Mon 28 Sep 2015 In: New Zealand Daily News View at Wayback View at NDHA
Ron Irvine Regret at the closure of Body Positive Wellington's office was expressed by a number of speakers at a function to farewell departing manager Ron Irvine. Approximately fifty people including Body Positive members from Wellington and Auckland as well as those involved in the HIV and sexual health sector gathered to mark the occasion, according to GayNZ.com's observer at the function. Wellington Central MP Grant Robertson observed that it had been just two years since he had been present at the opening of the office. Wellington Hospital infectious diseases physician Dr Nigel Raymond told the gathering he felt the closure of the Wellington Body Positive presence was a loss of a very important community facility. Two lawyers involved in human rights issues spoke of the exceptional work done by Irvine, who they said had the skills to access legal support for overseas nationals trying to negotiate health care and residency issues. The closure left Irvine, who set up the office, without a job and comes amidst the Body Positive's board's announcement that funding for the Wellington facility was not secure enough and a petition signed by a group of members calling on the board to resign.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Monday, 28th September 2015 - 11:13pm