Mr T. F. Gill dies in Auckland hospital

Press, 2 March 1982, Page 2

Mr T. F. Gill dies in Auckland hospital

PA Wellington New Zealand’s Ambassador to the United States and former Cabinet Minister, Mr T. F. Gill, died in Auckland yesterday, aged 64. . The Prime Minister (Mr Muldoon) said yesterday that Mr Gill died in Auckland’s Mater Misericordiae Hospital at 7.38 am. : " . v Mr Gill entered . Georgetown University Hospital in Washington D.c. on February [l6 and returned to New Zealand last Friday. He was flown home aboard commerical flights on a stretcher and was accompanied for the first stage of the trip to Los Angeles by a nurse and then by a New Zealand doctor. A private funeral service will be held in Auckland this week, followed by a memorial service on Tuesday, March 9. Mr Gill was a man of “total integrity,” said Mr Muldoon. “Those who had the good fortune to be close to Frank Gill knew him as a man of total integrity who would not compromise with his principles, regardless of personal popularity,” said Mr Muldoon. He was nevertheless, “a kindly and caring person, and a devoted family man.” “A disciplinarian himself, loyalty and the acceptance of discipline was ingrained in his nature. He never refused a request in the .line of duty.” Mr Gill gave a “lifetime of service to New Zealand in

peace and in war in a series of- careers which form a record of service that is rare indeed. “‘His wartime service was honoured with the award of the Distinguished Service Order. He rose to the top operational post of the peacetime Air Force, and was made a commander of the Order of the British Empire. “He .entered politics. as a new career of service and in due time became a Minister of the Crown,” Mr Muldoon said. “Finally; as our Ambassador to the United States he achieved a notable success in presenting the New Zealand point of view at the highest political levels in that country.” The Leader of the Opposition (Mr Rowling) said that all New Zealanders would be saddened by Mr Gill’s death. “He gave very long service to New Zealand in the military, parliamentary, and diplomatic fields. I extend the deepest personal sympathy and that of the Labour Party to his family and friends,” said Mr Rowling. The United States Ambassador to New Zealand (Mr Monroe Browne) expressed condolences. “During his term in Washington, Ambassador Gill made a great many friends, not only within the executive branch but within the legislative branch as well,” he said. “During his tenure ... he

enhanced the good relations between New Zealand and the United States and was a consistently effective representative of New Zealand’s interests. He will be sorely missed.” Mr Gill, a former Minister of Police, was described as a “determined fighter” by the secretary of the Police Association, Dr R. A. Moodie. “He was a very good friend to the police service, he had a very sharp and perceptive mind, was a determined fighter for what he thought was right. The police service as a whole benefited from his term as Minister of Police.” Mr Gill was Minister of Police from 1978 until his appointment as New Zealand Ambassador in Washington in 1980.

The deputy leader of Social Credit (Mr G. T. Knapp) also paid tribute to Mr Gill, who he succeeded in the East Coast Bays electorate. ‘Thad a great respect for him. and always found him a gentleman in every way"’ Mr Knapp said, — referring to his election fight against Mr Gill in 1978. Mr Knapp lost that election, but won the by-election created when Mr Gill took the Washington Ambassadorial post. The Cabinet yesterday decided on a successor as Washington Ambassador to Mr Gill, but the person will not be named for several days. Mr Muldoon told a postCabinet press conference that there would be no announcement until the United States Government had been informed and had agreed to the appointment. Mr Gill underwent surgery in New Zealand in March, 1980, for the removal of cancerous tumours from his bladder, but said after his arrival in Washington in August that year that his doctor had given him a clean bill of health. On leave in Auckland last Christmas he underwent further extensive tests, and his return to the United States was delayed. Late last month be became ill again. Mr Gill is survived by his wife and three daughters.