham - who although wounded, shot both Guards. All told seven men died from their wounds.
There is a story that the Japanese war propagandist "Tokyo Rose" broadcast a radio message to Graham saying that if he would hold the South Island - they would send a man to take the North Island.
The wounded Stanley Graham went bush for twelve days until he was again shot and fatally wounded by Constable Quirke (from Auckland) when spotted emerging from the forest. - Graham told Quirke "I am done, I was going to chuck it tonight .." and died in hospital the next day.
The Graham home was shortly thereafter burned to the ground.
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In 1990, David Gray, a 33 year old unemployed reclusive resident of a small coastal settlement Aramoana had been in dispute with his neighbours and shopkeepers in nearby city Dunedin - Eleven months before the shootings Gray had argued with a bank clerk, threatened a cafe worker, and threatened a bookshop owner with a firearm in a cardboard box - and had been served a "Trespass Order" and reported to the police. - Gray was visited by local police but no action was taken to cancel his firearm licence or remove his firearms.
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Grays mother with whom he lived, had died five years before - and he had moved into the Aramoana family holiday home. - He was an animal lover - and in dispute with his neighbours whos pet animals kept dying - and whos children kept wandering onto his property.
His mental and physical health had seriously deteriorated. An emaciated 57 kilos weight he had withdrawn from contact with friends in recent months.
On the evening of November 13th 1990 Gray started an argument with his neighbour, and returning with a rifle, shot him and set fire to their house. In the next 23 hours, thirteen victims died (and three were wounded) from bullets fired - including first responder Police Sgt. Stewart Guthrie - while Grey walked about shooting, prepared meals, ate and slept, - until The Special Tactics Group arrived from Christchurch and entered the village (that had been sealed-off by more than 150 police and the Armed Offenders Squad) and shot Gray in a hail of automatic fire.
Four of Grays victims were shot using the .223" Chinese "Assault Rifle" - the nine others died from rounds Gray fired from a .22" rimfire "rabbit gun", - but this tragic shooting was used by Police and politicians to justify new laws against the so called "Assault Rifles".
Three days after the shootings some 50 locals and the Fire Brigade watched as Grays house was deliberately burned to the ground.
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In 1972 when five members of the Bain Family were shot in their Dunedin home (with a .22" rimfire) - the house was also burned to the ground. - Such burnings of crime scenes prevent later enquiries into seeking further evidence.
These and other shootings world-wide, have been highlighted as failings of Gun Laws but seem to me to be more accurately classified as failings of Mental Health Care and the under-resourced Police failing to act on information supplied.
Note: The UK 2010 'Cumbria' Shooting, and the 1996 'Dunblane' shootings both involve either lack of police action on known criminal acts - or failure to help with prior Mental Health problems.
Marty K
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