A former Invercargill city councillor who says he visited the late Sir Tim Shadbolt regularly while he was in care was “bloody well hurt” by his partner\u2019s remarks at last week\u2019s funeral.<\/p>\n
Several Invercargill city councillors who worked with Sir Tim during his final term as mayor believe their consciences are clean, despite Sir Tim\u2019s partner, Asha Dutt, suggesting they have “blood on their hands”.<\/p>\n
Peter Kett yesterday said he considered himself a true friend of Sir Tim and what Ms Dutt said “really knocked me for a six”.<\/p>\n
“When Tim was put into full-time care, I was the only former councillor that I know that was given permission to visit Tim \u2014 and I visited Tim regularly.<\/p>\n
“I just cannot believe it, really.”<\/p>\n
During Sir Tim\u2019s funeral service at the Invercargill Civic Theatre on Friday, Ms Dutt told those gathered that the city council of 2019 made his final term “awful”.<\/p>\n
His final term was marked by numerous difficulties, including a scathing independent review, issues with deputies and visible mental lapses.<\/p>\n
“He would walk into that council every day knowing that he didn\u2019t have a single friend. And he didn\u2019t,” she said on Friday.<\/p>\n
“They would sit around in chairman\u2019s meetings and they would be dismissive of him and put him down in front of him.<\/p>\n
“Can you imagine those coward punches to his feelings and his soul?”<\/p>\n
She felt the “pinnacle undermining” of Sir Tim was when he was told to pack up his office, long before the election.<\/p>\n
“So, in my heart, the council of 2019 have blood on their hands. That\u2019s the shot I want to fire. Tim would be proud.<\/p>\n
“How he exited his career is a shame on you.”<\/p>\n
Her comments were met with some applause.<\/p>\n
Mr Kett, who served with Sir Tim during his final term, said he felt “bloody well hurt” over what Ms Dutt said.<\/p>\n
To say he did not have a single friend at meetings was “absolutely not true”.<\/p>\n
“I was his friend.”<\/p>\n
He recalled finding Sir Tim crying in his mayoral lounge after some councillors asked him questions “knowing that Tim couldn\u2019t answer them”, he said.<\/p>\n
“If she had have said \u2018some councillors\u2019 … look, it made me feel so horrible inside, it did, it did.<\/p>\n
“I don’t know why she said that.”<\/p>\n
Cr Ian Pottinger, who has served on the council since 2010, did not believe the councillors had any blood on their hands.<\/p>\n
Asked why, he said, “I’ve only got one comment to make \u2014 De mortuis nil nisi bonum \u2014 do not speak ill of the dead”.<\/p>\n
“You can’t answer that question without involving Sir Tim.<\/p>\n
“If I say something, that leads me to something else and something else.”<\/p>\n
He said he did not want to make the situation any more upsetting for Ms Dutt than it already was.<\/p>\n
“I’ve been a very active councillor for the 15 years that I’ve been there and all my attention has been on the ratepayer \u2014 that’s always been a priority and my track record shows that.<\/p>\n
“So, I honestly don’t know what Asha is referring to.<\/p>\n
“It’s an interesting thing \u2014 especially, you know, a church person saying something like that.”<\/p>\n
Former councillor Graham Lewis said he was surprised and “a wee bit hurt” by what Ms Dutt had said.<\/p>\n
“I certainly don’t want to criticise Asha in her grief \u2014 that’s probably not how I remembered it.<\/p>\n
“In some aspects, Tim was a little bit off track at times, but there were councillors that tried to make an effort to help him through agendas and things.”<\/p>\n
Former councillor Rebecca Amundsen said it was not fair to say Sir Tim did not have a single friend.<\/p>\n
“The funeral is not about me, it’s about Tim.<\/p>\n
“The funeral was a time to celebrate his life and that’s how I approached it.”<\/p>\n
Former mayor and Sir Tim\u2019s deputy, Nobby Clark, declined to comment yesterday.<\/p>\n