Family weekend crashes and burns

THIS WEEKEND was meant to be a very special one for Cameron Price and his family.
Instead, Cameron and his mum and dad are lamenting the cancellation of a combined air and car show and the probability of being at least $480 out of pocket.
Cameron, 44, requires constant care after suffering a brain injury in a serious assault nearly 20 years ago. But, according to his mother, June, he retains a passion for all things to do with aircraft and flying.
That prompted Mrs Price and husband Jack to buy tickets for this weekend's Wings and Wheels show at Hamilton airport.
The air and car show was due to take place this weekend but has been postponed indefinitely, creating uncertainty for sponsors and ticket holders who have invested heavily in the event.
For the Price family that meant fronting up with $480 for gold pass tickets, as well as arranging travel and accommodation.
"Now it doesn't look like we'll get a cent of the money we spent on those tickets back. It's a rort, isn't it?"
Mrs Price said she's not sure what the family will do to get their money back "but we certainly can't afford to throw $480 dollar to the wind".
Meanwhile the Commerce Commission has taken court action over the stalled air show, getting a court order freezing the assets of event organiser. The matter will go to hearing in the High Court at Auckland on Wednesday.
That's little consolation to the Prices.
Their tickets arrived three weeks ago but a few days after that they learned the show was in trouble.
Mrs Price said she rang the motel they had booked into.
"They were very obliging and said they were expecting our call. If we hadn't called them they were going to phone us," she said.
A gold pass entitled the bearer to seating in a special grandstand, admission to a marquee, five gift vouchers from sponsors, and another gift voucher of merchandise.
"The promoters said that represented $150 worth of goods in real value," Mrs Price told the Chronicle.
"They said tickets were limited and that all gold pass holders went into a draw for a holiday at a resort in Rarotonga."
Mrs Price had taken her son to an air show in Masterton because, even though he is brain injured, he retains his love of aircraft.
Cameron had secured a pilot's licence but had his heart set on a commerce pilot's licence and was training at Paraparaumu.
His father, Jack, said the training cost a great deal of money, so Cameron worked on commercial fishing boats to earn extra.
One night, after a night out, he was seriously assaulted. It left him with a serious brain injury and reliant on constant care.
"Sadly, he's not able to look after himself, but his love of flying remains, and he asked us if we'd take him up to Hamilton, so he's bitterly disappointed," Mrs Price told the Chronicle.
After the show's cancellation, the Commerce Commission became concerned ticket holders, sponsors and exhibitors would not get refunds they may be entitled to. The court order protects funds paid to the show's organiser and associated companies by ticket holders, sponsors and exhibitors until the court makes a decision.
The New Zealand Herald said last month it understood sponsors had invested more than $250,000 and fans had spent more than $500,000 on tickets.
The Chronicle fielded calls from two other families yesterday who had bought tickets for Wings and Wheels. Both had booked accommodation at Waikato motels but said the moteliers had been very understanding.
PICTURED: June Price is upset the Wings and Wheels air show at Hamilton has been postponed. And she's worried her family will recover the $480 it spent on gold passes for the show.