Campers not happy at holiday park

• Published date: 13 January 2022
• Publication title: Central Otago News

The whistle-blower came in the form of Invercargill man Wing Ng, who was asked to leave on December 30 after he had intervened in what he initially believed was a domestic incident the night before

Mr Ng, then an off-duty police officer, said he had been socialising with family and friends at his campsite in the holiday park when he heard raised voices about 11pm on December 29.

‘‘I could hear a male shouting and could see the figure of a woman in front of him.

‘‘I waited to see if the yelling would subside but the male did not stop yelling.’’

He then went to investigate.

As he got closer he recognised the woman as his sister-in-law Leanne Cameron and the man as Mr Ryan who was ‘‘still yelling and was very aggressive and confrontational’’.

As he drew level with Mrs Cameron he saw another woman whom he recognised as Mr Ryan’s wife.

‘‘Gary’s wife was telling him to ‘shut up’,’’ he said.

At times Mrs Ryan had to push her husband away from Mrs Cameron.

Eventually, Mr Ryan yelled ‘‘you’re all out, you’re gone,’’ Mr Ng said.

The following morning Mrs Cameron, Mr Ng and another family were informed by a non-communicative Mr Ryan they were to leave.

‘‘All he would say was ‘you’re all out’, and walked away.

‘‘I went back to my campsite still confused, spoke to my wife, and she was also confused as to who had to leave.’’

Mrs Ng went to the office to be told by Mrs Ryan the Cameron family, the neighbouring family and her husband were to leave.

Mr Ng later ascertained it was his alleged interference and quoting the law that was the reason the Ryans had decided he had to leave but it left his wife, children and grandchildren and extended family at the camp without him.

The family was tight-knit and had been camping at the Clyde Holiday Park for 52 years, occupied 10 sites and had about 20 people on site at any time, Mr Ng said.

‘‘There were plenty of tears shed. I can usually control my emotions, [I] have to in my profession, but being torn away from my family for New Year was too much.’’

The money he and his wider family spent was in Clyde but they — and their money — would not be returning as they had found an alternative, he said.

Mrs Cameron confirmed the incident Mr Ng became involved in stemmed from an incident earlier on the evening of December 29 when her daughter and partner were walking on the streets near the camp when they were stopped by Mr Ryan, who was driving a white ute, and demanded to know if the couple had been in the camp.

Mrs Cameron said her...