It was 30 years ago today...

[threemonkeys]

...Sgt Pepper told...no wait. Something just as important - the start of the '81 Springbok tour. For anybody here at the time, regardless of your side in the debate, it was an immense emotional event. Personally, I think it was an important piece of nation building. I believe that it created a general change in the attitude of Kiwis to the rest of the world. Sure, some people had been outward looking and active before then, but it seemed as if most folk were content to think that what we did hidden down here at the bottom of the world didn't matter on the world stage. The Tour changed that - we could be seen and could make a difference. And while there are scars from that time, I think we are much the better for it.