McCormick 'bad role model'

By ANGELA GREGORY

Towies have swung back at entertainer Gary McCormick, calling him a bad role model for trashing his car in the yards of a Wellington tow company.

In a fit of rage, McCormick destroyed his old Mitsubishi by pouring sand and glue into the engine and petrol tank, and smashing the lights and windows with a hammer.

He had refused to pay tow fees after leaving his car in a Wellington taxi rank at the weekend, and wanted to make sure the company could not sell it to recover the debt.

The chairman of the Transport Towing and Salvage Federation, Bill Egan, said McCormick's behaviour was childish.

"It's a bad example - talk about throwing the bottle out of the cot. He's a fading star and needs the publicity, I suppose."

Mr Egan said some federation members wondered if they should start renting out hammers.

He said the more than 100 members adhered to a code of ethics that included treating people with respect.

Dealing with angry people required a lot of diplomacy from tow-yard office staff.

Mr Egan said tow companies had big money tied up in their trucks, or parking re-education units, as he preferred to call them.

They needed to be able to cover their costs and make a profit like any other business.

Illegally parked vehicles could be towed away only on the instruction of carpark owners.

Mr Egan said towies were appreciated only when drivers "full of turps" rang them to get rid of their cars before police turned up.

"It's the only time you ever win ... the rest of the time we are leeches, ghouls and mongrels," he said.

Sure enough, just the mention of the word "towie" brought out negative reactions in most people approached by the Herald yesterday.

One Auckland motorist, who did not want to be named, said she felt like punching a towing company office worker who refused to accept her cheque.

She had illegally parked in the city for five minutes in a tow-away zone after hours.

"I thought it was worth the risk and dashed in and out of a building, but not fast enough."

The woman said she had to catch a taxi to the "middle of nowhere" and was then made to walk to a garage to get cash.

"I was really angry ... then the condescending meathead behind the counter told me fluttering my eyelashes would get me nowhere."

McCormick said he believed his actions had hit a nerve. "People have been saying to me, 'Good on you, mate'. "

McCormick said it was deeply offensive to New Zealanders that "somebody can grab your car and hold it to ransom."

He had been particularly angry in Wellington as he had contacted a towing firm to take his car to a garage but another company got there first.

"My compromise through gritted teeth was if they took my car to a garage I would pay for that." But McCormick said Harbour City Tow and Salvage wanted nearly $200 all up.

"They started talking about $10-a-day storage fees and that made my blood boil. It's the worst sort of bullying."

When the Herald contacted Harbour City the manager said he had never heard of Gary McCormick and hung up.