AUTUMN 2014
‘GEEKS’ BRIDGE GENERATION GAP Olivia Fonua, Sialemoka Kuki-Lagatule and Sela Tukuatu are helping older people get their head round technology through an IT business run as part of their school studies: Page 16.
News
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Remembering
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RSA Life
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What’s New
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V8 supercars line up behind RSA
Wartime nurse hits hundred
Search for tragic family hits wall
Warbirds to soar over Wanaka
V8 Supercars’ confirmation of the RSA as its official charity for 2014 guarantees that Anzac Day 2014 will be big at Pukekohe.
One of New Zealand’s oldest surviving World War 2 veterans celebrated her 100th birthday with quite a ‘do’ at Otaki.
The Henderson RSA wants to honour a family beset with tragedy, but cannot find anyone with a connection.
Six World War 1 aircraft will take to the skies as the centrepiece attraction at the Warbirds Over Wanaka airshow.
VISIT US ONLINE AT WWW.RSA.ORG.NZ
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RSA REVIEW • AUTUMN 2014
News The official publication of the Royal New Zealand Returned and Services Association Volume 91 No.1 Autumn 2014 Published March 14, 2014
In this issue 02 News 06 National 10 Life in E-lane 17 Remembering 18 Lost Trails 26 RSA Life 31 Classifieds 36 What’s New For RSA Review enquiries and subscriptions, contact: RSA Review Anzac House, 181 Willis Street PO Box 27 248, Wellington 6141 Phone 04 384 7994 Fax 04 385 3325 rsareview@rnzrsa.org.nz www.rsa.org.nz Last Post, What’s On and Lost Trails are placed in RSA Review as a free service. PUBLISHER: James Lynch Ph (03) 983 5500 james@waterfordpress.co.nz EDITOR: Dion Crooks Ph (03) 983 5505 dion@waterfordpress.co.nz ADVERTISING: Paul Crowther Ph (03) 983 5503 paul@waterfordpress.co.nz
Dave McKee Ph (03) 983 5518 davem@waterfordpress.co.nz DESIGN & LAYOUT: Sadhna Nath, Jesse Calder, Samantha Stuart Ph (03) 983 5560 art@waterfordpress.co.nz OFFICE / ACCOUNTS: Helen Bourne, Jill Holland Ph (03) 983 5500 helen@waterfordpress.co.nz CUSTOMER SERVICES: Ann-Marie Frentz Ph: (03) 983 5554 annmarie@waterfordpress.co.nz GENERAL MANAGER: Rex Lynch rex@waterfordpress.co.nz
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Views and opinions expressed in the RSA Review are not necessarily those of the RNZRSA, Waterford Press Ltd or publisher. RNZRSA accepts no responsibility for loss of manuscripts or photos.
V8 Supercars has confirmed the RSA as its official charity for 2014. The New Zealand leg of the series will be held over Anzac weekend at Pukekohe Park Raceway.
V8S LINE UP BEHIND RSA
V8 Supercars, the body behind the annual trans-Tasman event, has confirmed the RSA as its official charity for 2014. The two organisations have been working on a number of initiatives for this year’s New Zealand leg, which will be staged over Anzac weekend (April 24-27) at the Pukekohe Park Raceway. These will include the sale of poppies at the event as part of the annual Poppy Appeal, which is the primary source of funds for the RSA support services to war veterans and the ex-service community. Some RSA activities will be supported by V8 Supercars drivers; these will include a special fundraising ‘Meet the Drivers’ event on April 23 at the Pukekohe RSA, the Anzac Day dawn service at the Pukekohe War Memorial and a civic service, also in Pukekohe, at 10am. All RSA members and current servicemen and women will receive free trackside entry to the event on Anzac Day; other fundraising activities will include limited-edition merchandise and a framed poster signed by all the V8 Supercars championship drivers. RSA chief executive David Moger urges RSA members in the surrounding area to take up this offer and form a significant “RSA presence” at the raceway for what is the biggest trans-Tasman sports event. He says this would reinforce what will already
It’s an honour to stage this event on Anzac weekend, which holds enormous significance on both sides of the Tasman be a strong RSA contingent. The racecars will all carry poppies, and the RSA will have its own special RSA display area and will pilot some new commercial initiatives. David Moger is also encouraging RSAs around the country to run V8 Supercar-themed afternoons – similar to what many of them already do for the Melbourne Cup. He sees the Supercars/RSA link as a way of promoting the Anzac spirit that lies at the heart of RSA. He says the partnership will enhance the RSA’s ability to further its support work in the veteran and ex-service communities. The RSA was formed in New Zealand in 1916 by returning Anzacs to provide support and comfort for service men and women and their families.
And the V8 Supercars series is an event in the great Anzac tradition of “Aussies and Kiwis standing shoulder to shoulder – drivers, crew and spectators, commemorating and celebrating Anzac weekend together”. V8 Supercars chief executive officer James Warburton says his organisation believes the RSA is the perfect beneficiary to help with funds because of its commitment to returned servicemen and the community. “It’s an honour to stage this event on Anzac weekend, which holds enormous significance on both sides of the Tasman. With the RSA and our event partner, Auckland Tourism Events & Economic Development, we will ensure the legend of the Anzac is respected and remembered. “We are indebted to the RSA for its support of our event and we want to partner with it to assist with its invaluable charitable programmes.” After action in the support classes on April 24, there will be an afternoon start to the Anzac Day programme, which will include a V8 Supercars 100km race. Two more 100km races will follow on the Saturday, then a 200km race on the Sunday. Grandstand tickets for the extended race programme range from $NZ172 for unreserved seating for four days to $NZ232 for gold grandstand covered seating (with amenities and paddock access). Details: www.v8supercars. com.au or www.rsa.org.nz.
Hunt on in Kapiti for forgotten World War 1 medals A ‘treasure hunt’ has been launched in Kapiti to find forgotten medals of World War 1 veterans so that descendants can wear them at commemorative ceremonies. The Paraparaumu RSA has appealed to Kapiti people to honour their relatives by tracking down their medals and wearing them to respect their sacrifice. RSA vice-president Chris Turver says many of the medals may have been split up among family members, may lie at the bottom of unused drawers, or be tucked away in forgotten corners. The three medals are: the 1914-15 Star, which includes the Gallipoli campaign where 2721 New Zealanders were killed and 4852 wounded; the 1914-18 War Medal, recognising service in all theatres of action including the major battles of the Western Front where 13,250 died; and the Victory Medal, marking the end of the war.
“This is a chance for families to research who in their family took part in the World War 1, track down the medals they earned at such cost, and let those medals see the light of day again in memory of their sacrifice to peace,” says Turver Any direct family member is entitled to wear the medals on their right breast at any official commemoration event, such as Anzac Day (April 25) or Armistice Day (November 11). Tony Prowse, a Kapiti resident expert supporting the RSA initiative, can help families who can’t find medals, or find out where and when a veteran served and which medals he or she qualified for. He has access to World War 1 records, and can refurbish and remount medals, or provide replicas if given sufficient information to verify authenticity. He can be contacted by phone at 04 2973232,
Treasure hunt: The Paraparaumu RSA is appealing to Kapiti people to honour their relatives by tracking down medals of World War 1 veterans.
News
RSA REVIEW • AUTUMN 2014
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KIDS COME OUT TO PLAY AT THE RSA Karen Phelps Kids snuggled into cushions on the floor, others focused on play-station games, yet more giggling and playing with a big toy box. RSAs have traditionally been almost the exclusive realm of adults, but at some RSAs, times are a’changing. The Gore RSA has made a significant investment in a dedicated area for children, and secretarymanager Steven Brinsdon says it is paying off. The number of children’s meals sold in the club’s restaurant has increased from 130 to 200 a month, and it’s not unusual to see three generations of a family enjoying time together at the RSA. “Word spreads pretty quickly once families come in. It has resulted in a lot of increased revenue for us and it has become a really popular place for parents to bring their kids.” Gore decided to redesign the area because, after sprucing up its restaurant menu offering for children, the realisation struck there was little to draw the kids into the RSA in the first place. An interior designer was employed to liven up
This spruced-up, dedicated children’s area has made the Gore RSA the venue of choice for many children and their families.
the previously barren and uninspiring area. Bright colours, comfortable cushions, toys and games now keep the young ones entertained and, because the area is near the restaurant, parents have no trouble keeping an eye on their offspring. But attracting younger people through the doors of an RSA can also bring challenges, as the Paraparaumu RSA and Community Club has discovered. In tandem with Plunket, the RSA started a Saturday market for the local community. It was a huge success until the local council shut it down, saying that because the market was outside the club’s normal operation, the club was breaching its licence. “We had the view that we needed to get younger folk interested in the RSA,” says Paraparaumu RSA manager Don Trevethick. “We’ve seen a large awakening of interest from school children at the dawn service each year. The market was an outreach of that philosophy – making ourselves an active part of the local community. “This was a real way for us to get what we do out there. Kids were seeing the RSA for the first time and were showing a lot of interest.” The craft market, in the RSA lounge, involved stalls as well as entertainment for the kids...a bouncy castle, dress-up clothes, a bubble machine. Other initiatives have included an Anzac colouring competition with local schools invited to participate. Trevethick is in discussions with the council about how the club can continue to hold a market for the local community; he is hopeful. But are there any issues when young mixes with old at RSAs seeking to bridge the generation gap? Steven Brinsdon says problems at Gore have been minimal and have largely revolved around To page 4
The 2014 concert party of young Aucklanders...all dressed up and set for Sydney.
Reciprocal visits strong – 40 years on Twenty-five young Aucklanders are heading to Sydney in April for a two-week concert tour in Australia as part of a reciprocal scheme now in its 40th year. The tours – an Auckland group to Sydney one year, a Sydney group to Auckland the next – are organised by the Auckland district RSA and the New South Wales RSL youth councils. This year’s Auckland group will perform at RSLs around Sydney and at the Narrabeen RSL Village, march in the Anzac Day state parade in Sydney, and take part in Remembrance Day parades at the Seven Hills/Toongabbie and Rooty Hill RSLs. Visits and sightseeing, including a trip to the Blue Mountains, have also been arranged. Four adults, representing the Auckland district RSAs, will travel with the group, which leaves on April 19 and returns on May 3. Tour members will be billeted with Australian families. The 14 girls and 11 boys in this year’s party
The 2014 Auckland district RSAs concert party will give two performances in Auckland on April 6 – at the Ranfurly Home, and at the Titirangi RSA. will give concerts at Auckland’s Ranfurly Home and at the Titirangi RSA on April 6. They have been to three live-in, weekend preparation camps since November 2013. The reciprocal tours began in 1970 through the work of two former prisoners of war, the late Brian Sexton (Papakura RSA) and the late Harry Webb (Hornsby RSL, Sydney). Participants must be aged 15 to 17, and either be a member of a cadet force, naval or ATC unit, or have a relative associated with an RSA The Auckland district RSAs fund the airfares and uniforms, with caps provided by the national RSA.
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RSA REVIEW • AUTUMN 2014
TASK FORCE SETS FORTH TO REVIEW RSA Robin Klitscher Chair, Independent Task Force
• The development of guiding codes of conduct for this seems desirable.
At last year’s National Council, delegates were dismayed to discover that a financial deficit of $200,000 in the 2011-12 financial year had been followed by a $600,000 deficit in the 2012-13 financial year. Obviously our governance function had not been effective. Council resolved that the governance of the RNZRSA was in urgent need of significant reform. It directed that an independent task force be formed to bring recommendations to the 2014 National Council to improve the RNZRSA’s governing arrangements. Those appointed to this Independent Task Force were: Robin Klitscher (life member) – chair; Mike Dudman (Auckland RSA); Con Flinkenberg (Wellington RSA and Ex-Vietnam Services Association); Tom Gregg (Christchurch RSA): Pat Herbert (several nominations); Ted Morris (Wanganui RSA); Mark Petersen (Te Atatu RSA) – independent; Ron Rowe (Napier RSA); Alan Simpson (Stokes Valley RSA); Peter Nalder (Brevet Clubs) – recorder. We are well into the work. Here is a summary of our thinking so far:
Governing body • The RNZRSA should have a lean governing board of about six people, replacing the present unwieldy National Executive Council of 16. • Candidates for the board to be RSA members (if additional skills are needed, a minority of external candidates may be co-opted). • Membership of the board to be skills-based. • All board nominees to undergo a skills assessment by a selection panel, appointed by National Council. • Appointment of board members to be by National Council. • The board elects its own chairman. • Board members to be bound by a board charter. • The RNZRSA’s chief executive to report to the chair of the board.
The sum is greater than the parts • Local associations value their independence. They should remain independent, with their assets and other resources remaining their own. • Even so, in a national organisation some aspects of local independence cannot be unconditional. To apply our weight as a collective, we need to act like one, not as many separate parts. This is important for our public standing, our advocacy with governments and our business and welfare affairs. • We therefore need to clarify how the national association and local associations work together, including agreed national standards.
Leadership • The roles of RNZRSA national president and chairman of the board should be split – the president to focus on representing the views of the national membership; the chairman to focus on governance of the organisation. • One vice-president to support the national president. • The national president and vice-president to be elected by the membership at National Council to be the outright leaders of the entire organisation. • The national president (or vice-president in lieu) will attend board meetings with speaking rights, but not voting rights, safeguarding against a president becoming unduly involved in operations. In this way, the president will be in a position to strongly influence and, if necessary, challenge decisions of the board, but will not be bound by the board’s duty of collective responsibility.
National Council • The National Council to remain the RNZRSA’s highest constitutional authority. • The national president chairs National Council as the organisation’s undisputed leader. • The National Council is a membership forum and the board is accountable to it. • The National Council has, at an extraordinary general or annual general meeting, the power to remove the board, or a board member, for cause. Districts • Districts to remain in place with re-defined roles and duties in membership-related matters, including the RSA’s core responsibility of support to veterans and their families, both in delivery and training. • District presidents will be separate from routine management and operational issues. A key role will be to bring membership concerns to the attention of the board via a formal “membership” channel to the national president. • The national president will conduct periodic district forums with the district presidents to establish that channel, and to empower its purposes. Visits Task Force members will visit as many RSAs as possible during April and May for consultation before we reach final recommendations. We urge you to attend the meeting in your local area. Meantime we would be very grateful to hear your reaction to our thoughts. If the RNZRSA is to be an effective organisation in its second century, change must happen. Be sure to give us your thoughts during the coming consultation rounds – or make contact now: • Write: The Independent Task Force, c/- Royal NZ Returned and Services Association, P.O.Box 27248, Marion Square, Wellington 6141. • Email rnzrsa.itf@gmail.com.
End in sight for 20-year Passchendaele overhaul Hopes are high the $350,000, 20-year overhaul and rebuild of the historic steam locomotive Passchendaele (pictured above) will be completed by Anzac Day. Staff and volunteers are in the final throes of the project, but there’s still plenty to do and more money to be spent. “The aim is to have her operational for Anzac Day 2014, but we’re not making any commitments,” says Steam Incorporated spokesman. The rebuild, which is based at The Engine Shed at Paekakariki, has involved the fabrication of many new parts. Built in October 1915 at the Addington Railway Workshops, in Christchurch, the locomotive was named Passchendaele in 1925 in memory of the members of the New Zealand Railways killed in World War 1. It was retired in October 1967 when its boiler required heavy repairs, and was subsequently given to the New Zealand Railway and Locomotive Society Inc for preservation. Steam Inc took charge of the locomotive in 1993 to restore it to operating condition. • A fundraising appeal has been set up to complete the restoration. Cheques can be sent to: Steam Incorporated, P.O.Box 4, Paekakariki. Donations are tax-deductable.
Kids come out to play at the RSA From page 3 kids sometimes running around while parents are distracted. But a quiet word to the parents has been enough to resolve any issues. And the positives by far outweigh any negatives. The Gore RSA has even been recognised for two years running in the Family-Friendly Awards run by Parents Centres New Zealand Inc. In 2012 the RSA was highly commended, and in 2013, it made the top three. “A lot of kids, when asked where they want to go out for a meal, choose us,” says Brinsdon. “If the kids are happy, the parents have time to socialise and have a meal, so then the parents want to come here too.” Paraparaumu’s Don Trevethick says bringing youth into the RSA is essential: “Our older members thought it was nice to see the club growing to ensure it would exist after they were gone.” RSA chief executive David Moger agrees: “These RSAs are leading lights by recognising
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that having young people in the RSA is of great benefit to the young people, and also to the RSA. Young people bring new life, new vision, new ways of thinking, fun and laughter. They are the future, but they are part of the present as well. “We need them in the RSA now for who they are, just as much as we need them in the RSA in the future for who they will become. The young people benefit because of the representation of the core value of the ANZAC spirit they see around them – camaraderie, compassion, courage and commitment.” Steve Brinsdon has one piece of advice for other RSAs: give it a go. “It’s easy to sit back and think you can’t spend the money. But if you don’t attract the younger generation, one of your competitors will and pull people away from your place. There’s still a stigma that RSAs are just for returned-services people. We need these kids to become the members of the future. So, by coming in as kids and teenagers for a meal, it’s got to be good.”
Celebrating 50 years - 1964-2014 Friday, Saturday & Sunday - 4th, 5th and 6th April 2014
All past and present members welcome. For further information or to get a registration form sent to you please contact the Club. Papatoetoe Cosmopolitan Club 53 Rangitoto Road, Papatoetoe 2025 | Ph: 09 278 8109 | Email: lynne@papcossie.co.nz
News
RSA REVIEW • AUTUMN 2014
PIX CLOCK UP FOUR YEARS A photographic exhibition at the Gore RSA aims to bring the role of modern soldier to the attention of the general public and help modernise the RSA’s image, says Cpl Aaron Horrell. The photographs, taken by Horrell and other Crib 4 members during their deployment to Afghanistan in 2004, show a different side to the country than what is typically depicted by the media, he says. “All people see is a war-zone on television, but it also has a lot of beauty.” The exhibition includes photos of daily life and relics from the Russian war, including a tank cemetery. Horrell believes RSAs need to increase public recognition of the role of today’s soldiers, and hopes his exhibition might be a step towards helping achieve this. He was prompted to exhibit his photographs by local RSA member and historian Don MacKay, who thought it was something the public would be interested in. He was right. Four years on, the exhibition is still going strong, and Horrell reports a lot of interest from the public. “We’re still getting strong feedback even today. People go into the RSA and comment to bar staff. It’s modernising the image of the Gore RSA.” Interest in the exhibition has led to Horrell talking about his deployment to Afghanistan to several Lions and Rotary clubs. He was also involved in the Task Unit Crib 20 New Zealand Provincial Reconstruction Team
Young people ‘vital in ensuring the Anzac spirit and legacy lives on’
Local transport in Afghanistan...one of the photographs in Aaron Horrell’s exhibition.
Bamyan, deployed from April to October 2012, when five soldiers were killed and six injured as the New Zealand team was targeted by the Taliban. Horrell prefers not to talk in detail about what occurred, except to say he lost friends and it was a “life changing” experience. It has led to his
interest in supporting the New Zealand Fallen Heroes Trust, a recently formed charitable trust to provide support for the families of soldiers killed or injured on operations overseas. A fundraising night, organised in conjunction with the photographic exhibition in November, raised $1000.
A new beer developed to help raise money for the New Zealand Fallen Heroes Trust and the RSA has been released by Grunt’s Grog. The 5%-alcohol craft lager will be sold in twolitre riggers; it will be available in Canterbury and through some outlets further south. A special port was released last year and Cpl Aaron Horrell, one of the initiators, says it has sold well – 25% of the profits go to the trust and RNZRSA. The idea was brainstormed during a hunting trip for soldiers in Southland. Harrington’s Breweries helped source and market the port.
Harrington’s brewer, an ex-soldier, has helped develop the new lager. The Fallen Heroes Trust was set up by a group of people with strong ties to the New Zealand Defence Force. They saw a role for direct, practical support to the families of men and women injured or killed whilst serving their country. The trust raises money to support the families of all New Zealand casualties since 1999, which was when troops were first sent to Timor-Leste. The Grunt’s Grog port is now sold through some commercial outlets in the South Island, and at some RSAs in the North Island
New lager developed to help Heroes
Toodle-Loo to Toilet Paper Five years ago, my wife and I were on our annual visit to Auckland. At breakfast one morning, my wife was reading the local newspaper and she announced to me that she was going to give me a surprise birthday present. I pestered her to tell me what the present was and eventually she told me that she was going to buy me a ‘Bidet’. I told her I knew The BIDET SHOP® was at the Home Ideas Showroom in Auckland so we both went that day where we met a lovely gentleman by the name of Stephen. He was most helpful and
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demonstrated all the different models that were on display.
I have kept in touch with Stephen and he has become a good friend so much so I have become the ‘honorary’ consultant for The BIDET SHOP® in Auckland. I have given many demonstrations of the unit in our home to prospective buyers.
We eventually decided on the ‘Coway’ as this model appealed to us as being stylish and ‘user friendly’. The Bidet was delivered to us arriving a couple of days after our return from Auckland. With Recently, I paid a visit to a gentlethe easy to follow instructions, man who had just had a new Bidet installation was very simple. installed and he needed some advice on the unit as he had recently underAfter five years of using the gone radiotherapy, which meant that Bidet we have not experienced he did not have a sense of feeling in any problems whatsoever and the area where it was needed. I wondered how we ever did without it for so long. I thought that the best way for me to carry out the test was to lock the toilet door and for myself to carry out the ultimate test to test the pressure. I’m pleased to say that all was fine and I left with a satisfied customer. I highly recommend The BIDET SHOP® as the place to buy your Bidet. John Diskin^ For more information or to purchase, call 09 889 0778 (Local) or 0800 450 837 (National). ^Name/s protected for privacy reasons * Conditions apply
The eight finalists will “talk off” in the final of the 2014 ANZ RSA Cyril Bassett VC Speech Competition in Wellington on April 4. The winner will earn a place in the official New Zealand party to Gallipoli for the 2014 Anzac Day commemorations, a $1000 travel fund, a trophy, a laptop computer and a digital camera. The finalists have won through from eight regional competitions. Each of the regional winners (the eight national finalists) receives $1000 prize money and $1000 for his/her school. The annual competition, now in its fifth year, is open to year 12 and 13 students. The aim is to to promote among young people a deeper understanding and appreciation of the sacrifices made by those who have served New Zealand in armed conflicts overseas. Cyril Bassett (1892-1983) was the only New Zealander at Gallipoli to be awarded the Victoria Cross. He spent his entire working career with the ANZ Group. Students prepare and deliver speeches of six to eight minutes on ‘New Zealanders at War’; topics range from particular wars or operations, profiles of servicemen or women, or aspects of war commemoration. RSA chief executive David Moger says young people play a vital role in ensuring the Anzac spirit and legacy lives on. “We strive to champion the Anzac spirit across all generations. This competition is not only an excellent way to pay tribute and respects to those who fought for New Zealand, but also to encourage young people to live the Anzac spirit and pass down the values of compassion, commitment, camaraderie and courage.”
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RSA REVIEW • AUTUMN 2014
Opinion RSA With a View: Alistair Kerr
HAVE YOUR SAY, BUT DON’T FLAG PRINCIPLES “Well, I dunno”, said the Oldest Veteran, staring moodily into his handle of Lion Red, “I see they’re starting up all that nonsense again about changing our flag. It was a good enough flag for us at Cassino. Why would they want to change it?” “Yes,” said the Korean Veteran, “We’ve fought under that flag in two world wars as well as in Korea and Vietnam. They should leave it as it is”. “That’s not quite right,” said the Vietnam Vet. “Actually, my particular unit was based with the Australians and we served under their flag. But I get your point. I see our National President has already said the RSA would not favour a change, but it does look like the Government is serious about it this time. “Here’s a point, “said the Associate Member, “I’ve not had your experiences of war and I can well understand how you feel about our flag, but I put it to you, ‘What would you say was more important – the flag you fought under, or the principles for which you fought?’” “That’s a curly one,” said the Oldest Veteran. “For my part, I’d have to say I’d have gone to defend those principles no matter what flag we had.” We can be pretty sure this sort of conversation
If change is inevitable, the RSA should look carefully at all proposed designs and support any the membership approves. will go on in many RSA clubrooms over the coming months. To any serving or ex-serviceman, the flag is an especially important symbol. Regimental colours, for example, are always paraded with an armed guard; and when they are replaced, the old ones are ‘laid up” in a church or an establishment associated with the regiment. The “battle lines” are drawn. The Government has said the flag issue will be put to a referendum at the election this year; groups opposing or favouring change are already becoming vocal; no doubt, we shall be shown dozens of possible designs for a new flag with all kinds of variations on the koru, the silver fern and the Southern Cross, to name but a few. Where then, does this leave the RSA? Our National President, with commendable and
timely clarity, has said we still oppose a change. However, with equally commendable clarity of vision, he has also said that “if a binding referendum votes for a change, then we would go along with it...but we would seek to be involved in discussions”. And that is where we need to be prepared. I understand it is good military strategy always to have a fall-back plan if the original plan doesn’t succeed. In this case I believe we can do several things: 1. We must be involved in any negotiation to retain or change the flag. 2. If change is inevitable, the RSA should look carefully at all proposed designs and support any the membership approves. That could be tricky, but I’m sure any design not too far from the present flag would get support. I’m sure any
combination of the traditional red, white and blue colours would be acceptable. One current proposal has a diagonal silver fern separating a red quarter at the top left, with the Southern Cross on a blue background in the opposite quarter. If the design options were published in time, perhaps the RSA Review could run a readers’ choice poll that would give an indication of members’ opinions. In a way, from the RSA’s point of view, it’s rather appropriate that the flag issue should come up this year. We are already in a “higher-profile” situation with the centenary of the outbreak of World War I this year and the run-up to the Anzac centenary next year, so our involvement in a national issue such as the flag can only help define this even further. However, in voicing our preference to retain the present flag, we must avoid coming across as a bunch of die-hard, backward-looking intransigents fighting change, just because it’s change. I am confident our National Executive Committee is well aware of the need to proceed diplomatically, and will cope positively with developments and speak for the RSA with honour.
Your letters
It’s the year to impress Twenty fourteen and on – especially the parades of veterans, families and supporters on Anzac Day, Armistice Day etc – will be vital for the RSA to make an impression on the nation. To impress we need to improve the usual marches to something that will inform onlookers, who need to be more honest (keep away the wannabees and the display artists). Well planned parades led by the bands will be a wonderful pageantry and a joy to be part of. Imparting the knowledge of the veterans and their service to the country will be enlightening.
WHANGAMATA RSA Inc Hosts of the RNZRSA National Pairs Snooker Tournament At Whangamata RSA and the Whangamata Club Port Road Whangamata Queens Birthday Weekend 31st May and 1st June 2014
Contact: Kerry Bain Secretary/Manager Whangamata RSA Po Box 221 Whangamata Phone 07 865 9419 Email: whangamata.rsa@actrix.co.nz
Read J.Ford’s letter (page 7, RSA Review summer edition). He says it well. I will repeat my suggestions made in the Review some time ago. They will be tough to plan and execute: Parades should be led by a cadet wearing World War 1 medals from a forebear, and carrying a placard denoting World War 1, and where and when the RSA originated. Then, we should do the same chronologically from World War 2, each campaign group (if large enough in numbers) led by a cadet, denoting where it served and the medals earned. If necessary, there could be assembled groups with campaigns noted on a placard. Each campaign group would be separated by 10 or so paces so that faithful supporters can absorb and understand the mien better. I venture to say a percentage do not really understand the emotion of a parade. During the 2014 World War 1 centenary year, the nation will focus on the RSA and its commemorations, and no doubt the RSA planners are well advanced and RSA clubs are involved. Poppy days have long stirred our generous supporters to not only buy a poppy, but do so with a lovely smile and often a cheerful, encouraging chat and interest in ribbons or badges worn by the vets. That part of standing/sitting on the pavement collecting makes the task more worthwhile. Sometimes there also has been a hot drink/ muffin, and, for me, a bar of chocolate from a woman who said it was to keep my energy up. All this is very heart-warming.
postcard published in Mail Coach, found in the National Library, confirming conclusively that the introduction of the lemon-squeezer hat took place at that Takapau Camp in April/May, 1914. Therefore, Anzac Day 2014 will indeed represent the 100th anniversary of the first wide use of the lemon-squeezer hat in the New Zealand Army. COLIN J ANDREWS (Takapuna) ‘
’Distinctive service’
If vets wore their medals at the selling spots, it would emphasise Poppy Day, add interest to the public, create a more poignant atmosphere, and add to the 2014 commemoration and future poppy days. RENE NEWMAN FX562683
Lemon-squeezer origin Reference the New Zealand army lemon-squeezerhat history article RSA Review, summer issue, December 2013). As the researcher and author of that story, I’m pleased to advise that, since submitting this piece, I have found, through the wonderful online electronic services of the National Library of New Zealand, the following confirmation that, the New Zealand Army lemon-squeezer hat was indeed introduced in April/May, 1914, “The 1914 Takapau Territorial Divisional Camp: the story behind the postcard of Pte Pomeroy (dated May 3, 1914), a detailed history of the 1914 Takapau Camp, which notes appalling weather conditions, riot and the introduction of the lemon-squeezer hat there”. Proof positive, first-hand evidence in this
I recall a conversation I had with an American soldier in Vietnam. He had expressed surprise that I was wearing only two ribbons after four years’ service and an active tour. I remarked that we sometimes got the impression they (the Americans) were awarded a medal just for joining up. He looked surprised and said: “Don’t you?” I used to tell that story to show how generous the United States and other countries were with awards compared with the British Commonwealth, but now we too get one just for being in service. Fair enough. Like most military and ex-military people, I’ll keep wearing them if you keep giving them to me, but I do think the New Zealand Defence Service Medal has missed a deserving category of recipient. I joined the army as a 15-year-old through the Regular Force Cadet School, so I served nearly three years before reaching what was then the minimum age for entry to the Regular Force. The air force and navy also had early-entrant schemes by whatever name, so I’m guessing there must be 8000 or 10,000 of us who provided a distinctive type of service by giving up a lot of the free and easy stages of our lives to wear the uniform. I wonder what support there is out there among others like me who feel there should be a clasp to the NZDSM for cadet entry, or whatever they decide to call it. OWEN DANCE 40992 (Wellington)
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RSA REVIEW • AUTUMN 2014
National
WE CAN’T BE CAUGHT SITTING ON OUR HANDS Don McIver, RSA national president
This year is likely to be pivotal in the life of the RSA. As you know, at National Council 2013 it was resolved that, to correct outstanding management and governance weaknesses, an independent review task force would be established. It was to be a body “will examine the issues from first principles and in detail, which will fully consult with the membership in the process, and will propose a range of improvements for consideration and implementation at National Council 2014”. RSA past-president Robin Klitscher was appointed to co-ordinate the establishment of the panel. The Task Force has subsequently confirmed his appointment as chair, and group
members have been appointed. It will be a busy year for the group as it works to produce the outcome National Council sought in that resolution. To preserve the Task Force’s independence, I am not a member. Nevertheless the RSA National Office is firmly committed to providing administrative and other support that the group may need In my view, this review process is one of the most significant actions undertaken in the recent history of the RSA. It will present an opportunity that is unlikely to be repeated – to examine the way we do business and to have our iconic organisation “fit for duty” as it moves into its second century.
We need to transform the RSA into a modern, relevant, proactive organisation committed to serving all generations of veterans and service people, its wider membership, and New Zealanders as a whole. I would go as far as to say that if this process is unsuccessful, if a consensus cannot be reached, we could find the long-term survival of the RSA in jeopardy. Don’t get caught sitting on your hands. We all have an important part to play in this process and we need to be seriously committed to it. The resolution makes it clear that the “grass roots” must be consulted in preparing the report for the National Council. That means being ready to participate in the consultations
as they occur, having an open mind to what is put before you, and, inevitably, being prepared to look constructively at proposals for change. I have said it before and I’ll say it again, “to stand still, is to go backwards”. These are exciting times for the RSA. Not only do we expect a formula for our future from the Task Force report, but all New Zealanders want to see us survive and prosper too. They respect and admire what we stand for, our concern for the well-being of veterans, service personnel and their families, our commitment to remembrance, our hospitality. We don’t want to let ourselves down and we certainly don’t want to let them down. So, as I said, “Don’t get caught sitting on your hands”.
LET YOUR COMPASSION SHINE David Moger, RSA chief executive
‘Fascinating’. ‘Fascinating’ is a word I use when someone does something that would ordinarily cause me to say something less than kind. A great example happened recently. On the way to work, I was just over a car’s length from the vehicle in front when, suddenly, another car dived into the space from the inside lane and slammed its brakes on. My immediate thought, as I in turn slammed on my brakes for an emergency
stop, was not the most edifying and I quickly replaced it with the word, ‘Fascinating!’. It made me wonder – why would a person do that? I believe the answer lies in the Anzac spirit (or lack of it). The Anzac spirit is at the heart of our culture as Kiwis, and the values the Anzac spirit embodies – Commitment, Courage, Camaraderie and Compassion – lie at the core of the RSA movement. It was the absence of compassion
A bit of compassion wouldn’t have gone amiss with this driver. Not the one David Moger encountered, but the message is equally clear.
that showed in the behaviour of that driver. Compassion is about feeling for our fellow human beings, empathy and the common decency that impels us to reach out, lend a hand, share the load, defend the underdog, and do what’s right. Imagine how different things could have been had the driver displayed compassion. And contrast that driver’s behaviour with the astonishing level of compassion I experienced the same day when I attended the RNZRSA support committee. The committee is the group that leads and co-ordinates the 250 support advisers and 500 home and hospital visitors we have around the country. Many of them have years of service dedicated to caring for ex-service personnel in need and their families.
They are the real expression of the Anzac spirit of Compassion – from the hours of detailed and technical work examining and developing appeals for ex-service personnel in poor health and dire straits, to the warm conversation and personal touch of the home visitor. I was so encouraged that after a morning of inconsiderate drivers, I had found a group of people who lived out the Compassion value in a very authentic and practical way. It’s so good to know that we have hundreds like them in the RSA family across the country, quietly going about their work and making a real difference in people’s lives. My deepest thanks and appreciation to each and every one of you. How amazing would our country be if we all allowed the Compassion value to shine out day by day? Come on, you know you want let it out.
Changes made to ‘Review’ subscriptions Changes have been made to RSA Review subscriptions to keep pace with rising costs and improve the renewal process. The price of annual subscriptions is increasing for the first time in a decade to keep up with rising production, administration and postage costs. “We are doubling the price for subscriptions, but from a very low base,” says RSA chief executive officer David Moger. “In actual terms, it means an increase of less than the cost of a large Big Mac combo with a milkshake for a full year’s subscription, and the price still represents great value for money.” New annual subscription rates for January 1–December 31, 2014, covering four issues of the RSA Review delivered to the door, are: • If paying by direct credit (internet banking) or direct debit: $20 (GST inclusive); • If paying by cheque or credit card: $25 (GST inclusive); • All overseas subscriptions: $40 (GST inclusive).
In addition to the price revision, subscriptions will now be based on the calendar year; running from January 1 to December 31, with renewal letters for the upcoming year going out from October. This change has been designed to simplify the subscription and renewal process, and to make it easier for subscribers to know when renewals are due, says David Moger. “The RSA Review has been at the heart of the RSA since 1923. Since then, it has developed and grown. “These changes now are just part of our ultimate goal to keep the RSA Review as relevant, engaging and sustainable as it was when it launched,” he says. Letters advising affected subscribers of the changes were mailed in mid-February. Further information and enquiries: RSA National Office, PO Box 27248, Wellington 6141, New Zealand. Ph: 04 3847994; fax: 04 3853325; email: rsareview@rsa.org.nz.
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RSA REVIEW • AUTUMN 2014
Life in the E-lane
WHAT TO LOOK FOR, WHY DO YOU NEED IT? KAREN PHELPS checks out some of the latest technology options, and suggests why you might consider them. She explores the difference between a laptop, notebook, netbook, ultrabook, tablet, e-reader and smartphone. Have you noticed that modern technology seems to have gone on a crash diet? Gone are the days when, after parting with hundreds of dollars, you were at the very least rewarded with a box you struggled to get out of the car. Gadgets are thinner and trimmer than ever. You could argue that if technology continues to vanish at its present rate, it might not be long before we’re parting with our hard-earned cash for hardly anything at all. Or are we simply being duped into buying the latest gadgets we don’t really need? LAPTOP/NOTEBOOK Is it cumbersome? A tad heavy? Perhaps a bit thick around the middle? Then you’re probably looking at a laptop. When they came on the market, notebooks were smaller in dimension than a laptop. But today, these two terms are used interchangeably as notebook screen-sizes have increased and the size of laptops has slimmed down. Basically the term, laptop, may soon be a thing of the past and serve only to differentiate your age, much as the term, typewriter, does. Why use one? The main reason is usability. A laptop/notebook has a larger, more functional keyboard than smaller computers. It should also run faster, making it better for tasks that require more power, such as gaming and editing videos. NETBOOK If your equipment looks like it’s a laptop that’s shrunk, then it’s a netbook. Netbooks are generally smaller in dimension, less powerful and less expensive than a laptop/notebook. Why use one? Netbooks are great if you want a small, light computer to carry around to do normal computing tasks such as typing, viewing photos etc. But the smaller keyboard can make them a little impractical to use for long periods for tasks such as typing documents.
Gadgets are thinner and trimmer than ever....If technology continues to vanish at its present rate, it might not be long before we’re partingwith our hard-earned cash for hardly anything at all. The main differentiator of a smartphone (above) from a tablet is the user’s ability to make phone calls.
ULTRABOOK If you took a laptop and pressed it flat, then you’d have an ultrabook. The screen-size can often be similar to a laptop or a netbook, but an ultrabook is incredibly thin – sometimes less than two centimetres – and typically weighs less than 1.5 kilograms. Ultrabooks have a lot of functionality, but their thin design and their super-slim keys can make it rather challenging to type for any length of time. Why use one? Lighter, thinner, better for transporting around with you, especially if you still want a decentsize screen. TABLET Tablets are basically a computer with no keyboard and no mouse (although you can buy a wireless keyboard to use with your tablet, and therefore you might argue there is not too much difference between a tablet and an ultrabook). Instead, you tap the screen to make choices and enter text. They may have a camera that takes photos and video. As with laptops, notebooks, netbooks and ultrabooks. you can connect tablets to the internet using wi-fi. You can also connect to the internet using 3G technologies (3G is what your cellphone uses to connect virtually anywhere). Why use one? If you want a super-lightweight device so that you can browse the internet, send and receive e-mail, and peruse content such as e-books, music or movies. They are not ideal for tasks that require typing, such as documents, or reading for long periods, as the backlit LCD screen may cause eye strain.
E-READER An e-reader is basically an electronic ‘book’. You can buy books on line and download them directly to your e-reader. Some libraries also offer options where you can download books for a set period of time after which they will self-delete off your e-reader. An e-reader is not a computer (it has no ability to type documents and it has a black-and-white screen); it has a special e-ink display that makes it similar to reading text printed on paper, so reducing eye strain. The other benefit of e-ink displays is that they draw power only when the page is being updated. That means e-readers can go for weeks between battery charges (rather than hours like a tablet computer). Why use one? Solely for reading books. They’re slim, light and you can take a whole library (literally hundreds or thousands of electronic books) with you wherever you go. They’re generally cheaper than other options and you can choose from millions of out-of-copyright e-books on the internet to download for free. SMARTPHONE Smaller than a typical tablet, the main differentiator is that you can use a smartphone to make phone calls. Smartphones have a touchscreen, you can download applications (programs that help users by connecting them to internet services more commonly accessed on laptops), access the internet through a 3G network and, of course, make phone calls. Why use one? If you want to make phone calls, but still be able to access the internet, a smartphone is what you need.
Tips to mastering new technology Practice Any new skill, including technology, can be understood and mastered by anyone. All it requires is patience and practice. Attitude It may be easier for younger brains to process new information, but the biggest barrier to learning new technology is often thinking you cannot master it. Don’t be frightened, take the plunge, and you may be quite surprised at how quickly you pick it up. Brain health Learning new technology will not only make your life easier once you’ve mastered it, but it’s also good for you. Learning new skills is stimulating and encourages the brain to keep processing new information. As the saying goes – use it or lose it. Seek help If you’re not sure where to start, get help. Ask a younger member of the family to show you. Learning new technology can be a great way to bridge the gap between the older and younger generations. Get the right technology Technology companies are fast realising that the older generation is a growing market. Gadgets are now being specifically designed with these people in mind.
The increasingly frustrating addiction of dealing with an increasingly remote ‘help-desk’ Companies have no qualms about selling you the technology. But what happens when you need help? KAREN PHELPS writes from experience.
‘Of course I am a real person and of course I am talking to you from New Zealand.’
I’m listening to pure silence. About 10 minutes ago there was at least some dinky music to keep me company. Then, for no apparent reason, the music cut out. Just a second before that, a hopeful-sounding click made me think my call might be about to be connected to a helpdesk. But then, only silence, which leaves me uninformed. Have I been cut off? Or have I been relegated to some sort of call-centre, no-man’s land halfway between heaven (getting the assistance I require) or hell (being left in this soundless zone forever)? And if I hang up and ring back, will I then have to wait another 15
minutes to get my place back in the imaginary queue I have been waiting in? It’s becoming a frustratingly commonplace scenario. The days when companies sold you technology, then backed it up seem to have vanished to some invisible call centre in the Philippines or India. “Of course I am talking to you from New Zealand, madam. It’s lovely weather in...” they say (you can almost hear them googling) “… Auckland today. Now, how can I assist you?” This scenario will happen for only a lucky few because it’s like trying to find the Holy Grail to even find a number to call for assistance in the first place. I had to spend half-an-hour googling and trawling through the company’s website just To page 12
Life in the E-lane 11
RSA REVIEW • AUTUMN 2014
INTERNET CHANGES THE WAY WE THINK The internet has the capacity to infiltrate virtually any aspect of our lives these days. JO BAILEY gives the collective technology a big tick when it comes to buying remote. She’s also sold on its possibilities as a communications tool. But, she warns, it’s a tonic that does need to be taken with some caution and precautions. Black leather Converse shoes. $60. Today only! My 16-year-old son needed new school shoes; it was a bargain not to be missed. But he was at home, half an hour from the store, and I knew from experience not to buy anything he hadn’t seen. He also liked to run new clothes purchases past his style guru (his older sister, who was away surfing that afternoon), so it would be a risk to buy them without their say-so. What to do? I grabbed my smartphone and snapped a photo of the shoes. Within seconds I had sent the picture to my daughter’s cell phone and my son’s Facebook account. A minute later I had replies from both. The shoes got the thumbs-up from Daughter, with Son saying, typically, “What does Hannah think?”
As long as she was happy, he was happy. I was just happy everyone was happy, and I saved a hundred bucks. I took the shoes to the counter and started telling the hip young retail assistant how the internet had solved my purchasing problem. He was totally uninterested and gave me a look only the young can inflict on the middle-aged. To him there was nothing clever or extraordinary about the technology. It was something he had grown up with. In his eyes, what was I going on about? But as someone born in the late 1960s, I’m still amazed at the way the internet has changed our lives – largely for the better. Although there are definitely a few pitfalls – we’ll look at those later. My first inkling about the on-line world was from Australian broadcaster Clive James, who on his chat shows in the early 1990s would regularly talk about the new “information super-highway”. Twenty years later, most of us in the First World are stuck like flies in the World Wide Web, which could (if we let it) infiltrate every aspect of our lives. We can gather and share information; communicate easily with friends wherever they are in the world; watch sport, movies, music and media; shop; do banking; sign up for programmes that help us lose weight, gain weight, get fit, improve ourselves; self-diagnose our illnesses (not recommended); find a partner, spy on a partner, get rid of a partner; look at
Two sides of the information superhighway...singer Katy Perry (above), apparently the world’s most popular twitterer, is well and truly out in the fast lane, while others (right, for example) are moving somewhat more sedately over in the slow lane.
To page 12
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12 Life in the E-lane
RSA REVIEW • AUTUMN 2014
‘YOU’VE GOTTA LOVE THE INTERNET – AND A MAN THAT SHOPS’ From page 11 cute, cat pictures. We can even catch a virus. And then there is New Zealand’s hugely popular TradeMe. Kiwis have embraced the opportunity to flog off their old stuff, buy someone else’s old stuff, buy some new stuff, buy a house, buy a car, find a flatmate, find a job, and even find a lover – all from the same website. Yep, it’s all there on the internet and that list doesn’t even scratch the surface. In my line of work, I can’t imagine life without the internet. Research is a breeze. No more trekking to the library or looking up microfiche files of old newspapers. However, there is always the danger of going off on weird tangents and finding two hours have whizzed by and I still haven’t learned a thing about my story subject. But those cat pictures sure are funny. E-mail has made communications so much easier. It’s an instant, cheap way to keep connected and there’s no wrestling with the dreaded fax paper. But there are a few hazards worth keeping in mind. Email is forever, so any off-colour or inappropriate emails might come back to haunt you; or worse, “go viral”, potentially giving hundreds of thousands of people the opportunity to share in your embarrassment or shame. Then there are the dreaded and highly damaging viruses that can infect e-mail, and, in turn, lead to your computer being attacked, vital information stolen, records corrupted or destroyed. The simple answer to this? Use protection – anti-virus protection, that is. There are many other ways to communicate over the internet – skype; blogs; forums; socialmedia sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Digg...the list goes on and on. A recent eMarketer report says one in four people in the world used social media in 2013. It
is a staggering number. I urge my son to have his friends around for some social contact. “But Mum,” he says playing an on-line game with two of his friends and chatting to them in real-time through his headphones while texting another on his phone and having a Facebook chat with others on his computer screen, “I am having social contact.” When I was a teenager I had posters of Prince and U2 on my wall and would scavenge for drip-fed snippets of information You can just about do it all by internet these days...from choosing a new flag (top, a small sample from a rapidly growing choice on the about them in maga- net), to joining a convention where you can talk with other computer enthusiasts as much as you like – all done electronically of course. zines or on television. However we’re constantly linked through social condition when excessive computer use interferes My kids have a direct line to their favourite bands and movie actors on media. A quick reply to their recent comment or with the user’s daily life. The internet is largely the internet, through celebrity-obsessed blogs, photograph lets them know I’m thinking about uncensored and unregulated, so can pose a forums and websites, and even the individual’s them, with their regular posts giving me a far serious danger to children if they are exposed greater insight into their daily lives than a phone to inappropriate material or preyed upon adults own social media sites. Singer Katy Perry is the most popular twit- call a couple of times a year would. in chatrooms and on social networking sites. However, sometimes people share a little too terer (tweeter? twit?) on Twitter – more than It is vital that parents and children have open 50 million followers have signed up to receive much information on sites such as Facebook. and honest discussions about internet use, and Andrea, a friend of mine, has come up with put strategies in place to ensure their time on whatever words of wisdom she can squeeze into 140 characters. She is closely followed in some “unwritten rules”, including a three-strike line is safe. popularity by Justin Beiber, Barack Obama and policy for people whose posts she finds annoying. As one technology blogger put it, rather than “The biggest issue I have is people taking being the information superway, the internet Lady Gaga. I’m not sure what this says about photos of what they are eating, or worse, drinking “is more like an ad/porn/virus-infested superthe current state of our world. One thing the internet is brilliant for is keeping (except if it is amazing and informative),” she freeway with no u-turns” or “an information says. “But if you are having a cider on a Friday super-backroad with potholes”. in touch with friends on distant shores. I can’t always find the time to call my good on your deck, I don’t care.” It’s definitely possible to find the good, the Shopping is also a lot of fun on the internet. bad and the very ugly on the internet, although I friends in Scotland, Denmark and Australia. It’s great to avoid the crowds at the mall and imagine most of us use it in a balanced, responbrowse on line for books, clothes, homewares, sible way that results in a positive experience. or whatever takes your fancy. On-line stores As I write, I’m wearing the new boots my have up-to-date stock records, which eliminates partner bought in Auckland a few days ago. the frustration of going to a store to grab that He saw them on sale and knew I would love bargain you’ve spotted on a mailbox flyer, only them, so sent a picture to my phone, got my to find it has sold out. approval, found my size, and brought them There is much to like on the internet, but like home to Christchurch. most good things, there can be a downside. You gotta love the internet – and a man that Problematic internet use is now a recognised shops!
As someone born in the late 1960s, I’m still amazed at the way the internet has changed our lives – largely for the better, although there are definitely a few pitfalls.
‘In future if you require support, our plans start at a very reasonable $80 per month’ From page 10 to find a ‘forum’ where I could post my question and hope other people answered it. In the end, a friend had given me the help-desk number, which he had been given from the shop where he bought his computer when it started playing up (yes, the store itself wanted nothing to do with his problem). “If you know the extension of the person you want to speak to, press it now. Otherwise press 1 for sales, press for 2 for support…” I dutifully press 2. Key more call-centre music. “Press 1 for computer program A issues, press 2 for computer program B issues, press…” I press the relevant button. And wait. And wait. Five minutes later I hear a click. “Hello madam how can I help you today?” I explain that my document program isn’t working. “I’m sorry madam, but we cannot help you in this department. I will put you through to the
correct department now. Do you mind holding? Actually, I do mind holding. I mind very much, only I know that their questions, like so many other questions in a call centre, are not real questions at all, but simply rhetorical. “No I don’t mind holding,” I lie through gritted teeth. “Great madam, connecting you now,” I am told before being promptly cut off. I look at my watch. Ten minutes of my life have passed by. I think of all the enjoyable things I could have crammed into that 10 minutes. Another 10 minutes pass before I realise I still have the problem I have called the call centre about in the first place. I dial back and go through the same tedious process, only this time I am connected to… silence. I hold hopefully. Nothing happens. I am just about to hang up when I hear a click followed by a cough. “Hello, how can I help you today?”
“Hello?” “Yes, hello, how can I help you?” I’m talking to a person, an actual person, even if they may not be based in the same country as me. I giggle to myself hysterically, much as I imagine somebody who has been living on a deserted island for 20 years might do. “Are you okay madam?” “Yes, don’t hang up,” I plead and slap myself in the face to bring myself back to reality. “My document program isn’t working. I can’t access any of my files.” “I see.” “So can you help?” “We would like to help you madam, but you will have to join our support program. Plans start at just $80.” So despite having paid several hundred dollars to use their product in the first place, which has just, through no fault of my own, randomly malfunctioned, it seems I am now
expected to pay more money to get some help. I do the only thing I can do in this situation – I throw a hissy fit. “OK madam, please calm down. Let me see what I can do.” The sound of frantic typing follows. Over the next five minutes I am guided through a series of steps which – voila – actually solve my problem. “So why did my document program randomly stop working in the first place?” “Well madam, there was a problem with older versions when we updated to the latest version and it cut off some features from previous versions.” “So let me get this straight – your company actually caused this problem in the first place and then you tried to charge me to fix it?” Silence. “We are not going to charge you this time madam. But in future if you require support, our plans start at a very reasonable $80 per month…
14 Life in the E-lane
RSA REVIEW • AUTUMN 2014
ENTERTAINMENT INSIDE THE SQUARE Changes to the way we live and the increasing virtual presence of the internet and electronic gadgetry are altering the type of entertainment on offer, and the way we entertain ourselves. SUE RUSSELL meditates. As the demands of modern-day living play down on us, we often find ourselves trying to fit more and more into 24 hours. As an exercise, do this. Draw up 24 squares, representing the hours in a day (choose a typical day), then fill in the squares used up in working or going to school (including travel). Next, fill in the time squares you use up doing daily chores around the house. Then apportion squares for shopping and, finally, the squares for sleeping. How many blank squares are left in your day? Maybe fewer than you would have thought, and it’s into these that we breathe out, find ways to amuse ourselves, be entertained, or follow our interests. When it comes to entertainment, we often have only small pockets of time. It’s not surprising that accessibility to being entertained has been shaped significantly by our access to computers and the on-line world in the last couple of decades. To be entertained is, of itself, important to our well-being. It takes us out of ourselves to a degree, even if just for a few moments; away from the sameness and routine of everyday life. It amuses and makes us feel happier for a time. Depending on the entertainment we’re engaged in, it can hold us in that space for many hours. Close at hand, literally at hand’s length, these days are the entertainment gadgets. The humble mobile phone, often referred to as ‘smart’, now comes loaded with the potential to receive downloadable apps and games. Easy to navigate, able to be turned on and off at the whim of the user...relatively inexpensive entertainment customised to our particular whims.
PHOTOS: Above, Whether it’s a visit to Alcatraz in San Francisco Harbour (above left), or the desert in the Middle East, you can now get there virtually. The difference between being there ‘really’ and being there ‘virtually’ is being increasingly bridged, we are told. Left: So who laughed at Maxwell Smart’s ‘Get Smart’ television programme shoe-phone in the late 1960s! The joke’s on the other foot now.
Traditionally entertainment has been staged and viewed by groups. But more and more, the social connectedness that comes with sharing and experiencing performance has been replaced by ‘amuse yourself’ past-times. In New Zealand, ‘going to the flicks’ remains one of the most popular forms of entertainment. The Encyclopedia of New Zealand 2009 records it was well over a century ago that the first motion picture was commercially screened in Christchurch. By 1950, 600 cinemas were operating, but from the late 1950s television became available in the home. So much so that by 1991 there were fewer than 150 cinemas. Then along came 3D screen technology, and savvy and sophisticated cinema complexes with really comfy chairs to breathe new life back into the industry – so much so that by 2010, more than 15 million cinema admissions were processed. Not bad for a country of around 4.5 million. At the personal level electronic and digital
gadgets now abound. Smartphone technology, so common today, provides at the swipe of a finger, access to an unending amount of app-driven entertainment – perfect for the small moments in the day. So now, rather than making a specific time to experience entertainment, you can slip in and out of it easily. Access to the internet, now available in most New Zealand homes, has changed significantly how we perceive and experience entertainment. Figures captured in 2012 show that nearly 90% of individuals aged 25-34 have internet access at home. The figure drops only slightly through to age 64, but holds at still above 80%. That is the extent to which the capacity to be entertained through access to the internet has entrenched itself into our everyday lives. Developing computer-based games is a thriving and successful industry in this country. We’re apparently particularly good at creating stand-out video games, as evidenced by industry accolades for a handful of games in international ‘Best of 2013’ lists. Revenue from New Zealand-made video games grew by more than 80% in the last financial year. Games such as Path of Exile, which took seven years to develop, have attracted more than 4 million registered users. Away from the world of gaming, New Zealanders are mad-keen sports observers and the entertainment value of sport has seen significant changes to how we perceive and relate to it. A quick glance at the television programming schedule backs this up, with significant viewing opportunities and access to all manner of professional sports delivered to the armchair enthusiast. In some strange sort of ‘tail wagging the dog’ phenomenon, engaging in sport for many has been replaced by active or passive viewing of it, and a multi-million dollar industry has evolved
to market this and make it happen – at a price. Perhaps the ultimate reflection of the way sport has evolved from activity into entertainment for the masses is exemplified in countries such as the United States. The professionalising of sport and the building of huge infrastructure to support its experience as a spectacle are well entrenched in that society and many others. We’ve been experiencing this in New Zealand for years too, especially so in our key sporting codes of rugby, cricket, league and netball. What constitutes entertainment is a personal matter, of course, but there is no getting away from the fact it carries benefits to us both physically and mentally. Just as it is not possible to sing or dance without experiencing an ‘up’, so too we feel lighter and our attitude to our universe shifts a little when we feel well entertained. The balance this breathing-out affords helps us perceive the world in a clearer way and, consequently, make better decisions about how to be in it. The burgeoning of television shows such as Masterchef and especially “reality” shows says something about how we can be entertained by watching others overcome challenges or fail in the attempt. There’s something slightly voyeuristic in our appetite to be entertained from viewing what is going on behind the walls of other people’s houses, even though at a subliminal level we understand so much of it is contrived. Then the darker side of entertainment comes through from time to time. There are those who have the means to have deep pockets when it comes to spending on entertainment and amusement. But there are many inexpensive ways to be entertained as well. Travelling the world virtually – at the disposal of anyone with internet access – has become popular. Developed in the late ‘90s by two German computer science students, the Virtualtourist site now offers 1.7 million travel reviews and millions of photos spanning more than 70,000 To page 16
16 Life in the E-lane
RSA REVIEW • AUTUMN 2014
STUDENTS SOLVE ‘IT’ PROBLEMS, BRIDGE THE GENERATION GAP ‘What generation gap?’ they’re asking at Auckland’s Tamaki College. Students there are running their own IT business, making a modest dollar – and getting to know their elders into the bargain. KAREN PHELPS drops in to the Geek Cafe. It’s called the Geek Café, it’s teenagers helping solve IT problems for the older generation, and it’s helping bridge the generation gap in East Auckland. It’s the brainchild of Tamaki College, the Manaiakalani Education Trust and students. They have combined to set up a business on the college grounds with the idea of providing a real-life business scenario for the students to practise their skills. Tamaki was already operating an on-line learning system where students equipped with netbooks and complete
courses on-line in the school environment, so IT seemed a natural fit. “At the college each teacher has a google site set up for the class,” says Nikki Carter, employment director of the Manaiakalani Education Trust, which was established in 2011 to support local schools by helping them gain access to external digital resources and networks. “Students don’t need to carry around textbooks and notes – everything is done by computer and lessons are completed on line. As the students were already IT savvy, it seemed natural to set up a business where they could pass this information on,” Enter the Geek Café, which opened its doors every Wednesday in terms three and four last year. The café is based on the school grounds and involves students (called “geek gurus”) helping customers (“digital immigrants”) with IT problems. Services, which cost customers $20 per hour, include instruction on operating digital devices, computers, mobile phones and i-pads, and activities such as scanning slides and photos, and making on-line photo albums. While customers are learning about IT, the café has food, tea and
Jan Ritchie (left) gets a lot of help from her new ‘geek’ friend, Vai Matavao.
coffee on sale produced by Tamaki College’s barista and hospitality students. The Geek Café marketers have specifically targeted the older generation, and have gone to rest homes to give presentations and hand out business cards. “People can come in with any query,” says Carter. “A lot bring in devices, some of which are still in the box as they don’t know how to use them.” Lindsey Bull, 71, is one of the café customers who is more techno-savvy than most – she has an ipad. “A lot of people my age have ipads. It’s the ‘in’ thing. We can download books once someone shows us how. They’re excellent for our age group. A lot of older people who haven’t used laptops or computers are very comfy with ipads.” She says that having the students show her how to use technology has made her life easier. “The students have the patience to teach us that our own children often don’t have. I’ve got to know some of the Geek Café team quite well. I just panic when I try to do things on my own, but the students work really well with you so that you have time to learn and relax.” Her winter project is to turn the digital files she has created by scanning her collection of photos into a book. But it’s not just the older generation learning: “That was something that was introduced to me; it was weird,” says student Mareta Tangata, 17, who didn’t previously know what a 35mm slide was until a customer brought one in for
help with scanning it to a digital file. “One man told me about his family and that he’d travelled all over the world,” says Chloe Fuiono, 17. “He was open about his life.” Each student involved in the Geek Café had to apply on line, submit a CV and go through an interview process to secure the job. Students are paid for their time and taught how to get an IRD number, join Kiwisaver and complete a tax return. Students involved in the café include those studying IT, marketing, accounting, carpentry (they made the tables outside the café), barista and hospitality. “It’s good to give back our skills and pass that onto people who need help,” says Mareta Tangata. “Technology is being upgraded so fast that people don’t always know how to use it. The best thing is seeing a customer come in with a confused face and leave with a happy face because they know what to do.” Nikki Carter says the students have learned a lot by mixing with the older generation. “We are mixing cultures – Maori, Pacific Island and European. For the students it’s often fear of the unknown and not knowing how to speak to the older generation or people from a different ethnic background. “They’ve learned a lot about their lives from seeing their photos. The older generation is seeing how talented the students are. There have been relationships built up between the community and the students. I think it’s something more schools could do to connect with the community.”
The students have the patience to teach us that our own children of ten don’t have.
Kathleen Temu (left) does a transaction, while Olivia Fonua (centre) and Mereia Bale do the mental maths.
Entertainment inside the square From page 14 destinations. It begs the question whether the experience of real travel will eventually be matched or even outstripped by how we may feel having viewed it “in the third person”, so to speak. The difference between being there ‘really’ and being there ‘virtually’ is being increasingly bridged. If the opposite of boredom is entertainment, there are many suggested cures on the internet. I googled ‘bored’, and here are some of the ideas that popped up. You might find them a little bizarre, but someone out there thought of them. Go on! Just for entertainment’s sake, give
one or two of these a go: • See how long you can hold a note. This can be turned into a competition with a friend. • Try to not think about penguins. (Harder than it may seem). • Repeat the same word over and over again until it loses its meaning. • Look at something for a while, shut your eyes and study the image that appears. • Invent a weird twitch. (Apparently rated as having the potential to amuse for as long as 10 minutes). At the end of the day, entertainment is all about personal choice. If you don’t own it, you’re not going to enjoy it.
Apps...they come by the million these days.
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RSA REVIEW • AUTUMN 2014
Remembering
NAVY MAN STRIKES A POETIC CHORD Anthony (Tony) S.Lester, a former Merchant Navy man from Blenheim, was so inspired by a speaker last Anzac Day that he went and wrote a poem. He shared it with members at a King’s Empire Veterans meeting; they were unanimous is urging him to send it to the RSA Review to share with readers as Anzac Day 2014 approaches. Tony Lester joined his first ship as an apprentice at the beginning of February 1942. As he puts it, he had “a couple of trips across the Atlantic during the height of that skirmish, followed the troops across North Africa and all the way up Italy, finishing the war, and my time, on VE Day”. He went to pass his seafaring exams and served on British ships until he joined the Union Steamship Company and came to New Zealand in 1948. Here is his Anzac Day poem:
Next day we sailed out to sea, Our convoy place to take, The Compass was in front of us, We sailed in his wake. We were barely two days out When an explosion rent the air, Compass had been torpedoed, They’d got her fair and square. As we sailed by the stricken ship, We weren’t allowed to stop, The crew were lowering a boat, Then a wave caused it to drop. As horrified I watched the scene, She slipped below the wave, Down to Davy Jones below, And not a soul was saved.
Not Forgotten
She was not the only one Lost upon that trip, One or two ships every day, Below the waves did slip.
In the Merchant Navy Club We sat against the bar, Talking much of sailors’ talk, And of this bloody war. He said that his name was Bob, I said Andy was my name, His ship was called the Compass, My ship was called the Flame.
The war has long been over, I am a captain now, And as I stand upon the bridge And gaze across the bow, I cannot help but wonder At all those down below, What a waste of ships and men, Why did they have to go?
We talked on of this and that, The way that sailors do, Of ships that we had sailed in, And ports that we’d been to. Together we walked to the docks In the evening cool, And parted with a ‘Cheerio, Buy you one in Liverpool’.
No headstone marks their watery grave With name, number and rank, No white crosses on the chart, To show where their ship sank. They lie there in the quietness, In the darkness black as jet, The world may have forgotten them But I will not forget.
Seven of family experienced world wars Wendy Joy Baker has written and sent us her annual Anzac Day poem. She says that her 2015 version is dedicated to “all the brave war veterans”. Wendy says that seven of her family experienced World War 1 or World War 2. Her father, Trevor Willian Baker 459263 was a farmhand when he enlisted in the army for World War 2. His first known rank was as a gunner in 2 New Zealand Expeditionary Force; he was also in Sherman tanks. Embarkation Unit: New Zealand Artillery Force, Italy. Medals:1939-45 Star; Italy Star; Defence Medal 1939-45; The War Medal 1939-45; The New Zealand War Service Medal 1939-45. Her grandfather: Edward Victor Baker, a farm labourer from Ramarama, Hunua, was born in England on June 18, 1898. He began army duty on September 20, 1917 as a private. He served in England 1918-1919. Regiment: B Coy 40th. Regimental number: 65928. Unit Rifle Brigade. British War Medal. Two uncles – Edwin Thomas Baker 1916 and William Torode Baker (a farmer, born December 4, 1898) also served in World War 1 as a private in Ist Battalion, Auckland Regiment, NZEF; he was killed in action at Passchendaele Belgium in 1917. Her grandfather (mother’s father was a special constable (1939), then in the War Reserve Police, and her English grandmother was a ARP warden (1939), in Bristol. Wendy Baker’s mother did
certified Red Cross anti-gas training at the age of 19, because of the bombing in Bristol where she lived with her family. Her poem for Anzac Day 2015 is:
Valour Valour.... that’s what they have.... to courageously care about their nation to fight with passion and pride ....they took it all in their stride Valour... that’s what they have... to see what they saw ...and feel what they felt we will never know the trauma but we will honour their mana Valour... that’s what they have... So many Men and Women Comrades... with a destiny about duty ....about loyalty to their countryland this..as a universe.. we understand Valour... That’s what they always have... In our loving memory they remain ...forever....their strength will shine and we will salute them with respect on Anzac day... we will reflect
‘Big Apple’ garden ‘ a symbol of unity’ Anzac Garden in New York city, in the Rockefeller Center on 5th Ave and 50th St (opposite Saks of 5th Ave), was dedicated by Mrs Rockefeller as a symbol of New Zealand, Australian and American unity. It includes a statue symbolising youth, and a pool symbolising the Pacific. The pool is flanked by flowers and shrubbery from Australia and New Zealand. New Zealand and Australia take turns hosting the Anzac Day service and ex-New Zealand Navy man Geoff Andrews, now living in the Big Apple, says you need to RSVP at least three weeks out to get in – there’s room for only about 300, and with
all the diplomats and VIPs wanting to attend, there is very little room for others. A dawn service used to be held in the Battery Park area at the southern end of Manhattan, but Hurricane Sandy destroyed a lot of that area and it looks as though the dawn service will be at the Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial in Lower Manhattan. RSA national president Don McIver says the photo brings back great memories: “I attended Anzac Day there in 2001 and 2002. It is a very prestigious location and, as Geoff says, is always in demand from local Kiwis and Aussies.”
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RSA REVIEW • AUTUMN 2014
Lost Trails
Information sought about the Blenheim B Battalion Unit 1943, which served in the Solomon Islands. The photograph (above) of the battalion was taken on January 5, 1943, in Blenheim. Contact: Gabrielle Carruthers: gabbie@slingshot.co.nz.
. If you can place any of the four men with LAC V.J.(Vince) Walshe RNZAF (kneeling centre), his son, Clive Walshe would love to hear from you. The photo was taken on board a ship (most likely the interisland ferry, Clive thinks) during the World War 2. Vince Walshe was stationed at New Plymouth, and would have going to or returning from a training course in the South Island. Contact: Clive Walshe, clive.walshe@hotmail.com.
. Can anyone help identify anyone in the photos (above)? The soldier seated in both photos is Norman Simpkin (Jocelyn Hayman’s uncle) who served in World War 1. The short soldier on the right of the group of three and second from the right in the bigger group is Pte Ernest Edward Burgess. He and Simpkin were in the 39th Reinforcements. The National Army Museum, at Waiouru, has identified this as a private/studio photo, and has suggested they could have been men from C Coy (both Simpkin and Burgess were in C Coy) and from the same area (Dargaville). Simpkin, Burgess and Pte Thomas Hansen, all from that area, were in military training before enlisting. They were attested on October 30, 1917, began service on August 19, 1918, were in the New Zealand Medical Corp, and embarked with the 39th Reinforcements. Hansen could be the soldier on the left of threesome and on the right-hand end of the larger group, but there has been positive identification of him. The museum has suggested that the larger group could all be from 39th Reinforcements C Company and that unidentified soldiers could be Hansen, Pte Horace George Allen, Pte Edwin Ward, and either Pte Eric Stanley Gray or Pte Herbert Smith. The museum says the 39th Reinforcements lists 14 privates. The museum has been able to identify five who were in C Coy (including Simpkin); another three were in A or B Coys, and four were not put into a company. The records of Gray and Smith are not digitised, so the museum has been unable to identify which company they were in. Contact: Jocelyn Hayman, paul. hayman@clear.net.nz.
Items for return to family of Alfred Martin, 72075, a World War 1 soldier. The items include an order to parade from the New Zealand Expeditionary Force; the army form is dated April 2, 1919, and is addressed to Mrs E Mathews, North Road, Papanui. According to the notification from the base records branch of the New Zealand Military Forces in Wellington, Alfred Martin died at the front of wounds on November 8, 1918. He had lived in Wellington and seemed to have been conscripted from there. If are a family member or have information on the whereabouts of family, contact: Valma Lanceley, Vlanceley@shaw.ca. Does anyone possess a photograph of a 356Sqn Liberator VI, serial KH161? This was my grandfather’s aircraft, and I have been unsuccessful in locating any photographs of it. Contact: Mark Strevens, markstrevens@femtouser.com. Gunner Rodney Fox, 161 Battery, Vietnam, please contact Margaret Snow in connection with an incident that happened in Vietnam. Contact: Margaret Snow, 04 8949183; margarets@rsa.org.nz.
World War 1 medals to return to family of WOII Charles William Green, No 21939, discharged from the army on September 12, 1916 and died November 11, 1919 of influenza. It is believed he was an accountant on the MV Mokaia at time of discharge. Contact: John Shirley; 03 3514062; johnandrobynshirley@gmail.com. Information or photographs of Adam Robert Middlemiss, Otago Infantry Regiment, D Company in World War I. He was sent to France, returned wounded (he was shot in the face/jaw) and lived in Hawera/Dannevirke around 1925-28. He went by the name of Arthur Ronald Middlemiss. He met Amy Hocking and had a son named Clifton. Papers Past World Wawr 1 listings say his father was either A.J. Middlemiss (East Gore) or W.Middlemiss (thought to be William, from Taranaki). Also, does anyone know where the Otago company/reinforcements trained in England before action in France and where in England Adam Middlemiss may have recovered from injuries before returning to Wellington Harbour on an influenza-quarantined ship in January 1919. Contact: Michael Middlemiss, kaymick@Iprimus.com.au.
Remembering 19
RSA REVIEW • AUTUMN 2014
WHITE CROSSES ‘MEANINGFUL OPPORTUNITY’ New Zealand communities are being urged to create fields of remembrance with personalised white crosses to honour local people who served New Zealand overseas in World War 1. The goal is for all communities to establish fields of remembrance each Anzac Day and on the centenaries of major battles and campaigns that involved units or regiments from the region, says Ron Longley, executive director of the Fields of Remembrance Trust, established two years ago to promote, initiate and develop the project. He says the concept was proven by the creation of a field of remembrance during October 2009 at Fort Takapuna, Auckland – when 5000 white crosses commemorated the New Zealanders who died in action in Flanders. The concept has spread to Anzac Day commemorations in Christchurch, Devonport, New Plymouth, Porirua, Upper Hutt, Waipawa and Whangarei, says Longley. Another 12 communities are working on fields. Longley says local RSAs have an important role to play in the commemorations, which provide “a meaningful opportunity for all RSAs to increase their presence and mana within their community”.
This field of remembrance was established in November 2013 by the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board and the Devonport RSA. It is intended as a focal point for the community to commemorate and acknowledge the sacrifice of those from Devonport who gave their lives in World War 1 a hundred years ago. The field will be established for every Anzac Day, Remembrance Day and other commemorative occasions, and will remain for some days.
Many projects and activities are planned to commemorate the centenary of New Zealand’s participation in World War 1. These will take place between August 8, 2014 and November 11, 2018 (the period of the war). Longley sees the white crosses project as an important way of commemorating the sacrifice of the New Zealanders who served, and particularly those who died. “World War 1 was one of the most significant events of the 20th century and had a deep and
lingering impact on New Zealand society. We are commemorating the service and sacrifice of our forebears.’ The Fields of Remembrance Trust was formed in November 2012 by the Passchendaele Society, the RNZRSA and the Auckland RSA. Information: Website – http://www.fieldsofremembrance. org.nz; Ron Longley, executive director, Fields of Remembrance Trust – 09 5754093; 021 940057; ronlongley@xtra.co.nz
He came home on the Wanganella. Contact: Graeme Hillyer, graemeve@yahoo.com.au
Information sought on Walter James Hillyer, 23 Bn, World War 2. He sailed to the Middle East on the Dominion Monarch with the 9th Reinforcement. He was in 8 platoon, A Coy (?), was on the Adriatic coast,and then Cassino where he was hit, but got out in a day or so.
Roy Green, 94, a World War 2 veteran, seeks information on two colleagues from Italy: Snow Burling, Tank Transporters Regiment from Wairarapa, possibly Featherston, and Verdan Grey (nickname Hector), also from Wairarapa. Contact: Roy Green 12 Olliviers Rd, Phillipstown, Christchurch 8011; Jan Green (his daughter), jangreen@xtra.co.nz. Birthdate and information on Abel George Clark, from Gisborne, who served in the army (not known when). He died in 2006, and his family unveiled him and his wife in February. Contact: Lily Hayward, j.smith. pourau@gmail.com.
Two Lost Trails users have reported success from the RSA Review spring issue. John Danvers has found an owner for the chest and the RAF Operations manual belonging to SqnLdr George Allan. George Allan’s widow rang John, “had a bit of chat, and was absolutely delighted”. He has dispatched the chest and manual to “a very happy recipient” in Taupo. And Les Bartlett has tracked down the family of PltOff Keith Lewis. A reader who knew Keith provided some clues, the most important that one of Keith’s brothers, Jim, had been a very good tennis player and coach. Les was able to contact Mark Lewis, a former top-level New Zealand tennis player and now a coach, and one of three brothers who were successful in the sport. Mark agreed to pass the photographs on to his father, Jim, who is Keith’s brother.
active service. Roy Everett 2/1973 was a gunner with 13 Battery 3rd Brigade NZ Field Artillery Canterbury Battalion. He was born in 1896, saw service in Gallipoli (1915), and France and Belgium (1916-18), returned to Nelson in 1919, and farmed at Takaka until his death in 1970. Contact: Jenifer Lemaire: jenlem@windowslive.com.
The Israeli Embassy is looking for relatives of a New Zealand soldier whose life was saved by an Australian pastor, Rex Dakers, who intervened when the Germans were about to execute the New Zealander and a Jewish soldier (both from the Sappers) for trying to escape from a prisoner-of-war train shortly after the Germans occupied Greece. Contact: Yossi Yosef Livne, 04 4399509 (ph); 04 4399555 (fax); ambassador@wellington.mfa.gov.il.
Two kitbags to return to families. Details on the kitbags are: Pte Climo K.G. 49070, 14 Millward St, Wanganui; Tpr Connolly J.P. 45584 NZEF. Contact: Jim Vellenoweth, bison1@xtra.co.nz.
‘Very happy recipient absolutely delighted’
Can you identify the two World War 1 soldiers on the left of this photo? Standing on the right is Jenifer Lemaire’s grandfather, Roy Edward Everett MM (1896-1970), from Nelson. The photograph was probably taken in New Zealand before the soldiers left for
A set of World War 2 medals mounted in a picture frame, has been found in the ceiling space at 11A Kirkland St, Ohai, Southland. A name plate on the frame reads: 9762 Pte G S McLean 27 (MG) Battalion. Neither the current tenant nor the owner of the house knows anything about the medals. The finder would like to hear from the owner of the medals, or receive information about them. Contact: Graeme Lowen, graeme. lowen@xtra.co.nz.
Can anyone help with the date these New Zealand sailors were photographed returning to New Zealand in 1945 after World War 2? Also, what was the name of the ship they returned on? Anne Dawling, whose two brothers (both now deceased) were on board, says she knows they had been at HMS Mayina and came home later, rather than earlier, in the year. The ship is believed to have been an aircraft carrier designed in the United States. Contact: Anne Dawling annedaw@xtra.co.nz.
20 Remembering
RSA REVIEW • AUTUMN 2014
NZ MILITARY NURSING BORN UNDER TROP In August 1914 seven New Zealand Nurses became the first to serve with the New Zealand Army when they went to Samoa with the New Zealand Medical Corp (NZMC). In 2015, the Royal New Zealand Nursing Corps will not only celebrate its first 100 years, but will look back over and remember all those who served and who are still serving. Visit www.nzans.org and register your interest in the celebration. Sherayl McNabb The day before Great Britain declared war against Germany on August 4, 1914, Hester Maclean, the matron-in-chief of the New Zealand Medical Corps Nursing Reserve, wrote to the adjutant general Col EWC Chaytor, at Army Headquarters about the impending need for nurses to serve overseas. For some time Hester Maclean had been trying, but without success, to establish a New Zealand Army Nursing Service (NZANS). She felt the matter was now most urgent and, to avoid delay, she recommended that nurses be asked to volunteer to join immediately and accept the regulations when they could be formulated and passed. The response she received came from Col Will, the director of medical services, on August 6, informing her there was no intention of sending any nurses away. Because of the number of applications being received by his department from nurses and the time taken to respond to them by his staff, he asked her to inform the nurses of this decision as soon as possible At the outbreak of World War 1, the New Zealand government was requested to send a force to seize the German wireless station in Samoa and to ensure that the area was secure. On August 15, 1914 the Samoan Expeditionary Force (SEF) sailed from New Zealand in two ships, the Monowai and the Moeraki. Each ship had three nurses on board. Hester Maclean was ill in bed with a sore throat when she received a telephone call early one morning requesting her to report to headquarters immediately. Suddenly, the sore throat was forgotten and on arriving at headquarters she was met by Col Will, who told her of the decision to send six nurses in two groups of three aboard two ships to an unknown destination in three days.
Right: Samoan Expeditionary Force Nurses, in their white working uniform, taken on the steps of the captured German hospital at Apia, photographed after the German Colonial Services flag was lowered and the NZMC Red Cross flag raised.
Because of the short notice given to prepare for the journey the nurses selected were all within a day’s journey of Wellington; if not in Wellington itself. The selection of nurses took place on the Saturday afternoon and Monday was spent organising uniforms which were supplied free of charge. However, as the destination was not known, the uniforms had to be suitable for both hot and cool climates. Even though the NZANS had yet to be formed, Maclean used the same colour she had included in regulations yet to be approved for the new nursing service. Two uniforms were made. A winter-weight uniform consisted of a dark grey dress and cloak with a touch of scarlet on the collar, cuffs and cape and plain grey bonnets. It was supplied by the Drapery and General Importing Company of New Zealand Ltd, better known as D.I.C. A lighter-weight uniform weight was supplied
The climate is a very trying one. I find that a light eight- hour duty really tires me more than did a heavy 12-hour one in Christchurch.
VIETNAM
BATTLE OF LONG TAN | COMMEMORATION TOUR 10 DAYS - Departing Auckland 13th August 2014 • • • • •
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Price includes:
Two nights in Singapore international flights 4 star hotels transport sightseeing entrance fees tour guides breakfasts and two lunches
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by Messrs, Kirkcaldie & Stains; it consisted of two grey cotton frocks and a panama hat. As it turned out, the second uniform was used, as the nurses’ destination was Samoa. By the Tuesday afternoon the nurses were ready and proceeded to the barracks to be sworn in and to sign agreements. Maj Holmes, who also went to Samoa, conducted the nurses’ swearing-in ceremony and issued them with New Zealand Medical Corps regimental numbers. On the Wednesday morning, they assembled at the barracks with the rest of the contingent and, while the men of the contingent marched down to the ships, the nurses were conveyed by motor car. The transports moved into the stream, but did not receive orders to sail and were still to be seen next day. They finally departed early hours on Saturday, August 15. This was the first time in New Zealand military history that nurses were sent away as part of the New Zealand Defence Force. The three nurses who sailed aboard the Monowai were Bertha Nurse (sister in charge of the unit), Vida Maclean and Louie McNie. The three who sailed aboard the Moeraki were Eva Brooke (second in charge), Fanny Wilson and Louise Brandon. All were Wellington-based except for Louie McNie, who was from Christchurch. Notification of her selection came when she was away on her day off. She had to travel on the overnight steam ferry to Wellington; it normally sailed at 8pm but on this night was delayed and did not depart until 11pm. This delay gave her excited friends time to pack for her while she went to say her farewell to her family. She arrived safely in Wellington the next morning. The voyage took them first to Noumea, in New Caledonia, arriving on August 20 for coaling. It was here the Monowai ran aground. To free the ship, it had to be lightened, and 500 tonnes of coal, cargo and ammunition had to be discharged into lighters to enable her to be pulled free. The ship was reloaded with the cargo and troops, and continued as planned with the fleet. They arrived at the next port of call, Suva, Fiji, on the morning of August 26. It was here the six became seven when Ida Willis, of Wellington, who had become stranded while holidaying in Fiji, joined the group.
She was delighted when she came across the New Zealanders and was invited by Maj Holmes to join the group provided she could be ready to sail by 6.30am the very next day. With the help of the hotel manager and friends, Ida was “kitted” out and arrived on time to become part of the New Zealand Medical Corps Nursing Reserve. She wrote: “All this had happened so unexpectedly and in such a short time that I was still in something of a dream and had scarcely had time to realise that this was war.” The taking of Samoa was bloodless and the Union Jack was raised at Apia on August 29, 1914. The hospital comprised one large block of wards and private rooms, surrounded entirely by a wide verandah. When the New Zealand nurses began work in the hospital, the previous staff of three German doctors (two general surgeons and one eye specialist), three German sisters and a matron were still in attendance. Initially, the German staff remained at work, but a short while later, on September 13, they stopped work. The principal medical officer made every effort to retain their
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RSA REVIEW • AUTUMN 2014
PICAL SUN IN SAMOA
Nancy Simcox (nee King), who served extensively with the NZ Army Nursing Service during World War 2, celebrates her 100th birthday with the Royal NZ Nursing Corps’ director of nursing services, Lt Col Lee Turner.
Nan recalls wartime perks: ‘a tin of pineapple – no tin opener’ Margaret Andrews, Otaki Mail
All this had happened so unexpectedly and in such a short time that I was still in something of a dream and had scarcely had time to realise that this was war.
The 1914 NZMCNR contingent to Samoa: Back row (from left): Ida Willis, Eva Brooke (second in charge), Bertha Nurse (sister in charge) and Fanny Wilson. Front row (from left): Vida Maclean, Louie McNie and Louise Brandon.
services, but without success. As the German staff were civilians, they were deported. Letters home from the nurses informed their New Zealand counterparts of the conditions they were working under and the climate. One wrote about the hospital: ‘We all think how fortunate we were in securing a hospital here while we are on active service. The little operating theatre has some of the most up-todate instruments, but, of course, a good many are missing. No doubt the Germans took some away before we took the place over, as there are such a number of incomplete sets of things the generally-used sizes being among the missing.” Another wrote: “One cannot work very hard in this country. The climate is a very trying one, I find that a light eight-hour duty really tires me more than did a heavy 12-hour one in Christchurch. Notwithstanding the climate, we are all keeping remarkably well.” Maj Holmes wrote to the director of medical services in New Zealand praising the work the nurses had done, and requesting that if a group of nurses was sent to Europe, these nurses be
considered to be part of it. He also made note that as the nurses ranked as officers, they should receive the usual field allowance as it took a considerable sum for the upkeep of their uniforms. This was later accepted and they were paid. It is interesting that Maj Holmes recognised these nurses as officers so early in the war, before the NZANS had been formed and the subject of “officer status” became an issue. Sadly, Maj, later Col Holmes, a champion of the nurses, died during the influenza epidemic in 1918. Finally, in 1915, the NZANS was formed and as these nurses returned from Samoa, they were sworn into this organisation. When the first 50 nurses of the NZANS left New Zealand for overseas service, three of the Samoa group were included – Bertha Nurse, matron of the 1st 50 group, was issued with the first regimental number of the newly formed NZANS; she was 22/1, Fanny Wilson was 22/2 and Vida Maclean 22/3. During the 1914-1918 war all of these seven nurses were promoted to matron and all received decorations for their service to the war effort.
Nan Simcox (nee King) is getting used to presents from the New Zealand military on significant occasions. In 1945 it was “a tin of apricots for Christmas” when she arrived home from World War 2 nursing service on her birthday, December 20. Sixty-eight years later, it was a celebration of her 100th birthday at the Otaki RSA. The Otaki RSA put an a special celebration, attended by her children, seven of her eight grandchildren (two coming from Australia) and two great grandchildren, and a large number of wider family and friends. Many of them spoke of their memories of times spent with her. Also present were: Kapiti mayor Ross Church; Otaki MP Nathan Guy; RSA national president LtGen (rtd) Don McIver; National War Memorial Advisory Council chair RAdm (rtd) David Ledson; New Zealand Defence Force director of nursing services LtCol Lee Turner, who represented the minister of defence; RSA Wellington/West Coast/ Taranaki district president Glover Anderson; One of New Zealand’s oldest surviving World War 2 veterans, Nan Simcox has lived in Otaki for 64 years after marrying “cow cocky” Heath Simcox in 1949. Having always intended to go into the nursing service, she signed up for the New Zealand Army Nursing Service the day World War 2 was declared in 1939. She had completed her training in 1938, but the military felt she did not have enough experience. She had done maternity training at the Otaki Maternity Home, so went into private nursing until her call-up at the end of April 1941. By then she was a staff nurse, and rose to sister in the same year. Nancy King 43268 was attested to the New Zealand Army Service on April 29, 1941 (she had actually entered camp a week earlier). Her first assignment was to the 6th Brigade at Trentham Army Camp Military Hospital, but “something went wrong as the 6th left the camp and I was left behind”. She was then sent to Fiji with the 8th Brigade Field Ambulance, before returning to Papakura at the end of 1942 to join the Fourth General Hospital with the 7th Field Ambulance. She sailed for New Caledonia with the 3rd Division on January 1, 1943; 16 months later, she was
Nan Simcox (nee King) in her nursing days
sent to Guadalcanal to 2NZ Casualty Clearing Station, just a week before it closed down. She also spent time in the Solomons. In August 1944 she was transferred to the NZEF in the Middle East...Egypt, then Italy, and back to Egypt until the end of the war. Nan Simcox recalls the lack of equipment for the mostly tented hospitals, and their improvisation. “We had no bowls, so we hammered down the sides of the fish-tins, sterilised them and used them for dressing trays. In Fiji, when the Japs came into the war, they (the New Zealand top brass) gave us all a tin of pineapple – no tin opener – and sent us into the bush. Our troops were sent to the beach and the men were provided with enough ammunition to last five minutes.” For her wartime service, Sister Nancy King received the Pacific Star; Italy Star; 1939-45 Star; Defence Medal, War Medal and NZ War Service Medal, recognising the places and time she served. Back in New Zealand she started a flower market garden at Te Horo, before marrying Heath Simcox and moving to Otaki. During her 50-plus years in Otaki, she was a Birthright Otaki family visitor for 30 years and a Girl Guide leader “for nearly as long”. She was a regular golfer until a fall 10 years ago robbed her of her eyesight, although she continued playing until she was 95 – “I still played even though I couldn’t see where the ball went..” She continues to enjoy a good laugh, a chat, a drink and a smoke.
22 Remembering
RSA REVIEW • AUTUMN 2014
The Flying Kiwis of Scotland are not forgotten. New Zealanders, Australians and Commonwealth friends from across Scotland gather at the Arbroath cemetery at the foot of four New Zealand war graves – those of Jim Drake, Richard Chettle, Brian Patterson and Fred Batten (all in the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm). The “Arbroath Kiwis represent all New Zealanders buried in Scotland. This year’s ceremony, on April 27, will be the 16th organised by the New Zealand Society Scotland (www.nzsocietyscotland.co.uk) with assistance from the Arbroath branch of the Royal British Legion Scotland. Anzac Day ceremonies are also held each year at Edinburgh Castle (starts at noon and organised by the Royal British Legion Scotland) and at Dallachy.
FLYING KIWIS OF SCOTLAND REMEMBERED Peter Leslie
It may come as a surprise to learn that 124 New Zealanders are buried in Commonwealth war graves across Scotland. They were casualties of both world wars. Those from World War 1 were predominantly soldiers of the 1st New Zealand Expeditionary Force. Some of the great homes of Scotland, including Glamis Castle, were converted into hospitals during this war to deal with the large numbers of wounded Commonwealth soldiers from Flanders and the Somme. The Comely Bank cemetery, in Edinburgh, contains the grave of World War 1 Kiwi air ace Clive Collett. While serving in the Royal Flying Corps, he shot down 15 enemy planes over the Western Front only to perish when flying a captured German plane for propaganda purposes over Edinburgh during 1917. He was awarded the Military Cross and Bar. During 1917, Collett, a South Islander, was the first man to use a parachute in the RFC/RAF. There were very intensive air operations in Scotland during World War 2, and the Kiwi casualties reflect this – 70 airmen with the Royal Air Force or Royal New Zealand Air Force and 24 naval airmen of the Fleet Air Arm did not return home. Many died in training accidents or during further operational training where the harsh Scottish weather and other planes were as much a danger as the enemy. Most of those killed in action were on raids into German-occupied Norway or battling U-boats in the North Atlantic. According to the Official New Zealand War History, New Zealanders at some point served in every Royal Air Force and Fleet Air Arm squadron based in Scotland. Kiwi accents would have been heard in bases from RAF East Fortune, RAF Turnhouse & Royal Naval Air Station Machrihanish in the south, to RAF Scatsta on the Shetland Isles in the north. And, whenever the opportunity, a game of rugby against all-comers would be in order. The remote Scottish isle, St Kilda, claimed the lives of six Oban-based New Zealanders, an Australian and three British airmen on an operational night-training flight on June 7, 1944. Their Sunderland flying boat collided with the steep Glen Mhor on the island of Hirta.
Three of the New Zealand airmen who served in Scotland. From left, Pilot W/O Raymond Leslie, who crashed and was buried in Bergen, Norway; FSgt Owen Twiname, who played a key role in a “top secret” signals operation; Lt Jack Harrall, who flew in the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm, married a Scot, returned to combat in the Korean War, and made the navy his career.
Young Kiwi Jack Harrall arrived in Gourock, Scotland in August 1943 after gaining his “wings” in Canada on the way from Christchurch. His draft of Kiwi pilots expected to be offered fighter-pilot roles in the RAF, but pilots for transport aircraft in the lead-up to D-Day were in demand. When Jack and his mates were told of this, there was great disappointment as they had not come all the way from New Zealand to fly transports. They were, however, given an option to fly in the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm. As it meant taking the fight directly to the enemy, they all volunteered. As Jack Harrall recalled many years later, they very quickly learnt about the dangers of flying from aircraft carriers in the North Atlantic, and why the Navy was short of pilots. “It was not all beer and skittles,” he said. “There were many crashes and “the reality of war was that many airmen lost their lives during operational training when we learnt to fly with weapons and in very congested skies”. After training on Barracuda torpedo bomber aircraft, he was posted to 827 Sqn Fleet Air Arm on HMS Furious. His first action, during August 1944, was dive-bombing the German battleship Tirpitz, which was hiding in the Norwegian fiords. On a later raid he managed to release his 1600lb bomb-load over the heavily defended target and return safely. After service in the Far East he and his Dundee war bride, Marjorie, settled in New Zealand. However, in 1951 during the Korean War, the Royal Navy was short of pilots Jack Harrall was one of 27 World War 2 veteran Kiwi pilots who answered the call for a second time.
There were very intensive air operations in Scotland, and the Kiwi casualties reflect this _ 70 airmen with RAF or RNZAF and 24 with the Fleet Air Arm did not return home.
There’s a special bond between New Zealand and Scotland in the small Stirlingshire colliery village of Cowie. He then made the navy his career. On leaving the navy with the rank of lieutenant commander he lived in Dundee for many years. He died in February 2013. At his request the Rod Stewart song, Sailing, was played at his funeral. Many Kiwi fliers were involved in Norwegian operations from bases in the north-east of Scotland. FSgt Owen Twiname was a key part of a “top secret” signals operation, Fortitude North, based at Peterhead. This operation, which took place between September and November 1943, was designed to fool the Germans into thinking there was going to be a major Allied landing in Norway; the hope was the Germans would divert troops from the planned invasion area of France. Army and navy units in the north-east also flew bogus missions along the Scottish coast. Owen flew his plane to replicate a squadron flying in formation, using radio, morse code, and radio telephone communication for the enemy to hear. One morse operator could imitate four by changing hands and holding to the wrist of the hand operating the key (to replicate a different operator) and change style. Twiname received a commendation from the commanding officer. There’s a special bond between New Zealand and Scotland in the small Stirlingshire colliery village of Cowie. On October 2, 1941 villagers (including John Craig) tending their allotments looked up to see two RAF Grangemouth-based spitfires. One aircraft’s engine stalled and the plane plummeted out of the sky directly above Cowie. The pilot did not parachute out, but stayed with his stricken plane, trying to steer it clear of the miner’s rows (houses). The plane just cleared
the top of the houses before crashing into the slag heap behind the colliery. Those watching this drama rushed to the scene and did their best to rescue the pilot. But it was not to be – all they knew was that he was a good looking young man and his shoulder flash bore the name, New Zealand. He became Cowie’s hero. It took John Craig 38 years and a trip to New Zealand to find out that this hero was Carlyle Gray Everiss, who was originally from the King Country town of Te Kuiti. For many years a pen portrait of Everiss was displayed in the Cowie Bowling Club, but through the efforts of locals a bronze memorial based on his portrait was unveiled in 2007. The Coastal Command Anzac Strike Wing was based at RAF Dallachy in the north-east of Scotland. Its wing comprised New Zealand (489)and Australian (455) squadrons RAF, both flying the potent Beaufighter torpedo bomber. The Anzac Strike Wing targeted German ships carrying iron ore for Germany’s war effort along the coast of occupied Norway. On January 28, 1945, New Zealanders pilot W/O Raymond Leslie, and navigator FlgOff Neville Heffernan were flying a Beaufighter fast and low through the Norwegian islands on what was known as an armed rover patrol. German destroyers were the prey. They never returned to Scotland and, after the war, it was discovered they had crashed on the island of Foeuroy and were buried in the Mullendals Cemetery in Bergen, Norway. Raymond Leslie, from Christchurch, was an experienced pilot, and like many New Zealanders, was of Scots descent (links to the Leslies in Aberdeenshire. in Scotland.
The Flying Kiwis of Scotland are not forgotten. Along with the annual Anzac Day ceremonies at Edinburgh Castle and Dallachy, New Zealanders, Australians and Commonwealth friends from across Scotland gather at the foot of four New Zealand war graves in Arbroath. This year’s ceremony, on April 27, will be the 16th organised by the New Zealand Society Scotland (www. nzsocietyscotland.co.uk) with assistance from the Arbroath Branch, Royal British Legion Scotland. The four young “Arbroath Kiwis” – Jim Drake, Richard Chettle, Brian Patterson and Fred Batten (all in the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm and all buried at Arbroath) – represent all the New Zealanders buried in Scotland.
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RSA REVIEW • AUTUMN 2012
THE LAST POST WE WILL REMEMBER THEM
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JAMIESON MJ 661554 WWII JForce 12/12/2013 Taupo K
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RSA REVIEW • AUTUMN 2014
Health & Well-Being
GO FOR YOUR ENTITLEMENTS – AND DON’T GIVE UP Margaret Snow, RSA advocacy and support manager
Information received from many veterans indicates many claims for war disablement pensions are being declined. Some will have been declined because there is little or nothing in the applicant’s service medical file to back up the claim of injury during service. It is fairly evident that not many of those applicants have taken their case to the national review officer or the War Pensions Appeal Board, and I have to wonder why. Is it because the applicant only hoped the claim might get through? Is it because of anger that the War Pensions Claims Panel didn’t just allow the claim, particularly if you are someone who has recognised war or emergency service under the terms of the War Pensions Act? Is it because of despondency and apathy, and a desire not to make waves? Unfortunately we Kiwis are not good at complaining and taking our cases to a higher level. I have noticed far fewer cases making their way up the ladder to the War Pensions Appeal Board, because that is where I help most people. Some of the veterans I have helped recently have received war disablement pensions or surviving spouse pensions they should have had only after the Appeal Board found in their favour.
This includes the sailor who had spent many hours on deck during his naval career and had acquired cataracts from the glare of the sun and the reflections from the sea, and the Vietnam veteran who has a cancer not on the presumptive list for health concerns from that war. With his local advocate we were able to provide the appeal board with sufficient information to show that the cancer is, on the balance of probabilities, due to his service. If neither had taken their cases to the War Pensions Appeal Board, they would not have succeeded in getting their war disablement pensions and would have gone on wondering what might have been. So, I’m saying: Don’t give up at the first hurdle if you are pretty sure your health condition or disability has its origins in your service. You might succeed at the higher level of decision-making where your case is heard by senior lawyers and doctors, and be able to receive weekly compensation and free medical treatment. Don’t worry about whether other people you know have worse health problems than you do. Do make sure you go for your entitlements and, if you are not happy with the decisions you receive, please do take your case to the next level.
Don’t be a martyr to pain We are all guilty of not wanting to take prescribed pain relief. We don’t want to get hooked on drugs and allow the pain of arthritis or other health concern to take over our lives. Doctors will tell you this is not the way to manage pain and allow you to have as near normal a life as possible. If you are in hospital for an operation, nurses will ask you to tell them when you feel your pain level is three out of
10, where 10 would be the worst you have felt. We all have different pain thresholds, so that will be different for each of us. But the medical staff know that if your pain level gets too high, it is far more difficult to bring it down to levels where you are functioning correctly. With most pain-relief medication, you are not going to become an addict. But if you have concerns, do talk them over with your GP, specialist or pharmacist, who can provide you with relevant information.
Let me know about your ACC experience Have you had an injury requiring you to be assessed as needing care? Has ACC provided fewer hours than the assessor said you need? If yes, I need to hear from you. Have you tried to negotiate more hours of care from ACC for yourself or another injured person? How did that go? Do you believe you are getting the correct level of care from ACC? Are family members providing you with care because of an injury covered by ACC? How is that affecting your relationship? By assisting you to a higher degree than required for a healthy person causing them health problems, such as
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anxiety, depression, stress and tiredness? If yes, I really would like to hear from you. • I would like you to write to me in relation to any of these questions: Margaret Snow, RSA, P.O.Box 27-248, Marion Square, Wellington 6141; e-mail margarets@ rsa.org.nz; fax 04 3853325. This will help me provide input into ACC’s Voice of the Consumer groups. We are making a difference on how ACC treats its clients, and we can and do have a voice at the highest levels of ACC management.
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26
RSA REVIEW • AUTUMN 2014
RSA Life LIFE MEMBERS RECOGNISED
Takapau & District
Waikato/K Country/BoP
A life membership presentation to a club stalwart and local identity was sprung as a surprise at the Takapau and District RSA’s annual Christmas function on December 21. Wapohura (“Popie”) Heremia (left) was bowled over when he was presented with the award by the RSA’s WairarapaHawke’s Bay-East Coast district vice-president, Maitland Manning (right). But it was thoroughly deserved, says club president Andy Kells. “There are many people in Takapau who owe Popie a big thanks. From mowing lawns to fixing fences, he does it willingly. He does not need to be asked, he just does it.” Kells says the award signifies not so much that Popie has been a long-serving RSA member (since returning from Malaya).
The RSA’s Waikato-King Country-Bay of Plenty district president, Clive Collingwood (right), receives a life member award from RSA national vice-president B J Clark (left). Clive Collingwood’s wife, Shirley, is in the middle.
Richmond-Waimea
Peter Eden, Noel Woolf and Rusty Taylor were presented with life membership awards for services to the RSA at the Richmond-Waimea RSA’s annual Christmas luncheon in December. Around 80 members and partners attended. Above: The three new life members (from left in the middle) Peter Eden, Noel Woolf and Rusty Taylor, show their credentials alongside RSA Nelson-Marlborough-Westland district president Derek Nees (far left), who made the presentations, and Richmond-Waimea president Terry Richardson (far right).
100th Anniversary Commemorative Cruise Join an epic cruise (private charter) following the Anzac battle from Lemnos to the Dardanelles. Remember the fallen in an Anzac Dawn Service on board with special guest Dame Malvina Major, while the ship is moored in the Dardanelles (as near as possible to Anzac Cove – with final location subject to the Turkish authorities), or join the commemorations at Anzac Cove & Chunuk Bair (if holding a ballot ticket). You will also have the chance to explore the Gallipoli Peninsula prior to Anzac Day.
11 days from
$10,395* Per person, twin share. Departs 17 April 2015
Includes: • 9 night cruise on board Azamara Journey from Athens to Istanbul • Arrival transfer in Athens • 1 night in Athens including breakfast pre cruise • Tender to the Gallipoli Peninsula (if you hold a ballot ticket) • On board commemorative service featuring Dame Malvina Major – 25 April • On board lectures by Gallipoli experts • Sightseeing & entry fees to Museums & the National Park • Gala dinner & black tie ball • Professional local tour guides Visit: Athens Ephesus, Lemnos, Canakkale (Gallipoli) for 2 days, Troy & Istanbul
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*Terms and Conditions. Special Conditions apply. Sales end when sold out. Strictly limited availability. All prices are per person share twin for lead in grade in NZ Dollars & subject to availability. Other categories at a higher price. Travel agent service fees are not included. Prices are correct at the time of printing & are subject to change without notice. Cancellation fees apply. Price is based on consecutive nights. Offers valid for new bookings only. Events beyond our control such as currency fluctuations may result in price variations. Option 1: If you have received a balloted ticket you will disembark and attend the Dawn Service, followed later in the day with attendance at the New Zealand Chunuk Bair commemorative service. Option 2: For those who do not receive a balloted ticket or who are unable to manage walking the many kilometres to the Dawn Service, there will be a special commemorative service on board moored in the Dardanelles. All visits to the Gallipoli Peninsula are subject to final Turkish security clearance. A 50% per person non-refundable deposit is required within one week of confirmation. Further Interim Deposit of 30% due 01 Apr 2014. Final payment due 07 Jul 2014 .International Airfares not included. All other conditions apply as per the Terms and Conditions in the Ancient Kingdoms Holidays 2014 brochure plus as specified on the full tour itinerary. Prices based on payment by cash or cheque only. Product is supplied by reputable suppliers with their own terms & conditions, please contact your local United Travel. UT1862
RSA Life 27
RSA REVIEW • AUTUMN 2014
SEARCH FOR TRAGIC FAMILY HITS WALL Karen Phelps It’s a story of hardship laced with tragedy – five West Auckland family members killed in a boating accident, then twin brothers losing their lives in action during World War I. A century later, the Henderson RSA is hoping to at last honour the graves of the Baillie family. There’s only one problem – the RSA is having difficulty in tracking down a surviving family member for permission. Henderson RSA secretary-manager Rachel Burriss came across the story of the Baillie family when she was examining the RSA’s roll-of-honour board as part of looking to investigate the lives of some who had lost their lives during World War 1. “We were looking at ways we could mark World War 1 and make real some of those lives that were lost so that they were more than just names on a board.” She noticed that the first two names on the roll shared the same surname, and that aroused her curiosity. She discovered that John and David Baillie were twin brothers, then further investigation revealed their tragedy was just one story in a life of hardship for the family. The boys’ father and four other family members had lost their lives in a boating accident
Desperately seeking: Henderson RSA secretary-manager Rachel Burriss has hit a dead end trying to track down a surviving member of a West Auckland family that lost five members in a boating tragedy and then twin brothers in World War 1. The RSA wants to erect a plaque to honour the Baillie family.
when the twins were just six weeks old. Their mother, Agnes Baillie, was left to provide for eight children on her own. With no social welfare system to rely on, she was no doubt grateful for the support from her local community as people rallied around
It’s really important for us to remember and realise it was real people who lost their lives.
fundraising to help the family through tough times. Those who died in the accident were buried in an unmarked grave in the Henderson cemetery. No headstone was raised as the family desperately needed the money for more practical matters. Meanwhile the boys grew up and were drafted into the war. David was part of the Auckland Infantry Battalion and one of the soldiers who landed at Gallipoli; his wounds proved fatal. When he died on the HMT Devanha in 1915, his body was buried at sea. John, who was part of
the Auckland Infantry Regiment 1st Battalion, was killed in action in 1916 at Somme and is buried at Cite Bonjean Military Cemetery in Armentieres, France. When Agnes died years later, she joined her relatives in the Henderson grave-site. Burriss says the family’s story struck a chord with her. “Agnes had already suffered so much tragedy; then she lost two sons in the war. If these boys had survived the war and returned to New Zealand, they might have ensured their relatives had a headstone. This is something simple we can do on their behalf to honour both their memory and that of their loved ones.” But Burriss, who has spent many nights poring over her computer researching the family story over the past two years, has hit a wall. She cannot locate a surviving Baillie family member to give the Henderson RSA permission to erect a plaque on the grave site. And time is ticking. The RSA would like to erect the plaque on August 5 to mark the 100-year anniversary of the date New Zealand joined the World War 1 effort. “This project has become a real passion for me,” says Burriss. “When I started researching, I didn’t know what I was going to find. It’s really important for us to remember and to realise it was real people like the Baillies who lost their lives.” * If you can help with information on the Baillie family, contact: Rachel Burriss, Henderson RSA, 09 8389012, rachel@hsnrsa.co.nz.
RSA trust helps two Dunedin students Two young women have begun their studies at the University of Otago with help from the Dunedin RSA Welfare Trust. Awhina Clark-Tahana has been awarded a $1500 scholarship from the trust’s Heritage Fund. The former Otago Girls’ High School student is studying for a Bachelor of Law and a Bachelor of Science. Charlotte Steel, who was at Kavanagh College, has received a $1000 scholarship to study for a Bachelor of Science, majoring in neuroscience, with a minor in English. Applicants for the scholarships need to live in the Dunedin RSA area, have a parent or grandparent who served in the New Zealand Defence
Force, and be embarking on further education at an institution recognised by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority. The trust offers assistance to the ex-service community in a number of ways, particularly by making pensions advice and welfare services widely available to ex-servicemen and women. The trust lists its aim as ensuring that no exserviceman or woman suffers undue hardship. It has a Dunedin-based, full-time welfare officer to assist and advise on community services available to ex-service personnel and their families, and on sources of financial assistance from the RSA and welfare funds. Will Martin, a lawyer and retired RNZNVR lieutenant, who is now the legal adviser at the University of Otago, was appointed the trust’s new chairman last year. He was an active member of HMNZS Toroa from 1997 to 2009, and at various times, was the administration officer, defence employer support officer and an anti-harassment adviser. He has worked in a commercial law firm and for the Otago/Southland Employers’ Association. • Details of the trust’s scholarships: www.dn-rsa.org.nz. A howitzer makes it mark on Dunedin’s 2013 Armistice Day.
WOW – Wearable Art
Norfolk Island
Garden Tours
Discover Wellington on a short break away and take in a spectacular World of Wearable Arts show. Enjoy an informative sightseeing tour of Wellington and a relaxing day visiting the beautiful Wairarapa. Fly to Wellington from Auckland and return by train on the Northern Explorer through the magnificent scenery of the central North Island. 5 day package includes tour manager, accommodation, breakfasts, dinners, ticket to WOW with transfers and sightseeing, airfare and train.
Escape to Norfolk Island on a group tour. This charming South Pacific island paradise offers visitors a peaceful, tranquil and relaxing holiday. Discover the history and colourful past of the island through to the present day. Enjoy friendly, genuine local hospitality, informative sightseeing tours and fantastic themed evenings with entertainment. 7 night escorted tour includes accommodation, breakfasts, dinners and sightseeing.
Taranaki Rhododendron & Garden Festival.
Departs 5th October 2014
Departs 29th September 2014 Options from other centres available
A variety of private gardens are visited from small cottage gardens to large country estates. - 6 days departs 1st Nov, includes Pukeiti & Crosshills Garden - 5 days departs 2nd Nov, includes Forgotten World Highway. Tours include night at the Chateau.
Gardens of the Wairarapa & Beyond Discover the beautiful gardens of the Wairarapa from cottage gardens to historic homes.
Committed to providing quality care for New Zealand and Commonwealth veterans and their dependants Provider of: •Palliative Care •Long Term Rest Home/Hospital Care •Respite Care •Day Care •Home Based Care Services •Short Term Convalescent Care
Enquires regarding these services please contact
Christine Jones PH 021 270 2264
(Clinical Charge Nurse)
or check out our website www.rannerdale.co.nz 59 Hansons Lane, Upper Riccarton, Christchurch
For over 50 years we have funded more than $17 million to Health Research in the Canterbury Region.
Please consider CMRF when planning wills and bequests www.cmrf.org.nz
Proposed tour November 2014
Tours are escorted from Auckland, include flights (where applicable) and home pick up in main centres - conditions apply.
Phone Shavourn for further information.
Twilight Travel & Tours 0800 999 887
IATA Accredited and TAANZ Bonded - A member of the Travel Managers Group
www.twilighttravel.co.nz
Canterbury Medical Research Foundation Level 1, 230 Antigua Street, Christchurch. Phone (03) 353 1240 Email: health@cmrf.org.nz CC No. CC11203
28
RSA REVIEW • AUTUMN 2014
What’s On MONTHLY/TWO-MONTHLY AUCKLAND BRANCH, CMT/ NS ASSOCIATION INC Meets monthly on third Tuesday, 1100 hours, New Lynn RSA. Keen to welcome new members to enjoy friendship and camaraderie, fun and laughter, and perhaps stay for a light lunch. Guest speakers, outings, bus trips with wives, partners and girlfriends. Most members attend Anzac Day parades; group also parades as a unit at the Auckland Naval Base, HMNZS Philomel, for the annual Armistice Day memorial service to pay tribute and lay a wreath at the memorial wall. Contact: Mark Sinclair, president, 09 534 8138; Malcolm Baird, vice-president 09 2676557; Brian Caltaux, secretary, 09 4209794. 09 827 3411CMT ASSOCIATION, SOUTH AUCKLAND BRANCH Meeting, second Saturday of month, Papakura RSA. Ex-CMT and National Servicemen welcome to join. Contact: John Bennetts, jandsbennetts@ xtra.co.nz; 09 2986847. ITALY STAR ASSOCIATION (CHRISTCHURCH BRANCH) 2014 meetings 26 Apr, 21 Jun, 23 Aug, 25 Oct, 29 Nov (luncheon) 1.30pm, Cashmere Club, 88 Hunter Tce, Christchurch. New members (veterans, family members, historians) welcome. Contact: Peter Scott, chairman, 27 Kenwyn Ave, St.Albans, Christchurch 8052; 03 3556732; peter.judy@actrix.co.nz. NEW ZEALAND BRANCH, ROYAL MARINES ASSOCIATION 2014 meetings, 13 Apr, 8 Jun,10 Aug, 12 Oct, 14 Dec, 2pm, Pt Chevalier RSA, Auckland. Full membership to serving or former RM, RMR and RN, HM Forces RM units, family members, Royal Marines Cadets. Contact: Peter Collins, 634 Papakura-Clevedon Road, Ardmore RD2, Papakura 2582; 09 2967648; 0211 417119. peter-collins@xtra.co.nz; http://www.royalmarinesassociation.org/nz/rma_nz_home.html
MARCH 21 COURSE BOY ENTRANTS RNZAF 21-23 Mar Woodbourne, Blenheim. This was “the last of the brats” – those on the next course were called “airman cadets”. Contact: Geoff Hare, Tom Easterbrook, James Wood, moenui3@ gmail.com. 1 RNZIR GURR BATTALION MALAYSIA/ BORNEO 1963-65 50-YEAR REUNION 31 Mar-3 Apr, Rotorua RSA. Contact: William McDonald, 07 3455849; 021 1003494; wr.ej. mcdonald@xtra.co.nz.
APRIL MILITARY FAMILY HISTORY EVENT 24-26 Apr, National Army Museum, Waiouru. Research family history, experts on hand to help, historical resources (rolls, unit histories, honours and awards), military service records, guest
speakers and presentations, behind-the-scences tour on April 24, public service on Anzac Day. Information: www.armymuseum.co.nz. JEFF MCMILLAN PERPETUAL ANZAC CUP GOLF 26 Apr, Novotel Forest Resort, Creswick, Victoria, Australia. Single stableford event honouring Jeff McMillan, one of first Vietnam veterans to be president of an RSL in Australia. Open to all RSL and RSA members in New Zealand and Australia. Fundraiser for RSA, Legacy, Red Cross and Creswick Lighthorse Brigade. Enquiries and special requirements to: Russ Cartledge, 61 3 53459608; 61 438 643998 (mobile); creswickgolfclub@forestresort.com.au.
MAY HMNZS OTAGO ASSOCIATION 54TH REUNION 9 -11 May, Napier RSA. All members and all other ships’ matelots and partners invited. Details: www.hmnzsotago.org; Claymore editor Terry Whimp, 09 4738854 (office hours); whimps@vodafone.co.nz. Registration form included with December 2013 Claymore and posted on website. 2NZEF JAPAN 20TH AND FINAL REUNION 17 May, 10am, Hamilton Cosmopolitan Club. Special welcome to Japan and BCOF veterans, spouses, widows, families and friends. Support persons most welcome. Contact: Bill Mischefski, P.O.Box 5098, Frankton, Hamilton 3242; 07 8476478; 027 3547364; billkathym@gmaikl.com. 75 SQUADRON ASSOCIATION OF NEW ZEALAND BIENNIAL REUNION 30 May -1 Jun (Queen’s Birthday weekend), Christchurch. Celebrating the history of the squadron from 75 (Home) RFC 1916-19, 75 (Bomber) RAF 1937-40, 75 (NZ) RAF 1940-45, 75 RNZAF 1946-2001. Contact: Secretary, Glen Turner, 021 732835; 75sqn. assnz@windowslive.com; www.75squadronraf-rnzaf.com; facebook 75 Squadron, RAF/ RNZAF Association. EX-VIETNAM SERVICES ASSOCIATION (EVSA) TWO-YEARLY REUNION 30 May -2 Jun (Queen’s Birthday weekend), Rotorua RSA/ Sudima Hotel. Open to all servicemen/women who served in Vietnam, and their families. Great chance to catch up. Full weekend of activities based around hotel and RSA. Accommodation available at the hotel at a very reasonable rate, but must be booked and paid for in advance. Details, programme and registration forms: Danny McCort, 07 3453643; 027 4505071; bernadinem@xtra.co.nz.
JUNE RNZRSA NATIONAL WOMEN’S ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE/ANNUAL MEETING 16-17 Jun Tauranga RSA. Contact: Deidre Rich - 09 8343998; richfamily@xtra.co.nz.
JULY
RSA Review Annual Subscription
CANTERBURY REGIMENT ASSOCIATION INC 18-20 JuL Papanui RSA, Christchurch. Expressions of interest to: Frank Newsome, 107a Langdons Rd, Papanui, Christchurch; 03 3525471; frankandaudrey@clear.net.nz.
SEPTEMBER HMNZS CANTERBURY REUNION – ALL COMMISSIONS 26-28 Sep Tauranga RSA. Register expressions of interest to: Bill Newell, 82 Twin Oak Ave, Papamoa 3118; 07 5421412; newell1@outlook.co.nz.
OCTOBER ROYAL NEW ZEALAND NAVAL WOMEN’S ASSOCIATION 17-19 Oct, Wellington. If you have served as a Wren or as a female member of the Royal New Zealand Navy, or any navies of the Commonwealth or World War 2 allies, you are invited to register your interest in this reunion. Contact: Margaret Snow, 04 8949183; margarets@rsa.org.nz, or, Marie Reille, 06 3638993; marieandjeff@xtra.co.nz.
NOVEMBER RNZEME CORPS DAY REUNION 28-30 Nov Taradale RSA, Napier. All ex-members of any RNZEME unit welcome. Organising committee: Tig Lima, Spanners McLelland, George Purvis, Gary (Sooty) McCullough, Murray Pilmer. Contact: Murray Pilmer, secretary/treasurer, 19 Ranfurly St, Napier 4112, 027 2819014, murray. pilmer@xtra.co.nz.
2015 NOVEMBER RNZN ENGINE ROOM BRANCH REUNION 6-8 Nov, Napier. Details: Dennis Zachan, 12 Norrie Place,Tamatea, Napier; 06 8442201; 021 673242.
2016 FEBRUARY 23 INTAKE RNZAF AIRMAN CADET SCHOOL/5 CET 5OTH ANNIVERSARY REUNION 19-21 Feb. Contact: Dave Bryant, davebryant@telus.net. Website, https://sites.google.com/site/23inta keairmancadetschoolrnzaf/home.
CALLS TO JOIN BRITISH AIRBORNE FORCES (NZ) INC Are (or were) you para-Trained? Would you like to meet other ex-(or even current) paras, from the Parachute Regiment, SAS, or from the supporting arms - engineers, signals, medics, artillery etc? Would you like to help maintain the Airborne spirit around the world, and particularly in New Zealand? We meet regularly in Northern (Auckland to Taupo), Central (Taupo to Wellington) and Southern (South Island). Full membership - all ranks of Parachute Regiment, SAS, supporting
1 January to 31 December 2014
arms, and those with special service to British Airborne Forces; associate membership - immediate family; affiliate membership - those in airborne units of other countries. Contact: Frank Clark, president, 04 2336123. Roy Tilley, secretary, 04 5660850, rmt@xtra.co.nz. Website, www. britishairbornenz.tripod.com. CMT ASSOCIATION CHRISTCHURCH INC If you took part in CMT or National Service training in the army, navy or air force, contact: Alison Smith, secretary, CMT Assoc Inc, 21 Kearneys Rd, Bromley, Christchurch 8062, 03 9817623, legles@ paradise.net.nz. CMT ASSOCIATION SOUTH AUCKLAND BRANCH Ex-CMT and National Servicemen welcome. Meets monthly, 2nd Saturday, Papakura RSA. Contact: John Bennetts, jandsbennetts@xtra. co.nz; 09 2986847. CMT ASSOCIATION SOUTH CANTERBURY BRANCH Ex-CMT and National Servicemen welcome. Contact: Bruce Townshend, 14 Ewen Rd, Temuka 7920; 03 6156637; Temuka-RSA@ xtra.co.nz. HOROWHENUA ARTILLERY ASSOCIATION – LEVIN 50th year, seeking new members - gunners, ex-gunners, associated corps. Meets May and September to celebrate Gunners’ Day and El Alamein Day, lunch, Levin RSA. Contact: Adam Gibson, 34 Gordon Place, Levin; 06 3684187. ITALY STAR ASSOCIATION (CHRISTCHURCH BRANCH) New members, veterans, family members, historians. Contact: Peter Scott, chairman, 27 Kenwyn Ave, St Albans, Christchurch 8052; 03 3556732; peter.judy@actrix.co.nz.
J FORCE ASSOCIATION, WESTERN BAY OF PLENTY BRANCH Meets third Wednesday of month at Mt Maunganui RSA. Warm welcome to visitors and keen to hear about other branches. Membership: 19 veterans, 22 wives and widows. Activities: Christmas dinner, quarterly 8 ball competition, short trips. Contact: Vern Pope, 5 Bernard St, Tauranga 3112. MOUNTED TROOPERS ASSOCIATION North Island branch of Royal NZ Armoured Corps Association. The $25 annual subscription fee includes membership of both the MTA and the RNZAC. Anyone who is serving or has served in RNZAC units in any way is eligible join - the only criteria is that you must have worn the ‘Black Beret’. Spouses of deceased eligible personnel are welcome. The MTA aims to bring former comrades together again through national reunions, members’ birthdays, funerals, unveilings, and regimental occasions to which the association is invited. Managed by a six-person trust board - Chris Cooper (chairman), Bob Williams (secretary), Christine Campbell (treasurer), Doug Morrow, Geoff Kreegher and Colin Campbell. Prospective members in New Zealand should contact nearest troop co-ordinator; if you’re overseas, contact the
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RSA Life 29
RSA REVIEW • AUTUMN 2014
RSA FLAG FLIES HIGH IN TE AWAMUTU PARADE With the aim of furthering the RSA’s policy of lifting its profile in communities, the Te Awamutu Club entered three floats in the town’s 2013 Christmas parade. The Country Music Club has been a regular participant in the parade, but as it is now an affiliated group within the RSA, its float was entered under the RSA name. A club float (below) was designed to display the many activities offered by the RSA; Fishing
Club, Women’s Section and sports group members took part and signs listing all the options were displayed on the side of the truck. Another float (right) was designed to show a scene from the Vietnam conflict – not a battle scene, but one showing a helicopter picking up a wounded man. This was judged the best float in the parade. Two light-armoured vehicles from the club’s territorials provided the rearguard for the parade.
Christmas cheer spread around Te Puke
Tauranga celebrates four life members
The Te Puke RSA welfare section helps spread Christmas cheer by visiting ex-servicemen and women in rest homes in Te Puke. Peter Hunter (above) and George Eleringham (below) were among those on the visiting list of Santa Claus (RSA welfare officer Don Murray) and his helpers, Jan Forrest (RSA women’s section) and Blue Forrest (welfare committee).
Four Tauranga RSA members were presented with life membership at a special function in February. The recipients (from left): Laurie Wakeford, Bruce Curran, Alice Raynel and Huge Harrison, line up with RSA Waikato-King Country-Bay of Plenty district president Clive Collingwood (far right).
MTA secretary. Contacts: Secretary, Bob Williams, P.O. Box 384, Thames 3540, New Zealand; +64 7 8686506; bw.crescent@xtra.co.nz. Troop co-ordinators, Auckland: Moa Larkins, P.O.Box 300014, Albany, Auckland 752; manofaction@ slingshot.co.nz. Waikato/Bay of Plenty: Chris Cooper, cooppen@xtra.co.nz; 07 5444917. Hawke’s Bay: Willie Walker, 19 Pania Place, Parklands Estate, Napier; willieanddenise@hotmail.co.nz. Taranaki: Lenny Robinson, LENR@xtra.co.nz; 06 7638594. Central/Soputhern North Island: Stew Couchman, blongami@xtra.co.nz; 06 3258593.
NEW ZEALAND BATTLE OF CRETE ASSOCIATION Contact: Deirdre Hauschild, c/- Mount Maunganui RSA, P.O.Box 4011, Mount Maunganui South 3116; 07 5764362; dee.hauschild@gmail.com. NEW ZEALAND BRANCH, ROYAL MARINES ASSOCIATION Meets two-monthly, 2pm, Pt Chevalier RSA, Auckland. Full membership to serving or former RM, RMR and RN, HM Forces RM units, family members, Royal Marines Cadets. Contact: Peter Collins, 634 Papakura-Clevedon Rd, Ardmore R.D.2, Papakura 2582; 09 2967648; 021 1417119; peter-collins@xtra.co.nz; www.royalmarinesassociation.org/nz/rma_nz_home.html. NEW ZEALAND KOREA VETERANS ASSOCIATION
INC Veteran membership available to NZDF members who have completed a posting in the United Nations Military Commission since 1 Jan 1958 and have been awarded appropriate medallic recognition. Membership details: Douglas Callander, secretary, 23 Longcroft Tce, Newlands, Wellington 6037; 04 4783238; 04 4783602 (fax); callanderd@clear.net.nz. NEW ZEALAND MALAYAN VETERANS ASSOCIATION INC Welcomes new members who served with Commonwealth forces or police in Malaya/Malaysia/Borneo or Singapore. Contact: Barry Allison, 6 Coldstream Rd, Gisborne 4010; 06 8677284; bazbarbzinggizzie@xtra.co.nz. OX & BUCKS LI, KINGS ROYAL RIFLE CORPS, RIFLE BRIGADE AND ROYAL GREEN JACKETS All past members of RGJ and former regiments invited. Contact: Frank Jones, 09 4766974. RAF CHANGI ASSOCIATION Includes HQ FAR EAST AIRFORCE, seeks NZ members ex RAF or RNZAF, who served at RAF Changi 1946-71. Contact: B W Lloyd, 32 Redwood, Burnham, Bucks, SL1 8JN, UK. REGULAR FORCE CADET ASSOCIATION (INC) Provides contact between ex-cadets and enables them to re-establish contacts. Membership: $10
a year (July 1-June 30). Contact: Secretary, RF Cadet Association, P.O.Box 715, Paraparaumu 5032; www.rfcadet,org.nz. RNZAF COMMAND AND STAFF COLLEGE GRADUATES The New Zealand Defence Force Command and Staff College has formed an alumni association. Records of previous associations’ members were misplaced during move from Whenuapai to Trentham in 2004. Contact is if you wish to join, would like latest information, or wish to re-connect with former colleagues and course members. Contact: Alumni secretary NZDF CSC, Trentham Military Camp, Private Bag 905, Upper Hutt 5140; 04 5271008; 04 5271009 (fax); csc.alumni@nzdf.mil.nz. ROYAL NEW ZEALAND NAVAL ASSOCIATION, CANTERBURY BRANCH All who served in RNZN or Commonwealth navies, and their partners, welcome. Monthly meetings, regular social gettogethers, ship visits, four newsletters a year. Contact: Miles McIlraith (ex-RNZN), treasurer, 4987 State Highway 75, R.D., Little River 7591; 03 3251937; 03 3251936 (fax). SOUTH AFRICAN MILITARY VETERANS OF AUSTRALASIA (SAMVOA) All who served in uniform in South Africa and now live in New Zealand are invited to join. SAMVOA, which is
running in Australia, is intended to preserve memories, and commemorate those who were injured, and fell in action. Attends Remembrance Day and Anzac Day parades, and regular meetings. Information and application form: Chris Pattison, 021 2316612; ytrose@vodafone.co.nz. THE NEW ZEALAND MALAYA VETERANS’ ASSOCIATION welcomes new members who served with Commonwealth Forces or Police in Malaya/Malaysia/Borneo or Singapore. Contact: Barry Allison, 6 Coldstream Rd, Gisborne 4010, 06 8677284; bazbarbzingizzie@xtra.co.nz; www. malaya.vets.co.nz.
CANTERBURY REGIMENT ASSOCIATION Seeking members to rekindle their activity with the association. Regular meetings at Papanui RSA, Christchurch. Send rank, name, address, phone number and e-mail address to: Frank Newsome, 107a Langdons Rd, Papanui Christchurch 8053; 03 3525471; frankandaudrey@clear.net.nz. TS VINDICATRIX ASSOCIATION Ex-Vindicatrix boys – those who served on the training ship – invited to join the association’s Lower North Island branch. Write: Arthur Woolard, 21 Pohutukawa Drive, R.D.1, Levin 5571.
30 RSA Life
RSA REVIEW • AUTUMN 2014
BIRKENHEAD FACELIFT BRINGS NEW BLOOD Karen Phelps An open weekend to introduce the local community to Birkenhead RSA’s newly refurbished premises resulted in more than 60 new members . It was a reflection of the hard work the RSA had put into modernising its image, says Birkenhead RSA secretary manager Garry Cooley. Birkenhead now has around 2000 members. Just 12 years ago, only 300 of these were associate members. Today, that number is closer to 1000. There has been a steady stream of new members since the renovations and turnover has increased 5-10%, which may seem small but is significant at time when many RSAs are doing it tough, says Cooley. “By making the RSA more modern, we have brought in new people. But the interesting thing is that when people come in as non-service members, they quickly assimilate into the culture of the RSA – caring and looking after one another. “There is still a portion of the New Zealand population that enjoys the camaraderie of the RSA and the well-priced offering, but we’ve had to modernise to attract them through the door.” When members walk into the RSA, they no longer see a 40-year-old décor. Instead they find themselves in an oasis of cream and grey with comfy seating underneath a refurbished honours board in the foyer. The area opens out into an upgraded lounge and sports bar, which has a more spacious airy feel. Also new is a small café area at the end of
There is still a portion of the NZ population that enjoys the camaraderie of the RSA.
the bar, with stylish black arm chairs and small tables. Cooley says the area has been popular for members to relax with a newspaper, coffee and sandwiches, muffins, cakes or scones. The old bar was demolished; the new model opens up the area to make it easier for people coming to order a drink. Wines are showcased in a fancy new display area behind the bar. The refurbished sports bar, which was once full of snooker and pool tables, has been rearranged to create more seating options. Instead of one large-screen television, there are now four, plus a dedicated racing/TAB television. Cooley says members can now watch different sports events on at the same time. There is also a television in the lounge and another in the snooker area. And new toilets have been. Cooley says member response to the changes has been fantastic. “They love it and can’t believe how airy, light and modern the RSA now looks,” he says. The positive results of the renovations have prompted the RSA to begin modernising its downstairs restaurant and function room. The area is presently having a facelift – new paintwork, carpet and lighting. Cooley sees real potential for this area with the imminent closure of a nearby function centre to be converted into a retirement complex. “We can see there is a distinct lack of venues for weddings, anniversaries etc in this area,” he says. “There is a huge market.” The restaurant seats 80 people and the function area can cater for around 100. The restaurant specialises in “good-value meals”. The Wednesday-to-Friday $8 lunch special is extremely popular, says Cooley. “Birkenhead is full of little cafes, so we need to have a different offering. Good-value homecooked style meals have proved a winner for us.” The restaurant is operated by a caterer who can also produce buffets for special occasions such as weddings or birthdays, ranging from value-conscious to more luxurious offerings.
from design brief to completed project
The Birkenhead RSAs’s new commemorative area (left) and bar (right).
Package combines best of ‘big’ and ‘local’ As RSAs will know, undertaking any renovation is a major project. A number of RSAs have, or are in the process, of using Southern Hospitality’s one-stop, project-management service. The Birkenhead RSA and Whakatane RSA are recent examples. Southern Hospitality, which has 25 years of experience in the hospitality business, offers a complete design-and-build service for upgrades. “We can do everything from the front door to the back door, except the food, plus the ongoing details,” says the company’s national key accounts manager, Jeff Casey. Southern Hospitality has 24 design-andbuild staff, including architects, designers and project managers. “It takes the stress out of the process because we can take care of everything from developing the brief, designing the space, applying for consents to specifying the best products and finally the completion of the project. “We want to make the process as easy and efficient as possible for the client.” He says the company combines the advantages of being “big” and “local”. It has 14 branches in New Zealand, and is the longestestablished and most experienced firm in its field.
Clients see major advantages in dealing with just one company rather than having to source and manage an array of suppliers and contractors. Warranties are also covered by Southern Hospitality. Casey says the company can become involved at the early planning stages to assess what is feasible. A brief is then formed in conjunction with the client, followed by a preliminary design and a budget. The next step is to further develop and detail the design, and take to the market for pricing. And this relationship with Southern Hospitality does not end with the completion of the project. “One of our local representatives will call on the RSA regularly to make sure all the day-to-day supply needs, such as glassware, tableware, kitchen equipment and chemicals, are met,” says Casey. As a national partner of the RSA and through its involvement with upgrading club facilities, Southern Hospitality has acquired a depth of understanding about where the organisation is heading, he says. “Our day-to day business is to help RSAs generate a profitable hospitality business in what is an ever-changing environment for them.”
SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY LTD
Design services
for the hospitality and foodservice industry … Combining years of experience in Design and Project Management, Southern Hospitality Ltd Design + Build can take your project from the earliest of concept stages to a completed and operational facility, working with you for the entire process. Whether it is a complete renovation or upgrade of existing premises, we can design your kitchen, restaurant and/or, supply and install the equipment.
www.southernhospitality.co.nz
SOUTHERN H OS
PITALITY LTD
tabletop
solutions Create a dining experience with Southern Hospitality …
Southern Hospitality offers an extensive range of commercial crockery, cutlery and glassware, for a wide variety of uses. From family and small group dining to larger catered functions, our local staff can assist with selecting the best ranges for each dining option.
FREEPHONE 0800 503 335 www.southernhospitality.co.nz
WHANGAREI | ALBANY | PARNELL | MANUKAU | HAMILTON | TAURANGA | NAPIER | NEW PLYMOUTH | WELLINGTON | NELSON | CHRISTCHURCH | QUEENSTOWN | DUNEDIN | INVERCARGILL
Visit one of local showrooms for more details
0800 503 335
info@southernhospitality.co.nz
RSA Life
RSA REVIEW • AUTUMN 2014
31
Local RSAs Kaikohe & District Memorial RSA (Inc)
NORTHLAND
Northern Wairoa RSA Club
We are open everyday from 11am
ALL VISITORS MOST WELCOME
Clubrooms open 11am Meals: Thurs Fri & Sat 6-8pm Light Lunches: Always available CATERING ON REQUEST 09 439 8164
KAITAIA FAR NORTH (Kaitaia) RSA CLUB
Matthews Avenue, Kaitaia When visiting the Far North you are welcomed to visit our Clubrooms where comfort and friendship is assured. Billiards - Snooker - Pool - Bowls - Darts
Pleasant lounge and excellent bar facilities
• • • • •
Sky TV TAB Pod Gaming Machines Pool Tables Courtesy Van Available
Courtesy Coach Available Please phone (09) 408 0423
WHANGAREI THE HUB OF THE CITY
Warmly welcomes visitors to our Clubrooms at 7 Rust Ave Bar Service 7 days Snooker, Pool, Darts, Gaming Courtesy Coach Bistro Wed to Fri 12-2 & 5-8p.m. Saturday 6-8p.m. PH 09 438 3792 admin@whangareirsa.co.nz
www.whangareirsa.co.nz
MEMORIAL RSA
“Friendliest Club in Town” 158 Broadway, Kaikohe Ph 09 401 2368 Fax 09 401 2370 kaikohersa@xtra.co.nz “Look us up on Facebook”
Visitors always welcome ANY CHANGES TO CLUB ADVERTS OR CLASSIFIED ADVERTS PLEASE CONTACT DAVE McKEE Ph: 03 983 5518 Fax: 03 983 5552 Email:davem@waterfordpress.co.nz
Welcomes visiting RSA members. Open 7 days from 11.00am. Catering 7 days from 12 noon. Monday nights for Rebel (Outdoor) Bowls. Wednesday nights for Texas Hold’ Em poker. Friday nights for Karaoke.
663 SWANSON RD - PH 833 9013
A WARM INVITATION IS EXTENDED TO RSA MEMBERS & GUESTS TO THE FRIENDLIEST RSA IN THE WEST
The Orpheus Restaurant
SILVERDALE
43A Vipond Rd, Whangaparaoa, Turn off at top of Silverdale Hill onto Whangaparaoa Peninsula. Vipond Rd is 2.7km on left A special welcome to members of clubs with reciprocal visiting rights to use our club facilities. Comfort & friendship is assured
Open Thurs - Sat lunch 12 - 2 pm, dinner 5.30 - 8pm Bus Trip Lunches phone Rona Major Games on Big Screen or Weekend Entertainment Snooker - Pool - Darts - Warriors Supporters Section
We have excellent facilities for reunions and other functions NEW RETURNED AND SERVICE MEMBERS WELCOME. Inquiries to Sec/Manager 09 636 6644 PO Box 13016, Onehunga
Family Restaurant Hrs Lunch: 12-2pm, Tues-Sat. 12.30pm-2pm Sun Dinner 5.30-8.30pm Wed-Sat, 5.30-7.30pm Tues & Sun Note Sunday Lunch & Dinner Carvery
HOBSONVILLE
114 Hobsonville Road • Ph: 09 416 7227 Restaurant Ph: 09 416 9239 • E: hobbyrsa@xtra.co.nz
MEALS Our spacious Restaurant allows us to cater for up to 200 people at any one time Lunch open from Wednesday - Sunday 12 - 2pm Dinners Wednesday - Saturday 5 - 8.30pm Sunday Buffet 5 - 7.30pm We have large outdoor garden area, Big Screen for major games, Sky T.V., pool, bowls, darts, cards, fishing, golf, quiz.
Open: 11am Mon-Sat. Noon on Sun
AUCKLAND
Ph: 09 489 6738
The Razza....the place to be.
11am - 11.30pm Sun 1pm - 9pm
Hours 11am-10pm, Mon to Sat. Noon-6pm Sun
Family Restaurant - Meals Wed Thurs Friday and by arrangement.
Cnr Northcote Rd & Mary Poynton Cres
HOURS Mon toThurs 11am - 11pm. Fri & Sat
Restaurant hours Mon and Thurs 6.00 -7.45pm or by arrangement Membership Night on Monday
Hokianga Rd Dargaville Ph: 09 439 8164
TAKAPUNA RSA CLUB
SWANSON
RSA
A warm welcome is assured to all members and visitors. Special welcome to local and out of town visitors.
Open Tues - Thurs from 2pm. Fri - Sun from Midday. • Restaurant open Fri - Sun lunch, Wed - Sun Dinner. Excellent meals at reasonable prices. • Live entertainment last Friday of each month. • Quiz Nights 7pm 3rd Thursday of every month. Car Boot Sale last Sunday of every month 8am, sellers $8 • Excellent Bar staff & service • Large car park. Easy bus turnnig • Coach Tours welcome - advance booking essential • Facilities available for function hire • Other facilities include darts, pool, indoor bowls & fishing club
THE SMALL RSA WITH THE BIG HEART
Glen Eden RSA
Bus trips catered for by request.
Entertainment & Dancing Fri & Sat night Snooker * Pool * Indoor Bowls * Fishing *Outdoor Bowls * Golf and Darts* Gaming Machines Raffles: Wed, Thurs
Contact Sec/Manager Sue East 09 424 9026 Fax: 09 424 2446
9 Glendale Rd West Auckland Ph: 09 818 4219 Web: www.glenedenrsa.co.nz
Meals Lunch: Tues - Fri. Dinner: Thurs - Sun. Entertainment: Fri & Sat.
We are better than the rest. We are the friendliest in the West
ORAKEI RSA
Ph: 09 528 6245 & 09 521 2710
(Members)
Hours: Mon : 12-7.30pm. Tues:11am-8pm
Wed: 11-9pm. Thurs & Fri: 11-11pm. Sat: 11-9pm. Sun: 2-7pm. Bistro Lunch Tues-Fri 12-2pm. Evening Thurs-Fri 6-8pm Function room bookings for catering. Sports sections, gaming machines ,Sky TV, big screen TV Handy to city centre, Ellerslie Race Course, Kelly Tarlton Underwater World, Eastern suburbs, Mission Bay, St Helliers, Remuera etc.
Ph 09 846 8673 1136 Great North Rd
Affiliated Members and Guests Most Welcome Restaurant, Family Karaoke Sundays from 1pm Functions venue available email admin@ptchevrsa.co.nz
Friday night raffles, Entertainment Wed, Fri, Sat, Sun
BIRKENHEAD RSA
WARKWORTH & DISTRICTS RSA Inc 28 Neville St Warkworth Ph 09 425 8568 Opening Hours 11am Mon - Sat 3pm Sun Gunners' Restaurant
Lunch 12 - 1.30pm Wed- Fri Dinner 5 - 8.30pm Thurs-Sat Full Bar Facilities 18 Pokies * Mystery J/P * Sky Tv * Pool * Snooker * Darts * Bowls
Live Entertainment & Dancing every Friday evening.
Call in on your way north & view our memorabilia tables - A warm welcome awaits you
RUSSELL RSA 1 Chapel St Russell 0202 Ph: 09 403 7773 Fax: 09 403 7885Email: russellrsa@xtra.co.nz www.russellrsa.org.nz
OPEN 7 DAYS FROM 11AM TILL CLOSE
Diggers Restaurant open 7 days Lunch & Dinner Bar snacks available Pool, Darts, Gaming Machines Huge outdoor courtyard
Come and enjoy our clubrooms while holidaying in historical Russell We will make you welcome
Ph 09 407 8585 37 Cobham Road
KERIKERI
RSA (Inc) Visitors and Guests Most Welcome Bistro Wed-Sun 5.30 - 8.30pm
Open Seven Days
Recreation Dr, Birkenhead, North Shore Ph: 09 418 2424 Fax: 09 418 3054 Email: secman@birkenheadrsa.com www.birkenheadrsa.com We welcome all RSA members & their guests to enjoy the friendly atmosphere & excellent facilities at our clubrooms
Clubrooms Open Sat - Mon 11am Tues - Fri 9 am Bar Open 7 Days from 11am Don Stott Memorial Restaurant
Provides excellent ecconomical A la Carte meals Wed-Friday 12 -2pm Wed-Sunday from 5.30pm. Groups by arrangement
Live Entertainment
Wed: 1.30-4pm. Fri & Sat: from 7.00pm Pool * Darts * I/D Bowls * TAB Large Screen Sky * Gaming Machines Tea/Coffee & light Meals anytime
ALL NEW MEMBERS WELCOME
WAIHEKE RSA
INC
29 Belgium Street, Ostend
Clubrooms and Bar Open 7 Days Restaurant Open 6 Days, closed Monday Take advantage of the free transport to our doorstep for Super Gold Card holders. Spoil yourselves with a trip to our wonderful Island and enjoy our hospitality. Ph: (09) 372 9019 Bar: (09) 372 5554
Restaurant: (09) 372 6655 E-mail: waiheke.rsa@xtra.co.nz
163 Queens Rd, Panmure
Bar Menu Seven Days. Bus loads by arrangement. Live Entertainment every 2nd Friday
Darts - Pool - Snooker - Gaming Machines - Courtesy coach available for local pick-ups / drop-offs When in Auckland Visit our Friendly Club.
NEW LYNN
Memorial RSA (Inc)
2 Veronica St Ph: 09 827 3411 Where a friendly welcome is assured. A must stopover when visiting Auckland BAR & TAB FACILITIES Open 7days Gaming Facilities FREYBERG RESTAURANT Lunches: Tues-Sun 12-2pm, Dinner: Wed-Sat 5.30pm open
Band Friday Nights Handy to rail & bus. Shop in New Lynn & relax in our spacious clubrooms
The Best in the West
When visiting Auckland’s Eastern Suburbs call into our pleasant clubrooms and enjoy our hospitality
IN THE OF HOWICK Fridays & Saturdays from 7 pm DINE & DANCE LIVE MUSIC www.howickrsa.co.nz
HENDERSON RSA
66-70 Railside Ave Ph (09) 838 9012 www.hsnrsa.co.nz
Mt Wellington Panmure RSA Ph: 09 570 5913 Fax: 09 570 5903 Email secrsa@vodafone.co.nz
HOWICK RSA
Phone: 09 534 9702 • 25 Wellington St Howick
PAPATOETOE DISTRICT RSA (Inc)
22 Wallace Rd Ph: 09 278 6372 Email: papatoetoersa@xtra.co.nz Bar Hours Mon 11am -7.30pm Tues, Wed: 11am - 10pm Thurs: 11am - 10.30pm Fri: 11am - 10pm Sat: 11am - 11pm Sun: noon - 7pm BISTRO Lunch: Tues -Fri 12-1.00pm Dinner: Tues 6pm - 7.30pm Thurs Fri Sat 6pm - 8.00pm. Ph: 09 278 6374
(Hours may vary without prior notice) Social Nights with live bands: Thurs & fortnightly Saturday. Family Nights - have entertainment on the second Friday of the month and starting in mid-July on Friday nights, Housie, Trivia and Karaoke
Snooker Gaming Machines 8 Ball I/D Bowls Darts Sky Tv
Whether you are going to or from the Airport or just passing through pop in & spend a relaxing & friendly time with us.
We Are Your Airport Club
Service with a smile, and bar prices better than most. 18 gaming machines, self service TAB, Housie every Thursday, live entertainment Friday and Saturday evenings, 4 snooker tables, 3 pool tables and 8 competition dart boards. 5 big screen TV’s.
Whatever you’re interested in we’ve got it covered, visit us today!
EAST COAST BAYS RSA (Inc)
15 Bute Road Browns Bay Ph: 09 478 8033 North of the Harbour Bridge
When heading north, staying or visiting the North Shore, stop at East Coast Bays RSA
AVONDALE RSA Overlooking the Racecourse
Come & visit your mates. A friendly Welcome Assured
MEALS Lunch: Mon to Fri Dinner: Everynight Entertainment: Thursday, Friday and Sunday Evenings If you are in town give us a call. Ph: 09 828 5000
Lunches Tues-Sat 12-2pm.Dinner Wed Carvery 6-8pm Thurs-Sat 6-8.30pm Sun from 5.30pm VISIT OUR CLUBROOMS Open: Mon-Sat from 11am Sun 2-8pm
DANCING FRI & SAT 7.30PM
Coach tours welcome by arrangement
Darts * Pool * Snooker Housie * I/d Bowls * Dinning & Dancing A WARM WELCOME TO ALL MEMBERS & THEIR GUESTS
32
RSA REVIEW • AUTUMN 2014
Local RSAs MANUREWA
OTOROHANGA MEMORIAL
2-8 Maich Road, Manurewa Phone: 09 267 0515 Office & Fax : 09 266 8673
Now located in The Otorohanga Club, Maniapoto Street, Otorohanga Open 9am Monday to Saturday, 11am Sunday
RSA (Inc)
Lunches: Tues-Sun 12-2pm Dinners: Wed-Sun 5.30-8.30pm Sun: from 5.30pm Anzac Bar: Entertainment every Fri-Sat-Sun Darts : Snooker : 8 Ball : Bowls: Sky Tv : Gaming : TAB
President Graham & members extend the hand of friendship to you & yours and invite local & out of town visitors to our friendly new RSA Clubrooms
ALL NEW MEMBERS MOST WELCOME
WAIKATO / KING COUNTRY / BAY OF PLENTY
TE AROHA MEMORIAL RSA (Inc) Rewi Street
Ph 07 884 8124
Club open from Mon 3pm- Tues - Sat 2pm, Meals Available Thurs, Fri, Sat from 6pm A warm, friendly welcome awaits you
VISITORS CORDIALLY WELCOME
OPOTIKI COUNTY RSA INC When passing through Opotiki call in and enjoy our hospitality.
We are the Gateway to East Cape Club Hours: Mon-Sat 1pm till late Sun 2pm till late Meals + Bar Snacks 7 days Membership draw nights Wed, Fri, Sat. Snooker - Pool - Indoor Bowls - Darts St John Street, OPOTIKI. Phone (07) 315 6174
NGARUAWAHIA RSA (Inc)
4 Market St, P: 07 824 8905, E: ngaruawahiarsa@vodafone.co.nz
Friendly social atmosphere. Entertainment including live music, raffles, quizzes. Children welcome till 9:30pm. Pool, Snooker, Darts, Gaming Machines, Sky TV, Courtesy Van
Bar hours: Tues-Sat 12pm until late Restaurant hours: Tues-Sat 12-2pm & 6pm until late
MT MAUNGANUI
RETURNED & SERVICES ASSOCIATION (INC) 544 Maunganui Road, Mount Maunganui THE NEW GENERATION RSA
Clubrooms open 7 days Mon/Tues 10.00am-9.00pm Wed/Thurs 11.00am-10.00pm Fri/Sat 11.00am-11.00pm Sunday noon-8.00pm
Restaurant open 7 days Lunch: Mon/Fri Noon-1.30pm Dinner: Mon/Sat 6.00-8.00pm Sunday: Carvery 5.30pm-7.30pm
Entertainment every Friday & Saturday night, Sundays from 4.00pm Regular Shows. TAB, 18 Gaming Machines, 3 Eight Ball & 8 Snooker Tables, Sky TV, Big Screens & Data Projector, Courtesy Bus, Friendly Members, Great Staff, Wonderful Food, 12 Beers on tap, Excellent Wines, All This in the best climate in NZ Phone / Fax: 07 575 4477 Web: www.mtrsa.co.nz Email: mtrsa@xtra.co.nz Affiliated Members, Guests and Potential Members Welcome
EAST COAST - HAWKES BAY WAIRARAPA - TARANAKI MANAWATU - WELLINGTON
RSA (Inc)
Top restaurant with excellent a la carte meals Open Tuesday to Sunday
Gaming Machines T.A.B. Sky Big screen, EFTPOS Entertainment most Friday and Saturday nights 8-ball, Snooker, Darts, Indoor Bowls Function Hall available for Reunion Meetings etc.
HASTINGS RSA Avenue Road West Ph: 06 878 8808 Fax: 06 878 7642
AMPLE PARKING (FREE) FOR BUSES AND CARS
TAUPO
OPEN SEVEN DAYS All The Games You Can Play, TAB & Superscreen TVs/Videos
“The Centre Of it All” * Gaming Machines * Sky Tv * Snooker * 8 Ball * Indoor Bowls
Rendezvous Restaurant
WHAKATANE RSA (Inc)
Richardson St Ph: 07 307 0343 Fax: 07 307 2604 Email: whakatanersa@xtra.co.nz
VISITORS WELCOME
Mon-Thurs 10am-10pm.Fri & Sat 10am till late. Sun 2pm-8pm
Club Hours Mon- Wed: 11am -10pm.
Lunch and Dinner Tues-Sat Bar Snacks Available
TE TE PUKE PUKE
16 Oxford Street
Hours: Mon 1pm - 6.30 pm, Tues - Sat 11am - 9pm Restaurant open Thurs, Fri and Sat nights. Tues - Lunch
All RSA members & Visitors are most welcome to our warm & friendly, air conditioned club
Taumarunui & District RSA
10 Marae St, Taumarunui PO Box 24 PH: 07 895 7517 FAX: 07 895 8343 Email: taumrsa@xtra.co.nz
MANAGER: John Callinan MEMBERS: 862 Restaurant open 7 nights from 5:30pm Club open daily from 11:00am Sunday from 1:00pm 18 Gaming Machines, Courtesy Coach Charge back facilities to local motels. If you are coming to Taumarunui we can arrange local tours, golf club bookings, Motel Bookings.
Entertainment Centre of Taumarunui
TE AWAMUTU
District Memorial RSA (Inc) 381 ALEXANDER STREET P. 07 8713707 E. tarsa@xtra.co.nz
Turn into the main street at the traffic filter and look for our Rose Garden at the end of the main shopping area.
Bar Hours - Mon-Thurs: 11am- 9pm Fri: 11-11pm. Sat: 11-10pm
Restaurant Hours
Gaming Machines - Big Screens - 8 Ball - Snooker Darts - Indoor Bowls - Line Dancing - Karaoke Thursday evenings
Live Entertainment Friday Nights Close to motels in the heart of town
MEMORIAL MEMORIAL RSA RSA (Inc) (Inc) Ph: 07 573 7922
Sun: 1- 8pm
Restaurant Hours
Mon 12 noon to 1pm, 5pm to 7pm. Wed & Thurs 5pm-7pm, Fri & Sat 5pm to 8.30pm Sun Smorgasboard 5pm to 7pm Groups catered for during week on request
A Friendly Welcome in Warm Whakatane
MEMORIAL R.S.A. (Inc.) Ngaio Street Ph: 07 888 7190 Open from Mon- Sat 3pm, Sun 4pm.
Poppyfields Restaurant:
Open for bus tours & private functions by arrangement
TOKAANU-TURANGI & Districts Memorial RSA
Ph: 07 386 8717 PO Box 1 Katopu Place Turangi Email: trgirsa@hotmail.com Bar 7 days from 11am Restaurant Thur - Sat evenings Gaming Machines, Snooker, Pool, Darts, Indoor Bowls, Library, Big Screen Sky TV TURN 3RD RIGHT FROM ROUNDABOUT
‘ROSE of the WAIKATO’
HAMILTON
Combined Returned Services Club
Rostrevor Street, Po Box 9028 Ph 07 8380131 Fax 07 8340170 Email: hamcrsc@clear.net.nz. Web: www.hamcrsc.co.nz
OPEN 7 DAYS Club Restaurant Lunches Tues-Fri Dinner Tues-Sun from 5.30pm. FUNCTION BOOKINGS BY ARRANGEMENT 18 Gaming Machines * TAB * Sky Big Screen * ATM *Eft Pos * 8 Ball * Snooker * Euchre * 500 * Darts * I/D Bowls
Naenae Memorial RSA (Inc) 23, Treadwell St, Ph 04 567 8159, Open 7 Days Indoor Bowls * Darts * Snooker Outdoor Bowls * Pentanque
When visiting Hutt Valley call at our comfortable clubrooms.
A WARM WELCOME AWAITS YOU
Otaki & District Memorial RSA
WHANGAMATA RSA (INC) 324 Port Road, Whangamata Ph/Fax: 07 865 9419 Email: whangamata.rsa@actrix.co.nz Web: www.whangamatarsanz.com
Gateway to the Coromandel Peninsula
9 Raukawa Street Ph: 06 36 46221 Open Tues - Sunday Dining room Tues, Thurs, Fri, Sat & Sun roast lunch TAB - Sky - Snooker - Darts Fridays entertainment Affiliated Members and Guests most welcome
Clubrooms Open: 7 days from 11 am Restaurant Open: 6 days from 11 am Closed Mondays Group Bookings, Bus Tours, etc. by arrangement
Entertainment Big Screen TV’s, Snooker, 8 Ball, Darts, Indoor Bowls, Golf, 12 Gaming Machines
Visitors Most Welcome
ROTORUA RSA (Inc)
Haupapa St, Rotorua
We offer a warm welcome to our thermally heated club. Bar open 7 days.
Restaurant Tues-Fri 12-2pm & Tues-Sat 6-8pm New Café Mon-Fri from 9am-2pm Sky TV, Big Screen TV, Snooker, 8 Ball, Darts Indoor Bowls, Flag 500, Mahjong, Line Dancing, Old Time Dancing, 18 Gaming machines, Live bands
ENJOY OUR COMPANY AND MAKE THE STOP
ACHILLES RESTAURANT Welcome to All. Open for lunch Friday from 12 noon. Dinners Mon, Wed & Thu from 5.30; Fri & Sat from 6.00pm All facilities, Gaming Machines. 110 Amohia Street (Just 50 meters off SH1) Tel: 04 902 7927 www.pramrsa.co.nz
SOUTH TARANAKI RSA (Inc) Bar Hours: Mon, Tues 3-7pm Wed 3-9pm, Thurs 3-7pm. Fri, Sat 3-9pm Clubrooms open some mornings Bistro Meals: Fri. 5-7pm
Princess Street Hawera When in our area you are cordially invited to visit our Clubrooms & enjoy our hospitality. A friendly welcome is assured to all.
Registered Military Museum
Rotorua RSA
1072 Haupapa St, Rotorua Phone/Fax: 348 1056 Email: rotrsa@xtra.co.nz www.rotrsa.co.nz
Come and visit our friendly Club the
MATAMATA
Ph: 06 876 4739
Open 7 Days ---- Bar Hours
Wed, Thur, Fri Lunch 12 - 2pm Mon, Wed, Thur, Fri, Sat Dinner 5 - 8 Closed Tuesday and Sunday Thurs- Sat: 11am - Late. Sun: 2 - 8pm Horomatangi Street Phone: 07 378 7476 Please visit our wesite at: www.tauporsa.co.nz
GALLIPOLI RESTAURANT
RSA TAURANGA 1237 Cameron Road, Greerton, Tauranga
Ph 07 578 9654 Fax 07 577 0715 E: admin@tgarsa.co.nz | www.tgarsa.co.nz
Big Screen TV’s, Snooker, Pool, Darts, Indoor Bowl, Cards, 18 Gaming Machines, Live Bands Bar Hours - Open 7 Days - From 11.00am
WANGANUI Great Entertainment...
S BER MEM ME W E N CO WEL
Live Bands 18 Gaming Machines TAB Terminal Big Screen TVs' 8 Ball * Darts * Bowls Euchre * Housie Raffles * Members' Jackpots
Gallipoli Restaurant
Lunch Tuesday to Saturday from 11.30am Dinner Monday & Wednesday to Saturday from 5.30pm Tuesday Pension Day Special - Lunches Whiteboard Dinner Specials
… MEMBERS AND BONA FIDE GUESTS WELCOME ... 170 St Hill Street, Wanganui Phone: Clubrooms 345 5750 * Restaurant 345 4140 *
Courtesy Bus 027 345 5750
Email: admin@wanganuirsa.co.nz * Website: www.wanganuirsa.co.nz
Oaktree Restaurant
Open 7 Days from Breakfast - 7.00am - Lunch - 12.00 noon Dinner - 5.00pm “When in the Bay stay with us” Motor Inn accommodation available Excellent Rates “Visitors Welcome Anytime”
ANY CHANGES TO CLUB ADVERTS OR CLASSIFIED ADVERTS PLEASE CONTACT DAVE McKEE Ph: 03 983 5518 Fax: 03 983 5552 Email:davem@waterfordpress.co.nz
33
RSA REVIEW • AUTUMN 2014
Local RSAs NAPIER RSA 34 Vautier Street, Napier
TARADALE
Office: 06 835 7629 Fax: 06 835 1357 Club: 06 835 1034
A warm, sunshine welcome is extended to all visitors to our modern, comfortable clubrooms
156 Gloucester Street Ph/Fax 06 844 4808
OPEN 7 DAYS PER WEEK Restaurant Open:Lunch: Mon- Sat. Dinner:Mon-Sun
Top meals at reasonable prices
• Live entertainment Fri & Sat nights • Parking • Conference room • Taxi chits available for discounted fares
Membership still open. Affiliated members Welcome
Conveniently located to Marine Parade, motels and city centre THERE ARE NO STRANGERS AMONG US, ONLY FRIENDS WE HAVE NOT MET.
& DISTRICTS RSA INC
11am - 7pm 11am - 9pm 11am - 10pm 11am - 12pm 2pm - 7pm 12pm - 7pm
Reasonably priced quality meals available: Lunch – Thurs., Fri., Sat. 12pm to 1.30pm Sun (first and last of the month) Dinner –Thurs., Fri. & Sat. 6pm to 8.00pm SKY TV, big screen, pool, darts, pokies, juke box Campervans welcomed (two sites are powered) Venue available for hire for special events and functions
Meals Available 7 days - Lunch & Dinner
All Indoor Sports available. Gaming Machines Live Music Every Alternative Saturday nights. Wheelchair available
Sat-Sun 10.30 am
When in Napier or Hastings visit us, we are only 8 minutes from either city. Motel accommodation next door with discounts available
All Visitors Assured of a Warm & Sincere Welcome
MARLBOROUGH - NELSON WEST COAST CANTERBURY OTAGO - SOUTHLAND
Call and make some West Coast friends
Milton Bruce RSA
89 Oxford St. Ph: 232 5788
OPEN SEVEN DAYS * Sky Tv * TAB * Gaming Room * Pool * Darts * Indoor Bowls * EFTPOS * Wine Club * Kapa Haka BAR HOURS
181 Tainui Street Facilities include a family bar, pool table, dart boards & gaming machines. Housie is played every Monday at 7.30pm. Raffles Tuesday & Friday. We extend to all members a cordial invitation to visit our clubrooms situated on the main highway 5 minutes from the town centre and motels. HOURS: Mon - Sun open from 12pm. Lunch time Courtesy Coach Available Fridays
A warm welcome is extended to all RSA & Chartered Club visitors We are open: POOL Wed to Sun from 4pm DARTS Meals Friday 6.00 - 8.00pm Sunday Roast the last Sunday of SKY TV each month 6.00pm-8pm
5 -7 McKillop St, Tel: 04 237 7695 Fax 04 238 2343
ASHBURTON Where the North meets the South
GREYMOUTH RSA CLUB
TAWA RSA
PORIRUA RSA (Inc)
Hours Mon - Tues: 11am-7pm. Wed Thurs Fri: 11am-10pm. Sat: 11am-12pm. Sun: 11am- 5pm Tues+Wed Lunch noon. Bistro Thurs, Fri, Sat 5.30-8pm
Friendly & safe environment (children welcomed)
Mon. & Tues. Wednesday Thursday Fri. & Sat. Sunday First & last Sun of the month
12 Cox Street
Clubrooms Open Mon-Fri 8.30 am
1 Easton Street, Ph: 06 3637670 Fax: 06 3636838 Email: foxtonrsa@xtra.co.nz www.foxtonrsa.co.nz
Open:
ASHBURTON RSA [INC]
31 Union Street, Milton Ph: 03 417 8927
INVERCARGILL WORKINGMEN’S CLUB INC. Incorporating the INVERCARGILL R.S.A.
Open daily from 5.00pm *All Welcome*
154 Esk Street, Invercargill Ph. 03 218 8693 Fax 03 218 3011 e-mail office@iwmc.co.nz Hours Mon - Wed. 11.00am - 10.00pm Thurs. 11.00am - 11.00pm Fri. 11.00am - 12 midnight Sat. 10.00am - 1.30am Sun. 12.00noon - 9.00pm Bottle Store Corinthian Restaurant open for lunch Mon - Fri 12noon - 1.30pm Dinner Thurs. - Sun. from 6.00pm Corinthian Convention Centre available for meetings, conferences or functions, large or small 24 Gaming machines - 5 snooker tables Sky TV 5 pool tables Raffles Mon. - Sat. Band on Sat. nights Off-street parking
Paparua Templeton RSA 38 Kirk Rd, Templeton
CLUB BAR HOURS
Wed 1pm - 7pm, Thurs 4pm - 7pm, Fri 4pm till late, Sat 4pm til late
MEALS
Last Thurs of month Fri from 5.30pm, Sat from 5.30pm
Thurs, Fri & Sat. Dinners 5.30 - 9.30pm
NEW, RETURNED & SERVICE MEMBERS MOST WELCOME
RANGIORA RSA CLUB (Inc) 82 Victoria Street Ph: 03 313 7123 Restaurant: Lunch Wed, Thurs, Fri. Dinner Thurs, Fri, Sat & Sun. A warm welcome is extended to all RSA members, families and friends
PAPANUI RSA
Kensington Restaurant Open Upstairs Wednesday - Sunday from 5:30pm
3 Bars, Garden Bar, Large TV Screens, Sky Sport, TAB, Internet, Library, Gaming Room, Conference Facilities.
Members, Guests and Affiliated members welcome
BULLS
SH1 Bulls Ph 06 322 0875
Hours Mon, Tues & Sun:11am -8pm Wed -Sat:11am -10pm When passing through Bulls call at our clubrooms, enjoy our hospitality and have a friendly chat.
Visitors Made Welcome
Any changes to Club Adverts or Classified Adverts PLEASE CONTACT
DAVE McKEE Ph: 03 983 5518 | Fax: 03 983 5552 E: davem@waterfordpress.co.nz
NELSON RSA (Inc)
168 Tahunanui Drive, Nelson. Phone 03 548 6815.
Open from 11.00 am Monday – Saturday; 11.30 am Sunday Tribute: 6.00 pm Wednesdays Lunch 11.00 am – 2.00 pm; Dinner 5.30 – 8.30 pm
ALL VISITORS WELCOME
Picton
RSA & Club
Everybody Welcome
CLUB night every FRIDAY 4.30 - 6.30pm in the ANZAC Lounge
47 Udy Street, Petone. Ph 568 5404
Enjoy Southern Hospitality Tue-Sat 3-6pm & Fri 3-9pm
CHARTERED CLUB
35 Centennial Ave. Alexandra
Alexandra Clyde RSA PO Box 10 Ph: 03 448 8090 Fax: 03 448 8023 Bar Hours Mon-Sat: 11am-Late Sun: 4.30 9pm Bistro Hours Thurs: 6.30-8.30pm. Fri: 6-9pm Sun: 6-8pm Snack Bar open all hours
CATERING A SPECIALTY Gaming Machines, Sky Tv,Snooker, Pool Darts,Bowls
Live Band Friday and Saturday 8.00pm and Sundays 3.00pm
141 Palmerston Street Riverton 9822 Phone: (03) 2348737
Full Trading Hours. Pool & Snooker Tables. Games Machines. Bistro Meals: Open 7 Days
www.lowerhuttrsa.org.nz
Bistro Open 7 Days A Week Lunch 11.30 - 2.00pm Dinner 5:00 - 9.00pm
RIVERTON & DISTRICTS
Chartered Club 66 Wellington St
Courtesy Van Available Thurs, Fri, & Sat nights
Lower Hutt Memorial
Memorial RSA Inc
12 Civic Ave Ph: 03 208 6218 Fax: 03 208 6220 Email: GoreRSA@xtra.co.nz Clubrooms Open 10.30 am 7 days a week Bar Hours Mon - Fri 10.30 am - 11 pm Sat 10.30 am - 1 am Sun 10.30 am - 9.30 pm Family Bar The Gore RSA Bistro Wed - Fri 12-2 pm. Tues - Sun 5.30 pm - 8 pm Private functions by arrangement * 5 F/size Snooker Tables * 18 Gaming Machines * Big Screen Sky TV * TAB Live entertainment each month. Tea coffee in our smoke free lounge. Off street parking for visitors. Raffles: Thurs & Fri. Flag 500 Wed 7 pm during winter
NEW MEMBERS WELCOME
Mon 11am - 7pm. Tues 11am - 7pm. Wed 11am - 8pm. Thurs 11am - 11pm. Fri 11am - 12pm. Sat 10am - 12pm. Sun 10am - 9pm
RESTAURANT HOURS
Gore District
Ph: 03 352 9770 55 Bellvue Ave Papanui Rd & 1 Harewood Rd
Access also from
Visiting Christchurch
Try our hospitality in the heart of Papanui. Adjacent to major civic amenities incl. shopping mall,motels & hotels
Club Hours
Mon -Tues: 11am -9pm. Wed-Thurs: 11am-10pm. Fri- Sat: 11am- 11pm. Sun: 11am- 8pm
Bistro Meals
Lunch: 7 days 12 - 2 pm Dinner: 7 days 5pm onwards
Facilities
Eftpos, Sky TV, Snooker Billiards, Pool, Bowls, Cards, Darts, Gaming Machines, Library, Live Entertainment, Off Street Parking. Power Point for Campervans
Welcome
Visitors Welcome
Marlborough RSA 42 Alfred Street Blenheim (In Clubs Marlborough Complex)
We extend a cordial invitation to all visiting members to visit our Clubrooms Open 7 Days from 9.00, Restaurant meals - 7 Days. Gaming, Pool, Snooker, Sky TV.
RICHMOND/WAIMEA R.S.A. INC. P.0. Box 3034 Richmond 7050.
Any changes to Club Adverts or Classified Adverts
Operating from Club Waimea Premises Lower Queen Street, Richmond. Phone 03 543 9179. Open from 11.00am till late. Club Waimea facilities including Caravan Park facilities which are available to all R.S.A. Members. Meals are available Wednesday - Sunday 11.30am Onwards
PLEASE CONTACT
motueka
DAVE McKEE Ph: 03 983 5518
Fax: 03 983 5552 E: davem@waterfordpress.co.nz
memorial rsa (inc) 49 High Street
www.motuekarsa.co.nz
Open 7 Days Mon-Fri 4pm. Sat 11am. Sun 2pm Restaurant & Dining Room Tues, Thurs - Sun
5.30pm - 8.30pm. Fri & Sat Lunch: 12 noon - 1.00 pm rsa - clubs nz members most welcome
34
RSA REVIEW • AUTUMN 2014
Travel Australia GOLD COAST
SYDNEY
Anyone for a Gold Coast Getaway??
FREE High Speed
Welcome to Palazzo Colonnades boutique, high-rise holiday accommodation apartments in Surfers Paradise....
271 Elizabeth Street, Sydney + 61 2 9264 6001
DIRECT BOOKING ONLINE NOW AVAILABLE
• Fully self contained, air conditioned one bedroom and two bedroom apartments
Visit: www.hydeparkinn.com.au
• Swimming pool, spa, sauna, gymnasium and BBQ facilities
HOT DEAL!
• Under cover, fully secured free parking
Stay 5 Pay 4 from AUS $608.00*
• Flat screen televisions and AUSTAR cable television free of charge • In room wireless internet broadband service • Extensive choice of restaurants within minutes walking distance
TO BOOK PHONE +61 7 5538 4555
• 1.5km from Gold Coast Exhibition and Convention Centre • 150 metres to the beach and 6-8 minutes leisurely stroll to Cavill Avenue
Address: 2988 - 2994 Surfers Paradise Blvd, Surfers Paradise. 4217 Telephone: +61 7 5538 4555 Email: info@palazzocolonnades.com.au
FOR THE BEST RATES BOOK DIRECT AT OUR NEW WEBSITE: www.palazzocolonnades.com.au * Valid for sale until 27/06/14. Block out dates apply.
The Hyde Park Inn offers friendly, personalised service and spectacular views across Hyde Park. Central CBD location, just minutes to shopping, theatres, Central Station, The Opera House, Darling Harbour and Kings Cross. Our features include: • Self catering facilities • Complimentary continental breakfast • Air-conditioning • Balcony to Deluxe Rooms • Large family rooms and apartments • Free car parking • Free in-house movie channels • Guest laundry • DVD players to all rooms • Flat Screen LCD televisions
Owned by RSL NSW Branch • Special rates for RSA Members • Special long term rates available Eligible RSA members can join a NSW RSL Sub Branch for even better rates.
SAILPORT
M O O LO O L A B A A PA R T M E N T S
1 & 2 bedroom apartments and 3 bedroom sub-penthouses. All fully self-contained apartments with private spa baths. Expansive sea views opposite patrolled beach. Resort facilities – indoor heated pool, steam room, outdoor pool, tennis court, gym, games room. Fabulous heated indoor pool renovations now completed, perfect for winter months. Call or email for specials. 238 The Esplanade Burleigh Heads QLD 4220 Ph. 00 617 5535 8866 Fax. 00 617 5535 8523 Email. mail@burleighsurf.com.au
SUNSHINE COAST QUEENSLAND
Dockside Mooloolaba Self contained 2 & 3 bedroom apartments Close to Mooloolaba Beach & Bowls Club Heated Pool & tropical gardens Free Wifi - Secure Parking From AU$30pppn for May – Aug 2014 Based on 4 people sharing – 7 night minimum
MAY/JUNE Special "stay 7 pay only for 5 nights" in a 2 bedroom STD Apartment valid 1st May - 26th June only
w w w.burleighsur f.com.au
50m to Beach, Cafes & Restaurants. Large fully s/c 2 brm apartments. Heated pool, spa, BBQ, Austar TV. Free door-to-door pickup to RSL & Bowling Club. Discounts for RSA members. Contact your hosts: Donna & Rhys Livingstone Ph 0061 7 5491 8509
Fax 0061 7 5491 5363 Email info@tranquilshores.com Web www.tranquilshores.com
Telephone: 00617 5444 1844 email: reception@sailport.com.au.
Cnr River Esplanade & Hancock St, Mooloolaba, Queensland Australia.
|
07 5444 1844
Surfers Paradise Fully self contained boutique apartments - 4 star self rating, all with lift access, airconditioning & ocean views. Direct access to beach 50 meters. Heated pool and spa, BBQ area. Transport arranged from Brisbane or Coolangatta Airports. Easy walk to heart of Surfers or Broadbeach
Book direct and get great deals from friendly kiwis, Ph: 00617 5526 7588, Or email: info@emeraldsands.com.au Or visit: www.emeraldsands.com.au
Tel: +61 7 5478 2044 or NZ Freephone 0800 000 417
Tranquil Shores Holiday Apartments
Special - Stay 7 Pay 5 Feb, May - July, November
w w w. s a i l p o r t . c o m . a u
Cnr Foote & Burnett Sts, Mooloolaba www.docksidemooloolaba.com.au info@docksidemooloolaba.com.au
Caloundra, Sunshine Coast
Overlooking Mooloolaba Wharf and Marina. 100 metres to Surf Club and safe patrolled Beach. Great rates, modern 4 star luxury 1,2 & 3 bedrooms. Spacious, fully self contained & air conditioned. Central to all the Sunshine Coast attractions.
Any changes to Club Adverts or Classified Adverts PLEASE CONTACT -
DAVE McKEE
Ph: 03 983 5518 Fax: 03 983 5552 E: davem@waterfordpress.co.nz
Accommodation on the Gold Coast - Mermaid Beach Holiday Apartments. Mermaid Beach Park View is a beautifully maintained boutique self catering apartment complex, ideal for couples of all ages, families or small groups. And considering the range of facilities on offer, Park View is excellent value-for-money. Being completely self-contained, each air-conditioned apartment offers all the comforts of home, including a fully equipped kitchen and laundry and satellite television (with 2 Movie channels and 3 Sports channels amongst others). Also, for peace of mind, each apartment has its own secure internal car park space. Only 50m to Mermaid Beach Surf Lifesaving Club through the park. Wireless broadband is also available throughout the complex.
40 -44 Ventura Road, Mermaid Beach, QLD 4218, Australia PH +61 7 5575 6100 FAX +61 7 5575 6199 EMAIL info@mermaidparkview.com.au www.mermaidparkview.com.au
35
RSA REVIEW • AUTUMN 2014
Travel New Zealand ACAPULCO MOTOR INN TAUPO
Welcomes RSA members Off season discounts may apply 20 ground floor units 10% Discount to all members 19 Rifle Range Road www.acapulcotaupo.co.nz
Special Package Deal* Offer includes: Accommodation plus Breakfast & Dinner Buffet
Ph: 07 578 9654 Single: $130 Double $165 Scan for more info >>
Phone 0800 378 7174 HAMILTON Gardena Court Motel. We are close to all clubs, amenities, RSA members special from $99 single/Dble includes continental breakfast for 2 each morning subject to availability. We Guarantee value for money. Hosts: Alan & Dale Padgett. 257 Ulster St. Ph 07 838 1769. Email: stay@gardena.co.nz. Web: www.gardena.co.nz Reservations: 0800 STAY GARDENA (0800 782 942)
1237 Cameron Rd,Greerton, Tauranga Email: admin@tgarsa.co.nz www.greertonmotorinn.co.nz/rr
*Replica medals and Miniatures supplied and mounted. *Full sized and Mini medal groups for other family members. *Framed Medal Displays and Copy displays. *Regimental Ties & Blazer pocket badges. We do not deal or trade original medals
P. 09 838 4828 F. 09 838 4850 W. www.medals.co.nz 6 Central Park Drive, Henderson, Auckland 0610
MEDALS MOUNTED Court or Swing style. Professional quality guaranteed work. Reasonable prices. Medals also framed for family history displays, museum quality work. Medals & military souvenirs purchased for my own collection especially gallantry awards eg. DFC, MC, MM etc. German & Allied hats, helmets uniforms, RNZAF RAF pilots wings & boots also sought. Ph: Ian Hamilton 09 266 5783 MEDAL MOUNTING, MILITARY HISTORY & GENEALOGY RESEARCH. Orders, decorations & medals (full size & miniatures) court mounted for day, evening wear, and for family history displays. Medals mounted with respect for over 40 years with no modifications to medals or clasps. Contact Medal Mounting Wellington, H.E. Chamberlain, Ph: 04 293 3504. 470 Te Moana Rd. Waikanae. Email: clas.chamberlain@xtra.co.nz.
Full Size and Miniature Orders, Decorations and Medals. Court Mounted or Swing Style. Duplicate groups made up to order. If necessary medals cleaned and new ribbon supplied. Competitive prices and quality work guaranteed.
Contact: Russell Barker P O Box 346 Waikanae 5250 Phone: 04 293 1045 Email: rmbarker@xtra.co.nz
SWING STYLE
WHAKATANE Bay Hotel Units 90 McAllister Street. Very handy to RSA. Discount for RSA members. Friendly service, courtesy pickup, Pets very welcome. Your hosts Betty & Willy Arends. Ph 07 308 6788 Fax 07 308 6749
PLEASE CONTACT
DAVE McKEE Ph: 03 983 5518
Fax: 03 983 5552
MEDAL MOUNTING
Court or Swing Style, Full Size & Miniature medals,Ribbon Bars, Extra sets of medals for family, Framed Family Groups. Supplier of replica WW2 wings and brevet. 27 Years Experience. Contact: Tony Prowse, 6 Chilton Dr, Paraparaumu, Kapiti Coast Ph. 04 2973232. Email: tsprowse@xtra.co.nz
Medals professionally mounted court or swing style. $20 per medal. Courier return $8.00 . No hidden costs. Damage free mounting. New ribbon. Fully insured. Medal cases, replicas and miniatures stocked. Free NZDSM or NZOSM lapel pin with each mounting order. NZ wide mail order service or by appointment. Turnaround is usually 7 days.
A G Bairstow NZ Medals Ltd
PO Box 128-134, Remuera, Auckland 1541 Ph : 09 571 2074 aubreyb@clear.net.nz
www.nzmedals.com
E: davem@waterfordpress.co.nz
Tours
For a free colour brochure contact Scottsdale Tours FREE phone 0800 66 44 14 www.scottsdaletours.co.nz
VIETNAM TOURS 20 Days ex Auck, Wgtn, Chch. From $6495 pp share twin. Special conditions apply. Kiwi Vietnam Tours PO Box 123 Rongotea Ph 06 324 8444, info@kiwivietnamtours.co.nz www.kiwivietnamtours.co.nz
Any changes to Club Adverts or Classified Adverts
PLEASE CONTACT
DAVE McKEE Ph: 03 983 5518 | Fax: 03 983 5552 E: davem@waterfordpress.co.nz
AMTRAK TRAIN TOUR OF AMERICA 35 DAYS – 3RD JUNE TO 7TH JULY 2014
MEDAL MOUNTING COURT STYLE
RUSSELL. F/furn 2 bdrm apartment. Sleeps 4 available all year. 2 adults $400 p week or $80 p night, $15 pn extra person. Ph: 0 9 4 2 6 9 7 4 7 Email: donandmyra@xtra.co.nz
Our 2014 programme includes: NZ: Chatham Islands, Great Barrier Island, High Country Spectacular, Taranaki Rhododendron Festival, Wonders of Westland, Kapiti Island & South Coast, Masterton for Christmas. AUSTRALIA: Melbourne Adelaide & the Murray River, Sunshine Coast Stay Put, Brisbane to Cairns, Gulf to the Outback. PACIFIC: Rarotonga, Niue, Norfolk Island
MEDAL MOUNTING
WANGANUI. Bignell St Motel, Quiet Warm Friendly, Comfortable, Pets by arrangement $65 single + $15pp extra. Phone Now 0800 244 635
Any changes to Club Adverts or Classified Adverts
FULLY ESCORTED TOURS FOR SENIOR CITIZENS
Medals English Tie & Medal Co
NAPIER. Colonial Lodge Motel. Next door to Taradale RSA. 17 g/f fully s/c units serviced daily. Sky digital, heated swimming & private spa pools, games room, bbq, large garden grounds. Qualmark 4 Star Plus.Tariff $110 - $150 for 1-2 persons. RSA member discount. Reservations 0800 68 44 77. Ph/Fax 06 844 7788. Your hosts Sarah & Mark Johnson. stay@colonialmotel.co.nz www.colonialmotel.co.nz
LOS ANGELES – SAN FRANCISCO – CHICAGO – NIAGARA FALLS – NEW YORK – WASHINGTON DC – NEW ORLEANS –ANAHEIM This is the 18th Amtrak train tour our tour directors have escorted - they know their way around the USA.
Includes
5 days in
NEW YORK
Enjoy the leisure and comradeship as you travel on AMTRAK train over 5200 miles through 19 states to view a land of amazing contrasts. From the spectacular Pacific Coast journey, to the Rocky Mountains crossing to 9000 feet to Chicago, along the tree lined Hudson River to New York, and through the sleepy towns of the deep south to New Orleans - this is the way to fully appreciate the vastness of the USA. In San Francisco we will cross the renowned Golden Gate Bridge, see the architectural delights of old and new Chicago and in New York the iconic Times Square, Empire State Building and Statue of Liberty. In Washington DC, we will see the White House, visit the Arlington National Cemetery and George Washington’s farm in Virginia. New Orleans will blow you away with its fabulous jazz and creole food, and the theme parks in Anaheim are always star attractions. We will join in the famous July 4th Independence Day celebrations with a massive fireworks display at Huntington Beach.
Freephone 0800 900 747
36
RSA REVIEW • AUTUMN 2014
What’s New
‘A RARE INSIGHT’ INTO THE REALITY OF WAR Dion Crooks “Within a few days of the declaration of war the young manhood of New Zealand was assembling in the camps of Alexandra Park, Awapuni racecourse, Addington and Tahuna parks. From the gum fields and the timber mills, from the sheep runs and the dairy farms and the flax swamps, from mine and office and factory and school, shop hands and lawyers, labourers and university professors, a few crooks and deadbeats, and a great crowd of decent chaps – they came pouring in. There was no troubled conscience in New Zealand. The schools and the editors and the parsons had done their work too thoroughly for that. “There was enthusiasm and a haze of rather splendid feeling. A great adventure was opening up. All the humdrum of life suddenly fell away and men were like young gods in a new world of romance.” In these two paragraphs of superbly rhythmical, flowing prose that open The Silent Division – New Zealanders at the Front 1914-1919, Ormond
Burton tells you more about the New Zealand context of World War 1 than many historians have managed in thousands of words. On, goes Burton, to training: “Civilian clothes were quickly bundled up and uniform donned with a feeling akin to reverence. The various odds and ends that go to the making of the complete soldier were issued by instalments. Men gradually learned their right relationship to their sections and platoons and companies. Everyone was desperately keen because the war was bound to be over soon, and if anybody was slack they were to be left behind – a fearful fate. “Apparently the matter of greatest importance was the magic thing – discipline. It was the greatest virtue of the solider – the quality which if we could only attain we would win the war. The old regulars who seemed to spring up in the most amazing fashion as sergeant majors hinted that in all probability we would never get it. We were a little downcast, but persevered, manfully clicking our heels, casting the eyes to the left and right and saluting at all times passing authority with what precision we could muster. “The shining of brass buttons was another all-important matter. The glitter and gleam of these were evidently to cause consternation in the ranks of the Hun, who was, according to the cablegrams, growing a blacker and more unspeakable person every day. “For the rest men learned to turn to right and left, to form fours, to make proper connection between rifle and bayonet, and to march reasonably. But for the awful fear that war might not last, all went well.” As you might imagine, the subject matter gets grimmer and darker as Burton works his war through the war. But his wondrous combination of writing skill, perception, ability to encapsulate the atmosphere and feelings is unabated. He captures the nitty and the gritty, the good and the bad, the funny and the tragic moments of soldiers and war (Burton was a medical orderly
Prisoners used as stretcherbearers...one of the 56 photographs in The Silent Division & One Man’s War 1914-1919.
and stretcher bearer on Gallipoli and the Western Front, until in 1916 transferring to become a combatant infantryman). Yes, the book was written in 1935. But it’d be surprising if anything since has outdone it. Now, John Douglas Publishing Ltd is releasing a reprint, combined with Concerning One Man’s War 1914-1919, Burton’s previously unpublished autobiography, which offers his individual account of his front-line service. The new publication will be launched for Anzac Day. Historian John Gray, who has edited the new publication, provides notes on what was happening the war as a context for Burton’s narrative. The text is unchanged, but photographs and maps have been incorporated. The two works are complementary and provide a rare insight of the same events, from the historical and from the personal points of view. If you want to know about World War 1 through the eyes, hearts and minds of the front-line combatants, make sure you read them. Burton was decorated by both the British and French for his bravery, but afterwards became
an implacable convert to Christian pacifism. He had fought because he thought the destruction of Prussian militarism would usher in a new age of peace and freedom, but was horrified by the Treaty of Versailles. His unyielding commitment to Christian pacifism, his intolerance to non-Christian pacifism (an “armchair” philosophy) and his rigidly conservative theological dogma led him into strife with the Methodist church (he was expelled in 1942) and with lay authorities (he was imprisoned more than once for condemning World War 2), He explained his position this way: “The condemnation of war lies not in the sacrifice of life, but in the fact that the sacrifice is wasted as far as the attaining of any good end is concerned. Sacrifice is essential of all development toward higher levels of life...But to be availing, sacrifice must be directed into profitable channels.” Few could argue successfully with that. • The Silent Division & One Man’s War 1914191, by Ormond E.Burton, 464pp, 56 photos, 22 maps, hardback, dust jacket, $75.
THE REAL ORMOND BURTON STANDS UP PROUD IN PRINT Dion Crooks What you read is what you got with Ormond Burton. A man of strong intellect and strong will not easily swayed from his opinions and beliefs, but a man of compassion, intellect, perception, affinity with the common man, and superb prose. That’s the impression you get from his books, and his nephew, Geoffrey Burton, who lives in Auckland, confirms that was him in real life. “He was a very Christian fellow. He was brought up in a Christian household and his mother had had large influence on him. She read a lot to him when he was young. Geoffrey Burton says his uncle’s Christian upbringing had a huge influence on what he became. Ormond’s father was 50 and his mother
23 when they married, and he was one of five kids. Geoffrey believes Ormond had some fierce arguments with father.” But, he says, he was “very compassionate and kind”. “He never said a bad word about anybody; he saw good in people. He didn’t hold grudges. He never wavered from the truth and he had huge respect from those who were his opponents. “On the other hand, if he believed in something he saw as right, he would not deviate. If he saw something he didn’t think was right, he was not afraid to say so, and he had the skills to do it very well. “He would get up on his soapbox and debate with anyone.” It was a trait that eventually landed him in trouble with the government and the authorities
because of his opposition to World War 2; he ended up in prison on trumped up charges, arrested for saying ‘Ladies and Gentlemen’. There’s a strong argument that prime minister Peter Fraser organised that the judiciary inflict a jail sentence well beyond the scale of the charge solely to put him behind bars and keep him quiet. “It started with protests and opposing the war, but developed into the issue of freedom of speech,” says Geoffrey Burton. Amazingly, years later Ormond stopped to help an old man on a Wellington street. It was Judge Blair, who had issued that farcical sentence. Ormond Burton’s account of World War is unusual in that it is written from the viewpoint of the ordinary soldier rather than from those in authority.
Korea War veteran designs ‘little souvenir in a caring sort of way’ A New Zealand Korea War veteran has designed and produced a commemorative mug (pictured, right) to mark the 100th anniversary of World War 1. Roger Stanley – a former president of the Hamilton branch of the New Zealand Korea War Veterans’ Association and current patron of the New Zealand/Republic of Korea Friendship Society – says he likes “doing a little bit of design”. He designed a similar mug for the K Force anniversary and felt he would like to do “a little souvenir” for WW1. Don’t worry, he’s well aware of the moral issue and will not be making any money out of it...most likely “it’ll cost me a little”. “I lost two uncles in World War and I went to Gallipoli with one
of Helen Clark’s government parties. I’m doing this in a caring sort of way, with remembrance the main thought.” During his time as Hamilton KVA president, he was instrumental in involving the Korean community in Anzac Day commemorations. • The dishwasher-proof mugs cost $14 each (including packaging and freight) or $12 if you pick them up in Hamilton. A minimum order of 10 is requested to cover costs. Orders, with cheque made out to Lunabase Ltd, to: Roger Stanley, 99 Grandview Rd, Hamilton 3200. Ph: 07 8479061.
In fact, says Geoffrey, when Ormond wrote the history of the Auckland battalion, some poo-pooed it because it was too much about ordinary soliders and not enough about officers. This, he says, reflects the affinity Ormond had with his fellow men. “He would never pass by an old solider he knew. He always had time to stop and talk to people.” Geoffrey also recalls that when Ormond Burton left teaching at Wesley College and became a Methodist minister at the Webb St church in Wellington during the Great Depression of the early 1930s, he was appalled at finding men living on the street. He converted the wash-house at his home, which was fairly basic itself, into a refuge and looked after them.
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WW1 WARBIRDS TO SOAR AT WANAKA Half a dozen World War 1 aircraft will form the centrepiece of a special emphasis on World War 1 during this year’s Warbirds Over Wanaka airshow from April 18-20. The aerial forces will be evenly matched: three British planes – a Bristol F2 Fighter, a Bristol 4 and a DH(De Havilland)5; three German – a Fokker D.VII, a Fokker Triplane and a Phalz. The planes will also be part of a special World War 1 centenary celebration and commemoration [lanned for the Wanaka lakefront on Good Friday (April 18) afternoon. There will no charge to attend. Airshow manager Mandy Deans says the aim is to educate new generations about the role aircraft and New Zealand pilots played in World War 1. Nearly one in five of the 100,000 New Zealanders who served in World War 1 did not return home. But the odds were even worse for the young Kiwis who served with the British as
pilots, and were part of the pioneering stages of military aviation. Aviation was still a novelty when World War 1 broke out in 1914– barely 10 years after the Wright brothers’ first powered flight. Aircraft were only just beginning to be used in military applications. They were flimsy, low-powered, had no radio or other communication tools, and little protection from the enemy or the elements. Their main role was reconnaissance; early pilots were armed only with hand-guns and sometimes small grenades. The Fokker E.III, Airco DH-2 and Nieuport II were early single-seat fighters – close predecessors of the aircraft that will fly at the Wanaka show. Once war began, engineers on both sides scrambled to improve the wood and fabric-constructed aircraft, and to develop mounted machine guns. By war’s end in 1918, dog-fighting had evolved and the first fighter aces were acknowledged.
Gallipoli expert on NZ speaking tour Gallipoli author and historian John Basarin (right) is embarking on a seven-stop speaking tour to bring the Turkish perspective on the Gallipoli campaign to New Zealand. Turkish-born Basarin first visited Gallipoli as a 10-year old: “My father pointed to the hills and said to me, ‘Son, this is where Turkey was born’. Little did I know that on the other side of the world, in what was to become by adopted country, Australian people felt the same.” Since migrating to Australia in 1973, Basarin has become a popular speaker on the subject of Gallipoli and has written/co-written six books in both English and Turkish. He has written many articles and conference papers on his research, has a doctorate from Deakin University, and is a frequent television and radio guest offering expert opinion on Gallipoli. “What started as an interest became a hobby, and then a passion ... so much still to learn, to tell, to absorb,” he recalls of learning about the Anzac perspective. His New Zealand speaking programme is: • Sunday March 23, Invercargill: Kelvin Hotel, 3pm. • Monday March 24, Christchurch: Papanui RSA, 7pm. • Tuesday March 25, Wellington/ Lower Hutt:
Petone Working Men’s Club, 5.30pm. • Wednesday March 26, Hamilton: Hamilton Combined Services Club, 5.30pm. • Thursday, March 27, Rotorua: Rotorua RSA, 2pm; House of Travel Rotorua, 5.30pm. • Friday, March 28, Tauranga: Tauranga RSA, 10.30am. • Saturday, March 29, Auckland: Point Chevalier RSA, 3pm. Basarin, who has been regular leader of tours to Turkey and Gallipoli, is the project manager for the Innovative Travel Company’s special Gallipoli 2015 charter cruise programme. He will be a guest speaker on the cruise, which will also include Australian and New Zealand Anzac expert commentary. The ship will depart from Athens on April 17, 2015, visit Ephesus, then follow the route the original Anzacs took from the Greek island of Lemnos to Gallipoli, and end in Istanbul on April 27. The ship will moored as close as possible to Anzac Cove on Anzac Day morning and a special commemorative service will be held on board for those without ballot tickets. This will include New Zealand’s Malvina Major singing some Vera Lynn wartime favourites. Cruise participants with ballot tickets will be tendered ashore to go to the dawn service.
Those magnificent men in their flying machines: A German Fokker Triplane (top) and a British Bristol Fighter (above) are among six vintage World War 1 aircraft on display at this year’s Warbirds Over Wanaka airshow. The planes will also be part of special WW1 centenary celebration and commemoration at the Wanaka lakefront on Good Friday afternoon (April 18). The commemoration is free to the public.
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WW1 DIGITISATION ON TARGET FOR COMMEMORATIONS Archives New Zealand is on a mission to complete the digitisation of its World War 1 New Zealand Defence Force personnel files this year to coincide with New Zealand’s commemorations of the 1914-18 conflict. The digitised files are being placed on line and people can search for them via the on-line searching aid Archway at: archway.archives. govt.nz Those who want to delve into specific files of their relatives not already available can make a request and they will be published online. People can also pop into the Wellington Reading Room at 10 Mulgrave Street to get direct access to their relations’ records and just need to allow a little time for this to be organised. The digitisation work covers all known
personnel files of those who served in World War One, including WWI veterans who also served in World War 2. The project also includes digitisation of the South African War records, which is now complete. Personnel files reveal much of the history of the war and comprise those of New Zealanders who served in the British Navy and Royal Flying Corps as well as doctors, nurses and the numerous volunteers who did everything from manual labour and first aid to driving ambulances at the front. Files from the Queen Mary’s Auxiliary Corps, the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry and Red Cross volunteers include information such as: next of kin, enlistment, embarkation and discharge dates, length of service in New Zealand and
Personnel files reveal much of the history of war and also cover the numerous volunteers who did everything from manual labour to driving ambulances at the front.
A troopship full of New Zealand reinforcements about to dock in Liverpool. Archives New Zealand hopes to digitise its WW1 NZ Defence Force personnel files to coincide with commemorations of the conflict
overseas, postings to military units, promotions, medal entitlements and decorations, gratuity payments made to them or their family after the war. Marriage and children’s details are also often recorded. At the time the war started, New Zealand had a population of one million, yet more than 100,000 of its people served in the military; more than 18,000 were killed, and 41,000 were maimed or injured. Forty-two per cent of men of military age enlisted or were conscripted to serve overseas. One hundred people served in all three conflicts from the South African War to World War 2. New Zealand History Online reveals more. Additionally, World War 1 unit war diaries have been listed and described. The diaries detail where and what a unit was doing on any particular day during the war, and as they
give more information, they complement the personnel files. Both the South African War and World War 1 records can be accessed via the Auckland War Memorial’s Cenotaph database, and will soon be available through the Discovering Anzacs website which is being designed to support user generated content. Alexander Turnbull Library staff are also digitising and putting the fragile diaries and letters of people who served during World War 1 on line. These diaries, which were carried around in pockets and satchels, often tell of gruelling conditions and harrowing experiences. • You can find out more on the National Library’s blog post. Archives New Zealand and the National Library are working with the Ministry for Culture and Heritage to support the WW100 project.
Chaplain’s war letters collated in book
Void in Korean War records finally filled
Rev Clive Mortimer Jones, who was the vicar of Cambridge, in the Waikato, from 1912 to 1926, was also a chaplain with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force on the Western front in France and Belgium. He volunteered for service in 1917, and during his time at the front, wrote to his parishioners regularly. These letters, which were published at the time in the Cambridge Parish Magazine from January 1917 to May 1920, have now been gathered together, along with photos, maps and prints, into a book. A Strong Sense of Duty, published by The New Zealand Military Historical Society, was released late last year. The book provides a non-combatant chaplain’s
Forbes Taylor
perspective on life on the front line and the effects of war on the men of the New Zealand Division during its final 14 months of service. The letters convey a personal sense of duty and awareness set amongst the grim realities of war. Mortimer Jones’s dedication was instrumental in Cambridge eventually twinning with the French town of Le Quesnoy. • A Strong Sense of Duty – The First World War Letters of Chaplain The Reverend Clive Mortimer Jones 1917-1920. Edited by Herbert H.Farrant, Elizabeth Morey and Deysse Storey. Published by the New Zealand Military Historical Society.$40.00, plus $3.30 postage.168pp paperback Contact: secretary@nzmhs.irg.nz.
Archives New Zealand Keeps you in touch with our nation’s military history Go online at: www.archway.archives.govt.nz for records from the South African War and World War One Visit our website: www.archives.govt.nz to view our online exhibitions, films of significance to New Zealand’s history on Archives TV Channel and much more. Archives New Zealand Ref.PC4_17_00_8
Department of Internal Affairs
Unlike Australia, the New Zealand Defence Force failed to retain any roll of those who served in New Zealand’s involvement during the Korean War (1950–53) and the Korean Peacekeeping (1953-57). Service was largely through the Royal New Zealand Navy and the New Zealand Army’s volunteer Emergency Force, known as K Force (Kayforce). The NZDF kept individual records of service, which are included in the general files of all servicepersons. Unfortunately the NZDF did not keep Army K Force “embarkation rolls” or “flight lists”, and the “Return to New Zealand rolls” of time expired men in the same manner as the embarkation rolls for the South African War, or World Wars 1 and 2. Nor did the NZDF keep any ships’ lists of Royal New Zealand Navy frigate crews or of others serving on Royal Navy ships, or of the very few serving in the Royal New Zealand Air Force and the Royal Air Force. Fortunately this void in our military records has been filled by Howard Chamberlain, after many years of voluntary and painstaking research of remaining NZDF files, old and current newspapers and publications, the official history (New
Zealand & The Korean War) and books written by New Zealand veterans, and of circulating information forms to the New Zealand Korea Veterans’ Association branches and national reunions. The New Zealand Korea Roll was launched in Rotorua at the NZKVA annual meeting on November 5 last year. Its 480 pages contain a total of 5564 names and include 6007 embarkations, 916 navy names, 389 men who completed two tours, 25 who completed three tours and three who completed four tours. Chamberlain has produced an outstanding historical record of the New Zealanders who served in the Korean War under United Nations command. He knows some may be missing from this list and would be pleased to hear of any absentees. This was the first time the United Nations had taken military action to stop aggression, and those who served were presented with a United Nations Service Medal with clasp Korea, inscribed “For Service in Defence of the Principles of the Charter of the United Nations”. • The New Zealand Korea Roll can be obtained direct from Howard Chamberlain, 470 Te Moana Rd, Waikanae 5036. Cost: $59.99 (includes postage)
Fancy a road trip: give Jucy a ring If you fancy doing a road trip or two, this could be your opportunity. Rental car company Jucy is looking for drivers based in Auckland and Wellington to drive on a casual, on-call basis. These drivers will help move rental cars and camper vans to regional areas and, at times, further afield, says the firm’s general manager operations New Zealand, Peter Newman. The drivers may also help get replacement vehicles to customers.
He sees the role as suiting semi-retired people. You need a full, valid New Zealand driver’s licence and clean driving record, need to be able to drive both manual and automatic vehicles, and, ideally, have customer-service experience. Jucy, which is New Zealand-owned and operated, has five branches in New Zealand, and also operates in Australia and the United States. Contact Kate Stevens: kate.stevens@jucyworld. com.
Join us for a day of remembrance with ANZAC Day coverage and special programming exclusive to Māori Television. FRIDAY, 25 APRIL 2014 5:50am THE AUCKLAND DAWN SERVICE Judy Bailey, Julian Wilcox and Dr Monty Soutar give an overview of the Anzac programming to be featured throughout the day. We then join Wena Harawira and Dr Stephen Clarke for the Dawn Parade and Service as the sun rises over the Auckland War Memorial Museum.
7:00am THE ITALIAN CAMPAIGN Military historian Dr Monty Soutar takes us over the battlefields of Italy on which New Zealand soldiers fought and fell in WWII, with a focus on the battle for Monte Cassino.
8:00am THE BLACK LEGACY Renowned singer Whirimako Black makes an emotional journey to Monte Cassino to understand the battle in which her father fought.
9:00am BORN OF CONFLICT: CHILDREN OF THE PACIFIC WAR The stories of three children left behind by American servicemen posted to the Pacific during WWII. Now in their early 70s, these children were identified through an Otago University research programme.
10:00am NEWS: TE KĀEA 10:05am TE MARUTUNA O TE TANGATA - THE COMMANDERS OF THE 28TH MĀORI BATTALION The story of the 10 men who led the Māori battalion through WWII, exploring their backgrounds, their strengths and their achievements in battle.
11.00am ON A WING AND A PRAYER Cameron Bennett talks to Kiwi, Les Munro, the last surviving pilot from the famous Dam Busters raid, a dangerous bombing run that formed the basis for one of the most famous war movies of all time.
11:30am AN ANZAC CONVERSATION: SIR PETER JACKSON Julian Wilcox talks to Sir Peter Jackson about his interest in the military and the Gallipoli Campaign.
12:00pm FILM: THE DAM BUSTERS (1955) The true story of how the British attacked German dams in WWII by using an ingenious technique to drop bombs where they would be most effective. Starring Michael Redgrave.
2.30 pm GALLIPOLI DAWN SERVICE LIVE - ANZAC COVE
Live coverage from the Gallipoli Dawn Service capturing the moving atmosphere of the place where the Anzac legend and tradition began.
3.30 pm KIP: THE SOLDIERS’ SOLDIER
The story of Sir Howard Kippenberger, the much-loved general who led the New Zealand Division in the Italian Campaign and a strong opponent of sending All Black teams to South Africa without Māori players.
4.00 pm PACIFIC STORIES
Fascinating war stories from the Pacific including the remarkable Kiwi heroine, nurse Merle Farland, who operated behind enemy lines rescuing American airmen shot down in action.
5.00 pm DIY DEFENCE
Military buff Phil Wallington takes a look at a couple of the crazier ideas that were employed for the defence of New Zealand in WWII, including the infamous Semple Tank.
5.30 pm NEWS: TE KĀEA (LIVE)
Local, regional and national Māori news and international news from the Māori Television reporting team.
6.00 pm NGĀ URI O RUKU TE KAPA: B COMPANY
We continue our mission to document the exploits of all four rifle companies of the 28th Māori Battalion. This year we highlight the Penny Divers - the men of B Company.
7.30 pm THE ANZAC CONCERT
Tune in for a special concert featuring performances by Bic Runga, Maisey Rika, Ria Hall, Will and Annie Crummer, Hinewehi Mohi, Seth Haapu, Julia Deans, Tama Waipara and the Modern Māori Quartet.
8.30 pm CHUNUK BAIR ANZAC SERVICE
Māori Television is New Zealand’s host broadcaster for Anzac Day 2014, bringing live coverage of the commemorative service at Chunuk Bair, Gallipoli.
9.30 pm FILM: DAS BOOT (1981)
2:10pm WWI - 100 YEARS ON
An epic German war film detailing the claustrophobic world of a WWII German U-boat; boredom, filth, and sheer terror.
Military historians Dr Monty Soutar and Dr Stephen Clarke talk about the upcoming centenary of the outbreak of WWI and New Zealand’s place in it.
12.04 am NEWS: TE KĀEA (REPEAT)
Celebrating
10
Years of