RSA Review Winter 2015

WINTER 2015

TARADALE ADJUSTS AIM

Bob McAndrew (left) and Brian (Muffty) Murfitt know the importance of identifying your target. So does their Taradale RSA club which – in its quest for a youthful vibe – is mounting a ‘real drive’ in pursuit of younger members. Story: page 30.

News

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Anzac ‘15

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Remembering

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What’s New

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Young Chinese do it for new country

Four brothers remembered

Crosses inspire first Anzac Day service

WW1 sparks ‘new world of learning’

Three young Chinese architects have redesigned a war memorial – because they want to contribute to their new country.

More than 300 Rameka whanau gathered to remember four brothers – two who fought in World War 1 and two in World War 2.

Thirty crosses that came as part of the Field of Remembrance project inspired Otaki College’s first Anzac Day service.

A tiny Waikato country school has embraced a World War I museum exhibition – and unearthed a winning poet in the process.

VISIT US ONLINE AT WWW.RSA.ORG.NZ

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RSA REVIEW • WINTER 2015

News The official publication of the Royal New Zealand Returned and Services Association Volume 91 No.2 Winter 2015 Published June 22, 2015

In this issue 02 News 08 National 12 Letters 13 Anzac ‘15 18 Lost Trails 25 Remembering 28 What’s On 38 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@rsa.org.nz www.rsa.org.nz Last Post, What’s On and Lost Trails are placed in RSA Review as a free service.

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YOUNG CHINESE DESIGN WAR MEMORIAL FOR NEW COUNTRY Karen Phelps What does it mean to be a Kiwi in this World War 1 centenary year? Three Chinese architecture graduates from the University of Auckland believe that contributing their skills to re-design the Mt Roskill War Memorial was one way they could be part of the commemorations.

Thomas Wenjie Huang, aged 32, Pete Pei Wang, 24, and Tina Tianyue Xie , 24 – Masters of Architecture (professional) students from the university’s School of Architecture and Planning – say they were motivated to improve the important landmark because they wanted to contribute something to their new country.

“I have always had a strong feeling about the memorials and did a couple of school design projects based on memorials while at university,” says Thomas Wenjie Huang.

“The war memorials help people remember the sacrifice and promote peaceful thinking for the future.”

The project was initiated by the Puketapapa Local Board following an approach from the Mt Roskill Historical Society. The old memorial was run down and no longer a fitting tribute. The brief was to preserve, enhance and develop the area so that it could cope with growing numbers at Anzac Day commemorations and provide a place of reflection for the rest of the year.

Huang, who was 17 when he came to New Zealand, says the trio were attracted to the project partly because Mt Roskill is such a multicultural community of Auckland. They spent

War memorial designers (front, from left) Pete Pei Wang, Tina Tianyue Xie and Thomas Wenjie Huang with Puketapapa Local Board members (from left) David Holm, Ella Kumar, Julie Fairey and Michael Wood.

many nights on the project and rejected several designs before coming up with their winner.

He says the design is based on the words, ‘memory’ and ‘vision’. Pathways through the middle of the area form a giant cross, symbolising sacrifice and salvation. A v-shaped concrete barrier looks forward to the centre of the cross, indicating a vision of harmony and forgiveness.

The parade ground around the central cenotaph has also been enlarged and made more

accessible. The names of local residents who lost their lives in wars have been engraved on a metal plaque. Through input from council designers, the winning design also connects the war memorial area to a nearby hall.

“This is my first public work,” says Huang.

“It will be there for a long time in the community and, as a new immigrant, I feel happy I’ve done something for this country. It’s exciting to see the design realised and people using it.”

‘Brainwave’ sees reject concrete form new memorial Reject concrete from a major tunnel project in Auckland has been recycled to create pillars to commemorate the soldiers from Te Kauwhata district and the Waikato region.

The memorial was conceived and erected by the Lions Club of Te Kauwhata and Districts.

Project co-ordinator David Hosking says the Lions realised it would be too expensive to build it from scratch, but “then had the ‘brainwave” – to ask the pre-cast factory if any tunnel segments were available.

The factory, in East Tamaki, has been moulding more than 24,000 segments for tunnels in the Waterview project in Auckland.

The result was a memorial made from five, 10-tonne, concrete segments – rejects that were destined for landfill. Students designed the symbols and structure. Two of the segments

Te Kauwhata’s war memorial has been designed from reject concrete segments destined for landfill.

lean together and represent the spirit of Anzac – New Zealand and Australian soldiers supporting each other. The other three segments carry inscriptions in Maori and English, and the names of locals who have served from World

War 1 through to East Timor. Thirty-nine people from the community have died on service and 214 have returned.

“The support from the factory and the wider Waterview project has been fantastic,” says Hosking. “We’ve never had a memorial in the town to recognise people from the district who served our country in many distant places around the world.”

Brett Gliddon, state highways manager for the New Zealand Transport Authority, says that while Waterview will have benefits for Auckland and neighbouring Waikato, it has always had a community focus.

Andy Bould, pre-cast sub-alliance manager for the Waterview project, agrees: “We are honoured we have been able to support Te Kauwhata’s community and make a contribution like this.”

‘Exciting, new things ahead for the first guy off the block’ Despite the much publicised sale of its property, the Avondale RSA is not closing. Quite the opposite in fact, says president John Weller.

“The RSA has exciting, new things ahead,” he says. “Like some other RSAs around the country, we had been struggling. In our heyday we had 3000 members and this has dropped to around 1000.

“We spoke to other RSAs in the western district (of Auckland) who are in a similar position about the idea of amalgamation. They thought it was a good idea, but didn’t want to move (premises).

Avondale realised it was asset-rich but cashpoor, “so we thought we’d be the first guy off the block”.

The Avondale RSA – a 6077-square-metre

property on the corner of Rosebank Rd and Layard St including a house and a block of four flats as well as the RSA building – sold for around $9 million in April.

Weller says the RSA has negotiated a deal to remain in the building for 21-24 months, which will give it time to sort out its next move.

“We’ve taken the bull by the horns and other clubs obviously think what we’ve done is a good idea. Since we’ve sold, we’ve had two other RSAs, two bowling clubs, one football club and two other sports clubs wanting to talk to us (about possible amalgamation).

“We’ve been busy focusing on the sale, and now that’s taken care of, we are in the process of organising meetings with several of these clubs.”

Aside from monetary reasons, Weller says amalgamation with other local clubs and RSAs could bring a multitude of benefits for members as well as the broader RSA organisation.

“It will bring in different types of people. For example, the football club has a lot of young people, which will bring new blood into the RSA. This is vital for the survival of the organisation.”

Weller says although amalgamation is the goal, the purchase of a smaller property to independently operate the RSA from has not been completely ruled out.

“The day we tell the people we’re not going to be here, we’ll be telling them the new address we’re moving to. It will be exciting for everyone to see what will happen and how it will work out.”

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4 News

RSA REVIEW • WINTER 2015

MYSTERIOUS MEDALLION INSPIRES SPEECH Jo Bailey The story of a mysterious Gallipoli medallion that hung in her mother’s childhood home was the spark for Caitlin Papuni McLellan’s winning speech in the ANZ RSA Cyril Bassett VC Speech Competition.

The Opotiki College head girl won the competition with a “heartfelt, powerful speech” about her relative, Kurei Papuni, and the mana and integrity of the Maori contingent that fought at Gallipoli.

She edged out seven other finalists to earn the right to deliver her speech at the centenary commemorations in Gallipoli. The winner always travels to Gallipoli as part of the New Zealand delegation, but because of the centenary, all eight finalists went this year as part of a group of 25 youth ambassadors from New Zealand.

She says it was great to share the experience with the other students.

“Turkey is such a mind-blowingly beautiful country and the Turkish people are great. When we told them we were from New Zealand, they would say, ‘Anzacs. Your sons, our sons’. It was like a home away from home.”

She delivered her speech at Gallipoli at 11.14pm on April 24 as part of the Anzac reflective service.

“I was ridiculously nervous. It was so quiet when I got up on stage and I couldn’t really see anyone because of the lights. There was a big sphinx all lit up, so I focused on that and wasn’t really aware of the 10,000 people there. When I finished, I left the stage and broke down in tears. As I started to walk away, I saw the crowd giving me a standing ovation, which was the only time it happened during the night. I was blown away.”

Kurei Papuni was 23 when he was killed in battle at Gallipoli. For years, his Gallipoli

I left the stage and broke down in tears... I saw the crowd giving me a standing ovation, which was the only time it happened during the night.

I was blown away.”

Caitlin Papuni McLellan delivers her speech at Gallipoli.

medallion hung in Caitlin’s grandparents’ home but was never discussed.

“My mother used to ask about it, but her questions would be brushed off and she’d be told to go and play with the chickens,” says Caitlin.

It wasn’t until recent years that Kurei’s story has been talked about more openly in Caitlin’s whanau. When her English teacher mentioned the speech competition with the theme of New

Zealanders in World War 1, she thought it was a great opportunity to honour him.

“I thought it was my chance to share his legacy.”

She had just nine days to put together her speech for the Waikato/King Country/Bay of Plenty regional competition, which she won before going on to the national final.

One of the most difficult parts of her research

was discovering that Kurei Papuni was buried in an unmarked grave, she says.

“I didn’t know whether he had been looked after properly. It was hard to think he could be lying anywhere over there.”

Once she got to Gallipoli, her fears were relieved.

“The New Zealand Defence Force and the contingent historian were fantastic and gave us a tour of the battlefields. We walked up Rhododendron Ridge to Chunuk Bair, the same ridge Kurei would have walked. It was hard and emotional to see the area where he would have been shot and killed, but it also put me at ease to know he is lying in such a beautiful place.”

• The speech competition, now in its fifth year, is a partnership between the RSA and ANZ. It was established as a tribute to Cyril Bassett, VC (1892-1983), the only New Zealander at Gallipoli to be awarded the Victoria Cross, who spent his entire working career with ANZ Group.

All finalists receive a smartphone, $1000 in an ANZ bank account, and a further $1000 for their schools. In addition to the trip to Gallipoli, the winner gets a laptop.

WW1 ambulance last of its kind Peter Owens

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Almost certainly few of the large crowd of spectators and participants at Wanaka’s Anzac Day parade recognised a vehicle of considerable historic importance passing by.

This was an extremely rare, century-old military ambulance which saw service in France with New Zealand troops in World War 1. Manufactured early in the war by the Rover Company in Wolverhampton, United Kingdom, under licence from the Sunbeam Motorcar Company Ltd, it is the only survivor of 1600 such vehicles produced at the time.

After the armistice in 1918, the ambulance was shipped to New Zealand with the returning soldiers. It was one of many former ambulances made available to hospital boards by the then Defence Force about 1920.

This vehicle served both as an ambulance

and a mortuary van for the Buller Hospital Board for about five years until it was bought

by Stanley Booth, who converted it into a motorised caravan and covered the exterior with galvanised iron.

In 1966, Bryan Jackson found the old vehicle abandoned in a paddock near Kerikeri with tamarillo plants growing through its body.

Luckily, the original Red Cross and Royal Army Service Corps markings were still there under the galvanised iron. Jackson restored it to its war-service state, rebuilding it with original parts as far as possible and capable of operating under its own locomotion.

He sold the vehicle to the National Transport and Toy Museum in Wanaka, which has an array of rare and historic vehicles. The museum board stored the old ambulance until it opened its hangar at the airport in 1995. It has proved a popular exhibit.

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This World War 1 military ambulance is the only survivor of 1600 similar vehicles built by the Rover company in Wolverhampton. It is on display at the National Transport and Toy Museum in Wanaka.

News

RSA REVIEW • WINTER 2015

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ANZAC COURAGE ‘NOT JUST DISPLAYED ON BATTLEFIELD’ Jo Bailey

Ari Makin, of Devonport, holds the poppy tile destined for the gravesite of his great-great-grandfather, Frederick Wilson, who served in the South African War with the South Australian Mounted Rifles.

Poppy tile project recognises all vets The Devonport RSA has launched a project aimed at ensuring the service of all veterans can be recognised.

Devonport has teamed with the Greater Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust of Melbourne to provide a commemorative poppy tile that can be fixed to headstones, plaques or cremation niches to indicate that person served the country.

The aim is to recognise the service of those who returned from war and lived out their lives in their community. Their service often goes unrecognised unless they are buried in a services cemetery.

Devonport’s Fred Wilson is the RSA member behind the project. He was wanting to acknowledge the service of his grandfather in the South Australian Mounted Rifles in South Africa and his father in units of the New Zealand Artillery in World War 2.

“While the focus of the project is commemorating service in World War 1 over the next four years, the tiles can be used to recognise any veteran of any recognised conflict,” he says.

“The tiles stand out because of their high finish and eye-catching colour, and are an attractive and fitting tribute to all veterans.”

The tiles were developed by the trust in consultation with the Returned Services League of Australia.

The Devonport RSA is distributing the tiles for New Zealand veterans and their families.

Proceeds go the Devonport RSA Poppy Day Trust for the welfare of former service people and their families.

The poppy tile is a decorative packed kit containing two small, highly glazed, white porcelain tiles with the red Flanders poppy printed onto the surface in a slightly raised finish.

The centre of the poppy is a relief of a squad of soldiers on patrol. The packaging features the poem, In Flanders Fields, and the Ode of Remembrance.

The tiles can be fixed to a headstone, plaque or cremation niche using a self-adhesive patch (included in the kit).

The package also contains all the materials required to fix the tiles permanently to any relatively smooth surface.

The larger tile (50mm x 50mm) is suitable for headstones or plaques and the smaller (30mm x 30mm) for cremation niches and other sites.

Other uses for the tiles have also emerged – such as fixing them to the letter-box to announce the home of a veteran.

Another idea is to attach them to street signs that have significance for remembrance.

They are also being considered for special displays inside RSAs that have designated memorial displays of past members.

• Information or purchase: Devonport RSA, PO Box 32-187, Devonport 0744; devonportrsa@ xtra.co.nz; www.devonportrsa.org.nz/tile.

Survivor advocate Louise Nicholas says she was “blown out of the hemisphere” to be named the 2015 Anzac of the Year.

“It was an amazing accolade in recognition of the daily battles we fight on behalf of rape survivors. To have this happen in the 100- year anniversary of the Anzacs made the award even more special and poignant.”

RSA chief executive David Moger says her survival story and ongoing advocacy for others exemplifies the Anzac values of courage, compassion, comradeship and commitment.

“Louise shows us that the Anzac value of courage is not just displayed on the battlefield, and that standing up for what you know is right regardless of the personal sacrifice involved can inspire others to their own acts of bravery.”

Louise Nicholas’s story of childhood and adult rape at the hands of several New Zealand police officers has been well documented in the media.

A film, Consent: The Louise Nicholas Story, was released last year.

After deciding to go public in 2004 and seek accountability for what happened to her, she battled her way through two deposition hearings and five harrowing court cases, which led to a full police investigation and a commission of inquiry into police conduct.

Since the trials she has worked with the New Zealand Law Commission on a report on the victims on sexual crimes and continues to work with senior members of the New Zealand Police.

“It took me years to realise it wasn’t the New Zealand Police that had hurt me; it was some rogue individuals within. Once I got my head around that, I knew I could help provide them with a better understanding of the journey of a survivor of sexual violence through the police and judicial systems.”

She says a lot of survivors feel re-victimised through these processes, which is something she works hard to address.

“It’s important that the police have an understanding of their reactions and inactions when they are dealing with a sexual-assault case, and the empathy that is required to build trust,

The war is not won, but the sur vivors motivate me to keep going.

Louise Nicholas receives the Anzac of the Year award from the governor general, Lt Gen Sir Jerry Mataparae. She intends to give the bronze statue to the Rotorua RSA for safekeeping.

which is imperative for the survivor’s healing.”

She says that whenever she walks into the Police College or a government ministry, she approaches the meetings from a survivor’s perspective: “I take every other survivor with me too.”

Nicholas also works directly with victims of sexual crime in her role as an independent “national survivor advocate” under the funding umbrella of Rape Prevention Education which sees her liaising with survivors, their families and communities around New Zealand.

“My door is always open and people find me in all sorts of ways. The journey to heal starts with speaking out.”

She works with many historic cases where survivors have found the courage to tell a secret they may have harboured for decades.

“It’s important for anyone working with survivors of historic sexual crime, including the police, to be aware that by disclosing what happened to them, the victims have to relive the events. Part of my role is to help survivors understand that the sexual crime doesn’t belong to them, and there is no need for shame or blame.”

She also helps put survivors in touch with others who can offer support: “There is always somebody who can help. It’s all about the survivors and their needs.”

The role includes assisting survivors and their families to navigate the trial process, and ensure appropriate support networks are in place.

“It can be very difficult for anyone in this situation to know how to deal with it. If there is someone like me encouraging them, providing some comfort and inspiration, and giving them information from the perspective of someone who has been there and lived through it, it can help

them see the light at the end of the process.”

She is also on the Tauiwi caucus of the executive committee of Te Ohaakii a Hine – National Network Ending Sexual Violence Together.

In 2007 she was voted the New Zealand Herald’s New Zealander of the Year, and was named in the top 10 list as one of New Zealand’s living treasures. The Katherine Mansfield Birthplace Society nominated her for the Anzac of the Year award.

“It was a huge honour. I was allowed to invite whoever I wanted, so felt it was important to have the likes of Phil Kitchen there, who broke my story back in 2004; Superintendent Tusha Penny and Detective Senior Sergeant Mike McCarthy who are very good friends I work alongside in the police; and members of the Operation Austin investigating team.”

She was also delighted to have shared the award ceremony with her husband, Ross, daughter McKaela, son Luke, father Jim, mother-in-law Phyllis and brother Rob. She intends to keep the bronze statue that goes with the award at home for a short period, giving family and friends time to view it, before putting it in safekeeping at the Rotorua RSA. And winning the award is far from the end of her battle: “The war is not won, but the survivors motivate me to keep going. There is no way in hell I want anybody to go through what I did and what my family did, so I will keep fighting until my last breath to ensure they don’t.”

She agrees she could have sought a lower profile after her own battles were won. Instead, she decided to be a survivor and to inspire others.

“It’s been one hell of a journey. But for all the bad that has happened, a lot of good is coming from it. And as long as that continues, so will I.”

War artist and fire hero remembered with a 5m statue War and civilian hero Horace Moore-Jones has been granted a permanent place in central Hamilton in the form of a 200-kilogram, fivemetre-high, bronze statue. The statue stands opposite the former Hamilton Hotel where Sapper Moore-Jones died in 1922 while trying to save people from the burning building.

Members of the public gathered in late March for the unveiling of the statue gifted by the Theatre Of The Impossible Trust from public fundraising, donations and sponsorship.

When 46-year-old Moore-Jones was told he was too old to fight in World War I, he dyed his hair, shaved his moustache, and enlisted in the army. As a talented artist, he quickly became a mapmaker in the army and continued with artwork.

He is known for his Man and the Donkey painting depicting a ‘donkey ambulance’ scene from Gallipoli where a military medic is transporting a wounded soldier by donkey. What is thought to be the only remaining Man and the Donkey

The statue of Sapper Horace Moore-Jones is unveiled in Hamilton.

painting in private hands sold at auction recently for more than $200,000.

On his return from the war, Moore-Jones became Hamilton High School’s first art master.

The statue shows him sketching, as though at Gallipoli, kneeling on a seven-tonne block of stone gifted and transported to Hamilton by the

Turkish government and the city of Canakkale.

The commemorative statue includes new technology, with a replica camera containing a computerised viewing lens and visuals of Gallipoli, Moore-Jones’s works, and other historic references to enable the cross-media story-telling experience.

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News

RSA REVIEW • WINTER 2015

NEW DESIGN STRONG ON SYMBOLISM Karen Phelps “Bloody wonderful” is how Christchurch Memorial RSA president Peter Dawson describes being in a brand-new building four years after the old building was split into four pieces during the February 22 earthquake.

“The excitement hasn’t worn off,” he says.

Old members are flooding through the doors in a steady stream along with new members impressed by the stunning, new $6.5-million building, which was officially opened on March 27.

Designed by Warren and Mahoney, it makes a striking first impression with 11 eight-metrehigh, steel-bladed columns reaching into the sky to symbolise the signing of the armistice at 11am on 11-11-1918.

This 200-square-metre memorial plaza was a major focus of a bid to make the RSA more accessible to the general public. Dawson says the plaza is full of symbolic meaning, linking it to both world wars and Christchurch city.

“A water feature represents the ocean we fought on and across. The forecourt and the sky visible through the blades symbolises the land and sky we fought to defend.”

The plaza is also a modern reinterpretation of the marae atia, the open area in front of the wharenui, while the water feature symbolises the Avon River and its links to the local Ngai Tahu.

Outdoor seating spilling from the new restaurant allows members to dine outside and contemplate the significance of the area.

The plaza also provides a formal space for RSA activities and has already been used on several occasions, including Anzac Day. Stone walls on two boundaries include eight, bronze wall plaques from the old Christchurch Technical College, remembering students who lost their lives in the world wars. A reflection pool is an important element that encourages quietness and contemplation.

We’re seeing groups of 150 school kids come through.

For us, that’s what it’s all about – education and remembrance.

Interior and exterior views of the new $6.5 million Christchurch Memorial RSA.

The materials used in the main building, including limestone cladding and terrazzo flooring, bring a sense of solidity, while full-height glazing

allows the transparency appropriate to a public venue, says Dawson.

While the aim was to make the RSA a more

publicly accessible venue, the more important focus has been to create a building that pays respect to a rich military history.

Inside, rotating displays of Canterbury and New Zealand military memorabilia are on display.

The current focus is on World War I, including uniforms from soldiers from both world wars and more recent battles, and two officer’s whistles – one intact and the other with a bullet hole through it.

Dawson says that for the first time, large school groups have come to visit the RSA museum and lay wreaths in the memorial plaza.

“RSAs for a long time have been exclusive.

Our memorabilia is not only our history – it’s everyone’s history. We have been selfish for too long and held it too close to our chests. It belongs to everyone’s forebears because it was their sacrifices. We are letting people know this history is their’s and they can use it.

“We’re seeing groups of 150 school kids come through. For us, that’s what it’s all about – education and remembrance.”

A popular piece is Quinn’s Post Flag, the New Zealand national Blue Ensign flag flown at Quinn’s Post, Gallipoli in 1915. It was brought back to New Zealand by Pte John Taylor, Canterbury Battalion and has been signed by members of the Canterbury Battalion.

It’s an appropriate venue, says Dawson Christchurch was the first RSA formed in New Zealand on December 22, 1915 by the first wounded soldiers who returned from Gallipoli.

Prime spot ‘tremendous opportunity’ Karen Phelps

Members of the various services at the opening of the Christchurch Memorial RSA.

The rebuilt Christchurch RSA is now in a prime spot as post-earthquake construction and a changing inner-city business centre take shape, president Pete Dawson observes.

“We used to be a bit out of the way,” he says.

But the central business district of Christchurch is getting built around us. We’re on the tram line and it’s predicted there will be a workforce of 5000 people within a 200-metre radius within 18 months.

“That means tremendous opportunity for us. We’re making sure we’re a strong RSA, and the only way we can do that is by inviting the community in.”

The new RSA’s Trenches restaurant and licensed bar are both open to the public and have combined seating for up to 150.

Dawson says it is heartening to see that local business people starting to come to dine at the RSA.

A first-floor function room, a seminar room and offices can be hired by business and community groups. Upstairs also houses the RSA members’ club bar and administration area.

While an insurance payout, the sale of some land and donations have helped fund the new premises, fundraising continues to meet the significant shortfall.

Dawson hopes increased membership and use of the building will soon bridge the gap: “We’re getting a great response from the public.

Patronage has far exceeded our expectations.”

There has been a 40 per cent increase (from mid-April to mid-May) in the RSA’s membership,” he says.

“This includes a lot of members returning from other RSAs after being homeless for four years, and a lot of new people joining.”

Dawson describes the rebuild as “a hell of a journey”, including a two-year battle with the insurance company when an assessor was adamant the severely damaged building could be repaired. But he now sees only a bright future.

NZ’s last Tin Hat club celebrates its 361st tattoo Peter Owens New Zealand’s only remaining ‘tin hat’ club has held its 361st tattoo at the Gore RSA clubrooms.

The Gore Tin Hat was formed more than 60 years ago.

The first tin hat club in New Zealand was formed in Wellington in 1931, and further clubs followed in most of the larger RSAs. The emphasis was on entertainment, and the proliferation of entertainment options has seen most of the tin hat clubs close in recent years.

However, the Gore Tin Hat Club continues to flourish – it holds six tattoos a year. Attendances hover around 150 and continues to fulfil the objects of the original members with entertainment, refreshments and usually a guest speaker.

The Gore branch was formed after World War 2 to provide entertainment for returned service people and war widows. Details of every Gore tattoo are recorded in poster form in a scrapbook.

These are highly prized and the Gore club has only two left. It is believed others were mislaid when the Gore RSA moved premises.

There was a near full house at the 361st tattoo when the Gore Tin Hat Band, under the direction of Nick Bourke, provided the entertainment, and members played a few cards of housie.

However, the main item on the programme was the visit of the RSA’s new national president BJ Clark.

He congratulated the Gore RSA on its continuing success – it now has 2000 members.

He noted that the RSA is becoming family and community-orientated without surrendering its traditional roles.

Veterans mark the opening of the Christchurch RSA.

Corrections An article headed ‘Understanding dawns as elders respond to whanau questions’ in RSA Review autumn 2015 refers to “Ten-year-old Hei, who carries his great-grandfather’s name” and “several of Hei’s cousins and whanau...”. These excerpts should have read: “Ten-year-old Jayden, who carries his great-grandfather’s name, Hei” and “several of Jayden’s cousins and whanau also asked questions”.

The marae at which the reunion took place was Purekireki, not Punekireki.

Sharon Paewai (nee Taitari/Ormsby) is nee Taitari only.

We apologise for these errors.

8

RSA REVIEW • WINTER 2015

National

ANZAC DAY DAY 2015 IN GALLIPOLI – AS YOUTH AMBASSADOR NO. 26 BJ Clark, RSA national president For the last 20-plus years I have attended the Anzac Day service at my RSA in Papanui, Christchurch. But this year was entirely different.

To say I was excited to receive an invitation to the services in Gallipoli was an understatement.

To represent our veteran community 100 years after the landing at Gallipoli was a privilege and an honour. I was, and remain, very appreciative of the opportunity.

I travelled to Gallipoli as part of New Zealand’s youth ambassadors team – a diverse group of 25 young Kiwis representing a wide cross-section of our society and their five chaperones.

Each ambassador had a specific number, and whenever the group got on the bus, they had to count off, one to 25, so that the chaperones knew everyone was aboard. Very soon I found myself given the honour of being Youth Ambassador Number 26!

On arrival in Canakkale, Turkey, we were met by personnel who had been there for some time preparing for the big day. Over the next few days we visited Troy and other significant battle sites and cemeteries around Gallipoli. We were accompanied by New Zealand historian Iain McGibbon.

Names that had been merely that – names – were suddenly brought to life as we visited cemeteries at Ari Burnu, Helles Memorial, Beach, Hill 60, Daisy Patch, The Farm, Quinn’s, The Nek, Lone Pine and, of course, Chunuk Bair.

Walking amongst the many graves of young men, reflecting on the sad waste of lives in the brutal Gallipoli campaign, one could not help but shed a few tears, quite a few.

A number of the contingent located relatives – a particularly emotional experience for them.

It was also extremely emotional for the youth ambassadors, who were incredibly moved by noting that so many of those killed were not much older than they were, in some cases, younger.

We had two rehearsals for the at Chunuk Bair service. We got a bit damp on the first day, but on the second, the wind and rain really came in and it was almost like winter in Waiouru. It was a credit to all that they stuck to their task and completed the rehearsals.

April 24 and 25 were what we were here for.

We had seen the beauty of the area and met local people. We had also come to understand the difficult terrain and exposed environment our soldiers had faced when they landed and fought. Now it was time to formally acknowledge, remember and honour our fallen.

On the 24th April I joined the VIP party to attend commemorative services for the Turkish forces, followed by the Commonwealth, Irish and then the French. We got back to our hotels about at 10pm knowing we had to be up and ready to go to Anzac Cove for the dawn service at 2.15am.

At Anzac Cove, there were some very moving tributes on the big screens as we awaited the start of the service.

One was a short film about the difficult role of being the telegram man. Before the war, he delivered telegrams for birthdays, weddings, anniversaries and such; but during the war, he was one person you did not want to see coming up your drive – it was his job to deliver the telegram informing you of the injury or death of a family member.

The service started with the very haunting sounds of a didgeridoo, followed by a karanga from our Maori culture group. Messages were read from Prince Charles and the prime ministers

BJ Clark takes a seat with New Zealand’s youth ambassadors (left) and lays a wreath (right) with Prince Harry at the New Zealand memorial service at Chunuk Bair.

of New Zealand and Australia. I then had the privilege of placing the first of three wreaths I was to lay that day.

At the completion of the dawn service, we had a breakfast event where our ANZ RSA Cyril Bassett Speech Competition winner, Caitlin Papuni McLellan, presented her magnificent speech. Many notable people congratulated her, and she deserved every word of praise.

We then boarded the bus for the Australian service at Lone Pine where I had the privilege of laying a wreath with the RSL president Ken Doolan.

Following Lone Pine we went to a service at a Turkish cemetery for the 57th Regiment, then on and up to the New Zealand service at Chunuk Bair. It was a very emotional experience walking

into the service to a sea of Kiwis who had made a long trek for this extremely special day.

It started with another karanga and the mounting of the catafalque party. Prince Charles gave a short speech, as did prime minister John Key. Lt Col Mike Duncan, the contingent commander, gave a reading. The service was a wonderful mixture of solemnity amid a respectfully relaxed atmosphere and it brought a feeling of home to Gallipoli.

The ultimate honour for me was to lay a wreath with Prince Henry of Wales (Prince Harry’s correct title) and then to recite the Ode. It was a very emotional moment and I am not embarrassed to admit there were a number of tears.

All too soon the occasion came to an end, and we made our final departure from Gallipoli.

The journey down the hill was an opportunity to reflect on the amazing privilege and opportunity I had been given to represent all those who have served. It is an honour I do not take lightly. This trip will be a highlight of my life.

The journey down the hill was an opportunity to reflect on the amazing privilege and opportunity I had been given to represent all those who have served. It is an honour I do not take lightly.

This trip will be a highlight of my life. When you walk around the cemeteries at Gallipoli, you cannot help but feel the spirit of those buried there.

That feeling has come back to New Zealand with me.

I would like to acknowledge the youth ambassador group. These young men and women were a credit to their country and a real pleasure to travel with.

They worked hard at Anzac Cove as ushers and general helpers, and, after the New Zealand service at Chunuk Bair, they helped get people onto their buses and back to their hotels etc.

Their positive attitude, general behaviour and support of one another made life much easier for their chaperones. Every one of them contributed to the success of the trip and they were well supported by the NZ Defence Force and Veterans’ Affairs.

Thank you, too, to the crew of the Boeing 757 from 40Sqn. They ensured our flights went without hitch and looked after us particularly well – civilian airlines are over-rated!.

This trip has been a highlight of my life and it will stay with me forever.

National

RSA REVIEW • WINTER 2015

9

USE OF TECHNOLOGY, PARTNERS A SEA CHANGE FOR RSA David Moger, RSA chief executive As Anzac Day 2015 dawned, it brought with it not just the most important centenary most of us will ever see, but our national flag was lowered to half-mast while under the threat of being changed by a small and shrinking vocal minority. There was also a major change in the way the RSA leads commemorations.

We saw record attendances at dawn parades, continuing a trend of rising numbers over at least the last five years.

Once again, we saw a major increase in the numbers of families and young people attending, confirming the importance of our military heritage and the engagement of the younger generation.

So where was the major change I mentioned?

The answer lies in technology and the way in which we are using it. Our new national on-line membership programme, the RSA National Association, is one example.

We’re also using partners to engage more New Zealanders with our cause. The involvement of Poppy Appeal ambassadors, such as Sir Peter Jackson, has been a great success. He reached out to his 2 million-plus, social-media followers to encourage them to support what we do through our Poppy Appeal.

This has been a major boost and we are so grateful for his support. Philip Meyer, Sir Graham Henry, Sir Peter Leach, Antonia Prebble, Mark Hadlow, and George Bridgewater made up the rest of our ambassador team, and we appreciate all they did for us.

We also partnered with NZME this year to

The RSA partnered with NZME to develop and launch the PINAPOPPY initiative.

develop and launch the “pin-a-poppy” initiative. By texting PINAPOPPY to 4662, New Zealanders could make a quick $3 donation.

Our supporters were then sent a virtual poppy to be used in their on-line lives, social media,

emails and websites, to show their support for the RSA cause. It was wonderful to see the internet blooming with thousands of virtual poppies. With the PINAPOPPY and POPPY text donations, we raised more than $70,000 for our

support services. We are very grateful to NZME for its support in making this such a success and look forward to developing this innovation further for next year’s Poppy Appeal campaign.

Another on-line initiative launched this year was the Shadow Battalion, developed in partnership with a long-term friend of the RSA, the ANZ Bank. The ANZ has been supporting the RSA for many years in a number of ways, including the prestigious ANZ RSA Cyril Bassett VC Speech Competition, and now by fully funding the development of the Shadow Battalion.

This ground-breaking remembrance programme was a new way to honour the Anzacs by jumping on line, selecting an Anzac to honour, and sharing that on social media. Thirty-eight thousand Anzacs were remembered and more than 20,000 people shared in the campaign, 96 per cent of them through Facebook.

This was particularly impressive given that remembrance — rather than prizes or gifts — was the only incentive for participation. We could not have achieved that without the ANZ’s help.

With partners like ANZ, NZME, New World, Countdown, Mazda, Z Energy, Mitre 10, V8 Supercars and The Warehouse, and innovative use of technology in projects such as the #ShadowBattalion and PINAPOPPY, we are pushing forward in our vision for a nation with a heartfelt connection to the Anzac spirit.

More and more people are noticing and getting on board with us. Not bad for an organisation which, just a few years ago, was known only as place for old blokes!

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RSA REVIEW • WINTER 2015

FLAG REPRESENTS UNIQUE NZ HISTORY RSA national president BJ Clark puts the RSA’s position on proposals to change the New Zealand flag, and raises questions about the way in which the referendum process is being organised and presented.

You will be well aware that the Government intends to hold two referendums which, in my opinion, is a process designed to convince New Zealanders they need to vote to change our current flag.

The position of the RSA national executive, and indeed the vast majority of the RSA, is that we wish to retain our flag.

For many who have served, our flag is symbolic of the sacred oath they made to protect the peace and security of New Zealand. Our men and women have made terrible personal sacrifices in fulfilling their oaths and we honour their courage and commitment every time the current New Zealand flag is flown.

Some may have seen the flag draped over the coffins of their friends and family who paid the ultimate sacrifice for the peace and security of us all. It is hard to underestimate how important this symbol is to these New Zealanders.

Our flag is not only about yesterday; young veterans of today still serve under that flag and are still paying the ultimate sacrifice. New Zealanders have flown our flag during our nation’s brightest achievements and at times of great mourning. It connects us with our friends in the United Kingdom and our mates in Australia.

The current New Zealand flag represents the history that makes us uniquely Kiwi. It unites us with the colonial history that forged a pioneering and innovative people, while celebrating the special connection we have to the sea and the sky.

As a country, we take pride in our history and ancestors, both indigenous and colonial.

Based on that alone, do we want to change what was forged when our earliest settlers and mana whenua came together as one nation? A country should be proud of its history, not discard it.

Why the urgency for a referendum?

It is totally inappropriate that this debate should occur as we commemorate the centenary of World War 1. The RSA did not want to debate this issue pre-Anzac Day, but we were forced to by the Government decision, again inappropriate in our view, to close submissions on the Flag

The position of the RSA national executive is that New Zealand should keep its current flag.

Referendum Bill three days before Anzac Day. Is this the most pressing item on the Government’s agenda? I don’t see the people of New Zealand protesting in the streets demanding this referendum. In fact, the polls indicate around 75 per cent support for the current flag. If one of the political parties were polling that high, they would see it as an overwhelming support.

I would have thought the Government had more important issues on its plate – issues the people of New Zealand would want to see actioned now, rather than have us focus on changing the flag.

Does NZ want a flag change?

The two-part referendum process comes at an incredible cost of almost $26 million. All New Zealanders should ask if this the best use of taxpayer funds at a time when we are told we need to tighten our belts. I would much rather have the money spent on areas that would really make a difference – such as providing support for carers of the disabled, child poverty, health or education initiatives.

The Government’s complicated two-part referendum process should be changed to a single referendum asking if New Zealanders want to change the flag. This has the potential to save millions in taxpayer funds and will gauge, up front, the level of support for a new flag.

The referendum process also seems to lack a level of democracy. Part of the $26m will enable

the flag consideration panel to travel the country to promote change; those who oppose the change must use their own resources to do so. The view that the panel has been set up to promote change is backed by a comment from the Prime Minister, who said it was entirely possible “we can get it over the line” once New Zealanders had had a chance to consider alternative designs and the merits of changing the flag.

Is our flag too similar to Australia’s?

Should we use a national symbol?

There is a common belief amongst Kiwis that New Zealand’s flag is too similar to the Australian flag. While similarities are there, I don’t think we should feel the need to change it. We have a close relationship with our Anzac friends and should see the relationship between our flags as a positive rather than a negative.

There is also argument from flag-change supporters that we should use other New Zealand national symbols on our flag. Until recently there was some public support for the silver fern on a black background, but that idea has now fallen out of favour.

At least the current flag has demonstrated its lasting qualities and has not been affected by fashion and recent events. Our national flag has stood the test of time.

The silver fern, the koru and the kiwi will always be part of our national identity, whatever the result of the referendum, but we would hate

to see the current New Zealand flag and the unique history it represents become obsolete.

Join us in the fight

Our flag is a part of our nation’s history, and the events we have experienced since it first flew have given it a symbolic and emotional value that stands apart from the design itself.

We ask for the support of all RSA members who believe the current flag should be retained.

Write to your MP and ask him/her to vote against the Flag Referendum Bill. Write to the editor of your local paper. Attend a public flagconsultation roadshow and voice your support for the flag. Make sure you are heard as we debate the change.

The New Zealand national flag has traditionally represented generations of New Zealanders at peace and in war, during depression and prosperity, trade and in our sporting arenas.

The flag represents our Anzac connection and flies proudly as the chief symbol of our nation by law, custom and tradition. Long may our national flag fly aloft, and long may it continue to fly freely for new generations of New Zealanders.

Lest we forget those who have proudly served under our flag for more than 100 years.

Visit rsa.org.nz/FightforOurFlag to find out more. For the dates of the public-roadshow events, go to www.govt.nz and search for ‘national road show’.

SPECIAL DOMESTIC INSURANCE DEALS FOR RSA MEMBERS Grant Marris, RSA business development manager

As business development manager at the RSA, one of my jobs is to bring special benefits to our members. In each issue of RSA Review, I will be outlining new benefits available for RSA members.

Commemorative poppy fern pins Demand exceeded supply for many RSAs selling commemorative poppy fern pins. They are now back in stock.

This year, the RSA brought out a number of lapel pins commemorating the service and sacrifices shown by our Defence Force over the last 100 years.

You may have seen these at Countdown supermarkets around the country and at New Zealand Post branches.

The commemorative poppy fern pins (pictured

left), however, were sold only at RSAs, and demand was so great many RSAs sold out.

The pins are expected to be back in stock now, so contact your local RSA toreserve yours.

Vero Insurance

The RSA is proud to be in partnership with Vero Insurance.

RSA members now have access to special, negotiated deals for domestic insurance, and insurance for house and contents, vehicles, and boats.

Call Vero on 0800 800134, say you’re an RSA member, quote your membership number – and you’re in line for these discounts.

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12

RSA REVIEW • WINTER 2015

Your say YOUR LETTERS

RSA WITH A VIEW: Alistair Kerr

THE NEED FOR CHANGE Panache missing from Anzac parade ‘BLINDINGLY OBVIOUS’ If some of you feel my recent columns have concentrated too much on the need for our local associations to prepare to cope with a changing future, I make no apology.

For a whole range of reasons, the need for change is blindingly obvious and it is good to see how that our National Executive Council has been working to bring that about on a national basis.

But it is distressing to learn about so many local associations either closing, merging with other clubs, or struggling to survive. If this column provides some enlightenment, suggestions or ideas on dealing with this issue, I am happy to have been of help.

Here’s a thought about encouraging younger people to join the RSA. Our national rules (pages 34/35, 4th schedule, sections 13-18), allow for junior members, aged 13 to 18.

“What”, you may well ask, “is the benefit of that?” As I see it, there are at least two advantages from promoting such a policy: • one of our major goals is fostering the ‘image’ of our clubs as ‘family-friendly’. Fostering the presence of teenagers would enhance this image .

• while we may lose those young people after they turn 18, if they have had positive experiences,

they may well come back as adults, especially as parents with their own children.

Your next question may well be: ‘Where do we find these junior members?”

I suggest you start with your current adult membership by suggesting they might enrol their own children as junior members.

If your association has ties with a local cadet corps (Community Cadets, Sea Cadets or Air Training Corps), those ties could perhaps be enhanced by offering their members the chance to join at a special low subscription.

If no such links have been formed, this could be a good way of starting a rewarding involvement.

The next consideration is: What amenities and activities can we provide for this age-group?

The best way to do this is to ask the young people. As a retired teacher, I know that these kids can really apply themselves to such a suggestion and would appreciate being involved in the process.

I am sure the RSA Review would be interested to hear of any local association which has already enrolled junior members, and about how the process has worked out.

It has been 15 years since I paraded on an Anzac dawn service – only to be saddened not by the remembrance of the occasion, but by the lack of regimental panache that was the Napier dawn service. A large part of this is due to the fact I have been the president of the Takapau RSA for the last 13 years, and when you have the hands on the rudder, you don’t want to let go.

Anzac Day services are, for want of a better term, a “funeral service”, and should be given the respect and protocol they deserve. How long have RSAs been co-ordinating these events?

The main issue I had was poor organisation of the parade.

There was no obvious parade marshal in sight to grip up not only the parade, but the dozens of ex-service personnel waiting patiently in the crowd for the command, “Fall in”. There was no New Zealand ensign on the cenotaph to be lowered during The Last Post, no adequate public-address system, no Ode in Te Reo and, most importantly, no wreath-laying.

I commend the Napier RSA for conducting both the dawn and the civic service at the cenotaph.

Gallipoli is being honoured nationally this year, and we will be commemorating World War 1 for the next three years. The Somme and Passchendaele will be commemorated between now and 2018. We must be mindful not to promote World War 1 fatigue. I have spoken to Napier RSA president John Purcell about

these matters, and in an effort to not just point out problems, I have offered to join the events management team.

Those at the helm of our RSAs are getting older, and very few of our generation of ex-service personnel are stepping up and getting involved with RSA executives. With many RSAs closing, we have to ask ourselves why these people are not getting involved?

I believe this country needs to formally welcome home our Defence Force personnel from Afghanistan. This operation spanned more than 10 years, and more Defence personnel were deployed in Afghanistan than in Vietnam. Ten made the ultimate sacrifice.

By formally welcoming home our young men and women, we will start to bridge the gap between the old guard and the new at our RSAs, and perhaps we will still be here to commemorate the 200th anniversary. In 25 years, it will be the 100th commemoration of World War 2.

Then, to make my day in the Napier RSA, I was constantly asked to show my proof of affiliation while standing at the bar wearing my RSA badge and medals. I know the staff are only doing their job in line with the district liquor licensing authority requirement, but this was an insult to my integrity after a military career of 20-plus years. I did not attend the civic service.

WO1 Andy Kells, RNZIR (retired) Westshore

• Indeed we would be – Dion Crooks, editor.

Leaders in aged care

Lt Gen Tim Keating, head of the New Zealand Force, takes the salute at the Welcome Home ceremony of recognition organised by the Paraparaumu RSA. The ceremony re-dedicated the town’s memorial arch and sought to bridge the gap between ‘older’ and ‘younger’ veterans.

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A new plaque on the centrepiece of the renovated Memorial Arch in Paraparaumu is thought to be the first formal recognition of New Zealand military personnel and police service in troublespots since 1945.

In a ‘welcome home’ ceremony, the Paraparaumu RSA became one of the first in the country to add a specific ‘United Nations & Allied Coalitions’ plaque to the pillars of the 93-year-old arch.

New Zealand Defence Force chief Lt Gen Tim Keating unveiled the plaque in front of around 400 people. The hope is the plaque and ceremony will help bridge the generation gap between war veterans and the young servicemen and women of recent operations.

Paraparaumu RSA president Chris Turver says recognition is well overdue because the current generation of servicemen and women face hostile situations in stressful operational theatres ranging from the Middle East to Afghanistan.

But their work is not generally recognised on commemorative memorials back home.

The ceremony was part of the re-dedication of the arch, an official World War 1 commemorative restoration project funded by the Kapiti

Coast District Council, the Lottery Grants Board, Electra and Vodafone.

Turver hopes “the ceremony of recognition” will be taken up around the country to help bridge the generation gap and bring together survivors of all the operational theatres in which New Zealand has been involved.

“Just as we rely on one another in war, we rely on one anther in peace for the same comradeship and support.”

He says the plaque also recognises the families of service personnel who have had to put up with long absences and the associated stressful uncertainties, and deal with consequences such as post-traumatic stress disorder.

The re-dedication ceremony included a parade by local veterans of World War 2, Korea, Malaya, Malaysia/Borneo and Vietnam, and recent veterans of United Nations & Allied coalition operations.

The plaque unveiling was followed by a merging of the ranks – for the first time in New Zealand. The older veterans marched up to the younger veterans, who opened ranks; the older veterans stepped into the gaps forming one cohesive unit.

13

RSA REVIEW • WINTER 2015

Anzac ‘15

NURSING CORPS CELEBRATES CENTENARY Sherayl McNabb After years of struggle to have an army nursing service formed, The New Zealand government’s cabinet approved its formation on January 11, 1915. On January 30, national newspapers carried the news 50 nurses would be selected for membership of the New Zealand Army Nursing Service (NZANS).

Initially they were to be the only nurses sent away to war by New Zealand, and numerous nurses made their own way overseas to serve with other military and civilian organisations.

However, because of the escalation of the Gallipoli campaign, the British requested more military nurses from New Zealand.

The first 50 nurses of the newly formed NZANS sailed aboard the SS Rotorua for England on April 8, 1915. From England they were sent to Egypt and served in British military hospitals, on hospital ships, and in our own No.1 New Zealand General Hospital (1NZGH) in Egypt.

Tragedy struck the NZANS on October 23, 1915.

Ten nurses from No 1 New Zealand Stationary Hospital (1NZSH) were lost when the troop ship Marquette was torpedoed in the Aegean Sea on its way to Salonika.

Between 1915 and 1918, 625 NZANS nurses served in military hospitals and on hospital ships in Egypt, England, France and New Zealand.

During World War 1 nurses were given the

The third contingent of 69 nurses, plus staff of the NZHS Maheno, with Matron Eva Brook in the centre of the front row. Both of these photos were taken on the steps of the Parliament Library.

courtesy of officer status only. They did not become commissioned officers until World War 2.

The NZANS became the New Zealand Nursing Corps in 1952 to reflect that nurses worked with all three services. In 1953 the unit became the Royal New Zealand Nursing Corps and, in 1977, the Princess Royal became its colonel-in-chief.

The Royal New Zealand Nursing Corps today. The three officers in front from left are LtCol Lee Turner, current director of nursing services, and LtCol Maree Sheard and LtCol Gerard Wood, both past directors of nursing services.

Since January 1915 more than 2500 nursing officers and ordinary ranks have served in the corps – in World Wars 1 and 2, Vietnam, Iraq, East Timor, Bosnia and Afghanistan. They have been part of disaster-relief missions and search-and-rescue operations in New Zealand.

Past and present nurses will gather in

Wellington on July 17 for a commemoration service at the National War Memorial and afternoon tea at Government House with the Governor General.

A formal dinner will be held at Parliament on the Friday evening.

• Information: 027 4815864; rnznc_2015@ xtra.co.nz.

Four brothers, two wars, five generations, one very special occasion Jo Bailey The exploits of four brothers – two who served in World War 1 and two in World War 2 – were honoured at a gathering of more than 300 of their whanau at Nukuhau Marae, Taupo over Anzac weekend.

Toby Rameka came up with the idea for the two and a half days of celebrations as he sat with whanau at the lake at Hiruharama over New Year reminiscing about how life was when he was growing up.

“I was thinking about the significance of the upcoming 100-year Anzac celebrations and said to my whanau, ‘Do you think we should do something to commemorate Dad and his three brothers?’ They all said yes, so that was the beginning of it.”

His father, Hone, served alongside his brother, Henare, in World War 1. Their younger brothers, Te Urunga (Uncle Barko) and Tuwharetoa (Uncle Tata), fought in World War 2.

“My father enlisted to fight again, but remained in New Zealand and did not see active service,” says Toby.

Uncle Barko, the father of two young daughters, was the only one of the four brothers not to return home. He was killed in action at the age of 34 years, and is buried in the Caserta War Cemetery, in Italy.

Toby, who is now 82, says his father and uncles were humble men who didn’t seek attention after the war.

“They didn’t like to talk too much about the war, but their memories would often come out in song. My father and Uncle Henare fought in France, so they knew some French songs and a few other songs I don’t like to repeat. They could be very hilarious, especially when they came home after a few drinks at the hotel.”

Hone was 87 when he died after a full life working as a foremen in the forestry and for the Public Works Department.

Toby has fond memories of Uncle Tata, who died nearly 20 years ago after living to a “ripe

Descendents of the Rameka brothers who served in both world wars listen to Toby Rameka (left) and the Rev Robert Kereopa at the commemoration service in Taupo.

old age; and he can remember Henare Rameka earning the nickname, Uncle Fletcher, through his gambling successes.

“He made quite a lot of money playing two-up out the back of the pub after six o’clock closing, so they started calling him Fletcher, after Fletcher Building, which was building a lot of houses in Waiouru at the time.”

The descendants of Arihia and TeMatohi Rameka and their seven children were joined by guests at the celebrations at Nukuhau Marae, the community in which the whanau was raised in the late 1800s.

“Kaumatua from marae across the district came to share in the event, which was great,” says Toby. “It was a very emotional, wonderful occasion.”

Five generations of the Rameka whanau took over the sleeping quarters at the marae and bunked down with other extended-family members.

“We had a house full of relations, some of

them sleeping on the floor for two or three days.

Everyone met someone new to them – others rekindled friendships from 25 years ago. It was fantastic.

“It was quite amazing to get the families together as it’s 25 years since that last happened.

The biggest buzz has been the excitement of the younger generation. They’re still putting things up on facebook and ringing me up to see when we can get together again.

“It is indeed a comfort to know that the legacy of four brothers who sacrificed so much so that we could have the life we enjoy now – will live on through future generations. We will remember them.”

He pays special tribute to the nephews and nieces who were instrumental in putting together the celebrations: “They did a fantastic job and had everything sorted, from breakfast to dinner and tea.”

A commemorative dinner was shared by around 300 whanau, which saw them feast

on everything from fresh and smoked trout, to wild pigs and deer caught by nephews in the Taraweras.

“Everyone sat around and talked about their memories of the brothers. A big reason behind the event was for the young ones to learn about their koro, and the stories could be passed to the next generation.

“It was a wonderful time.”

Photos of the brothers were on display and the descendants of each had group photographs taken.

Henare (Uncle Fletcher) Rameka’s grandson, Rev Robert Kereopa, and his daughter, Canon Tamsyn Kereopa, led a “very emotional service that we could all share in”.

The Last Post was played by Grant Donaldson, a representative of the Taupo RSA. The event was filmed by two nephews who work in the television industry, so the whanau is looking forward to getting together again to view the results.

14 Anzac ‘15

RSA REVIEW • WINTER 2015

ANTHEM HAS ‘SPECIAL PLACE IN MY HEART’ Karen Phelps

When Rebecca Nelson stepped on stage at dawn on Anzac Day to sing the New Zealand National Anthem at the Gallipoli centenary service, she saw 10,000 pairs of eyes staring back at her. And she felt just one emotion – pride.

“It was a very surreal moment,” she recalls.

“I know I am never going to forget that sea of faces singing along with me. The trip to Turkey was the trip of a lifetime. We worked so hard and learnt a lot about our country and the heroics of our brave soldiers.”

It was the second time she has sung the National Anthem at Gallipoli. In both years the New Zealand Navy Band, with which she was singing, toured battlefields and significant monuments in the area as part of the preparation process – the idea was to give the performers a true understanding of the occasion.

Two moments from this year stick in her mind as band members sought to remember the sacrifice of the soldiers in the best way they knew how – with music.

“At the Anzac Cove Cemetery FlSgt Murray Mansfield suddenly pulled out his bagpipes and walked up the beach playing an ode to the soldiers who lost their lives there. Then, as we walked along the path the soldiers took to arrive at Chunuk Bair at Table Top, Cpl Kevin Hickman pulled out a 100-year-old bugle that had been played at Gallipoli and the sound echoed around the hills.

“Looking at the landscape and where the soldiers arrived, you wonder how any of our boys survived. A lot of the men didn’t last a day and were as young as 17 – they were just babies.”

It was a sobering experience for the players as they prepared for the service with

Rebecca Nelson sings the New Zealand national anthem at the New Zealand service at Chunuk Bair, Gallipoli.

performers from Australia and Turkey. They played at concerts on the night of the 24 th, then grabbed a few hours’ sleep before the 3am alarm for the dawn service and later the New Zealand service at Chunuk Bair. It was a busy and sometimes emotionally draining day.

“At the time, we are too busy focusing on

doing the job,” says Nelson. “At the end of the day we can all let out our emotion because we’ve finished our work. When I saw the veterans and family members laying the wreaths, that was a moment when I broke down.”

Twenty-seven-year-old Rebecca Nelson, a cross-over classical singer, was born in

Christchurch. She has come a long way since she was discovered busking on the streets of Devonport, Auckland by Royal New Zealand Navy musical director LtCdr Owen Clarke, who immediately approached her to join the Royal New Zealand Navy as a guest singer.

She toured New Zealand with the Navy Band as a civilian for three months, then 18 months ago decided to join up as a reservist performing as the band’s official singer.

“I love the group atmosphere and how the band all works together as a community, plus they are fantastic musicians. As a solo artist it’s nice to have a band who is a family to return to when I come back from performing overseas.”

She has toured Ireland as The Priests’ guest soloist, performed in the South Island with Will Martin (also a classical crossover singer), and sung national anthems (New Zealand and other nations) at All Blacks test matches. This year she will perform her own show on cruise-liners.

Her recently released second album, Reflection, was inspired by her first visit to Gallipoli. It features the Navy Band, has a strong military feel and includes Vera Lynn war songs.

Her great uncle, Thomas Nelson – a New Zealand teamster in World War 1 – died on January 19, 1918 at the age of 26 in Belgium.

She wore his service medals at the Gallipoli services. She encourages Kiwis to visit Turkey and discover some of New Zealand’s military history, as she has been fortunate to do.

“You don’t have to go on Anzac Day. It’s a moving experience no matter when you go.

Taking part in such a monumental commemoration has given our national anthem a whole new meaning for me. It holds a very special place in my heart.”

419 poppies, representing all the Waihi residents who served during World War 1, line the pit-rim fence of the Martha Mine.

Scale of poppy fence shocks organiser Inspired by the visual tribute on the Tower of London, the Kiwi town of Waihi has come up with its own version. The Martha mine pit-rim fence has been transformed into a blaze of colour as 419 poppies form a visual tribute to Waihi residents who served their country during World War 1.

The memorial is the first time all those who served in World War 1 have been recognised in Waihi, says the local Lions Club secretary, Kevin Corney. The memorial was created as part of the club’s World War 1 centennial project and to mark the club’s 50th jubilee this year.

Corney says he was surprised by the number of Waihi residents involved in the war.

“At the beginning I was expecting there to be something like 60 or 70. When the number got to over 400 from a small town like Waihi, it was a shock.

“When you see those 419 poppies placed on the fence, it makes you realise what it must have been like when all those young people from this town went off to war. It has helped people get an idea of the sacrifice those people made.”

Each poppy has a tag to identify each person by name and, if possible, unit, service number and division. A cross indicates the person did not return. A board explaining the poppies’ significance includes a QR code linking to

further information on the Auckland Museum Cenotaph website.

The board was unveiled by Waihi resident George Hall, a former Royal Navy minesweeper serviceman and founder of the Normandy Veterans’ Association of New Zealand.

Corney says the project was made possible by assistance and advice from Waihi Heritage Vision, the Waihi Museum and the RSA. The council’s Waihi ward contributed $500 and significant funding support was received from the Waihi RSA. Kit Wilson, chairperson of Waihi Heritage Vision and external affairs co-ordinator for Newmont Waihi Gold, says the response from the public has been fantastic.

“People are even starting to put little poppies they have brought next to the name of the person who is special to them. There were a significant number of people who left from this area to participate in World War 1, including 88 members of the New Zealand Tunnelling Company.”

The poppies will remain in place until the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day in November 2018; they will then be given to the families of the people they honour. Anyone who knows of servicemen or women whose names have been missed can contact the Waihi Lions, and a poppy and their name can be added to the fence.

Sam Rountree stands amongst the 270 bikes and 350 enthusiasts at the Chtistchurch Ride of Respect. The ride raised more than $3100

Ride of Respect gathers momentum Motorcyclists came together in nine New Zealand centres to pay tribute to our service people, remember those who have fallen or who were injured, and to offer support to their families.

Ride of Respect events were organised on May 17 in North Shore, South Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Hawke’s Bay, Wellington, Top of the South, Canterbury, West Coast, and Lower/ Central South Island.

The Christchurch ride raised more than $3100, which was presented to national president BJ Clark to be passed on to the Canterbury District RSA’s welfare fund. The ride which started from the Papanui RSA, attracted 350 people, a number of them veterans, with around 270 bikes

of varying size and shape. The route took them to the Paparua RSA, then to Oxford Working Men’s Club and the finish at the Rangiora RSA. The ride was co-ordinated by Sam Rountree and the Widow Sons, an International Freemason motorcycle association The concept began with two English, biking grandmothers, Julia Stevenson, from Dartford in Kent, and Anne Cole, from Gloucester. Julia Stevenson organised the first Ride of Respect in 2010.

The idea has grown each year. Many countries were involved this year, and all rides started at the same time – effectively making it one, big single ride.

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16 Anzac ‘15

RSA REVIEW • WINTER 2015

SURVIVORS NOT FORGOTTEN

Left: Collingwood RSA president Barry Pomeroy points to the name of 94-year-old ex-serviceman Clem Randall (left) at the unveiling of the Collingwood Honour Board. Flanders Field, recreated with poppies and crosses by more than 25 people in Golden Bay. Right: The fivesome who put it together: from left, Pam Burnett, Sara Chapman, Tessa Gilhooly, Lydia Milne and Pat Brown.

The idea of recognising the men and women who served their country and returned home grew out of a speech at Anzac Day 2011 in Collingwood.

The speaker commented on the fact that we have memorials and cenotaphs to those who didn’t come home, but nothing public with the names of those who did come home.

Lydia Milne and Tessa Gilhooly took up the challenge.

They began researching that year, with the brief of identifying and recording all servicemen and women with a connection to the wider Collingwood area who served overseas and returned.

Their timeline was from the South African War on.

Collingwood’s Honour Board was unveiled on Anzac Day this year, with 265 entries. The

project continues because the pair know there are other people whose names they have yet to discover.

The Royal New Zealand RSA has approved use of its logo and made a statement of support to go on a plaque beside the honour board.

Anzac Day 2015 in Collingwood also involved a re-enactment of the Gallipoli landings and a re-creation of Flanders Fields.

Sounds memorial restoration project meets Anzac deadline A war memorial honouring fallen servicemen from the Marlborough Sounds was restored and enhanced in time for Anzac Day this year.

The Sounds Soldiers’ Memorial commemorates the sacrifice made by the men from the Kenepuru and Central Marlborough Sounds – 21 in World War 1 and eight in World War 2.

Funded by donations from the community, it was established in 1920 on the saddle between Torea Bay and Portage Bay, overlooking both the picturesque Kenepuru and Queen Charlotte sounds.

The names on the memorial include Sgt Len Godsiff, Canterbury Infantry Regiment, who was awarded a Military Medal at Passchendaele in 1917, and Cpl Rex Beech, who was killed while serving with the Long Range Desert Group in February 1941, and was awarded a posthumous Mention in Despatches.

Following the 2014 decision to upgrade the memorial, the plaques were refurbished, additional information added about the soldiers, and the surrounding scrub removed (the plan is to plant natives around it in spring).

The Kenepuru and Central Sounds Residents’ Association placed 29 white crosses, each with the name of one of the men, around the memorial on Anzac Day this year.

The Anzac Day service was taken by Rev Nigel Whinney, a former Fleet Air Arm helicopter pilot.

Pupils from Waitaria Bay School laid poppies next to the white crosses during the ceremony, and wreaths were laid on the memorial.

People walking the Queen Charlotte Track, or travelling between Torea and Portage bays, are invited to visit the memorial.

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The aim of this workshop is to: • help you to maintain and improve your safe driving practices • Give you information about other transport options available when driving is no longer possible.

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15-039

18

RSA REVIEW • WIntER 2015

Lost Trails Bathurst minesweepers

Tales wanted from those who served in the Bathurst minesweepers. Contact: Gerry Wright – gerrywright@xtra.co.nz; 8 Rowan Rd, Epsom, Auckland, 1923.

LCpl John Hubert Monteith

Looking for the WW1 medals of LCpl John Hubert Monteith, Wellington Infantry Battalion.

He was injured at Gallipoli on August 8, 1915.

Medals were sold out of the family to an unknown antique dealer in Hawke’s Bay or Wellington. Contact: Fiona – nonimassey@ gmail.com

Do you know this pin (below)?

Family stumped by this one. Presume it’s from a reunion. Can anyone help? Contact: Sue – sue.penman@okereru.co.nz

Gordon McLean

Family trying to track down medals Gordon McLean (grandfather) received during World War 2. He gave his service medals to a boy who lived in his street in Wanganui, but was not related to him. Gordon McLean, 22290, served from 1939-45, fought in the 21st Battalion, 2nd NZEF, and was a POW in Germany. Contact: Clarinda – cinda21@hotmail.com

Mr Gould from Rakaia

Information sought on a great uncle (surname was Gould, came from Rakaia in Mid Canterbury) who was killed in World War 1 (not sure where).

Contact: Ngaire – ngaire.roberts@gmail.com

Thomas Birkby Cannon

Granddaughter trying to locate the World War 1 medals of Thomas Birkby Cannon. The medals were part of the Skelsey Collection in Wanganui and are believed to have been in Wellington since 2008 with person who has the Major Lovegrove Collection. Contact: Lorraine – canlorraine@xtra.co.nz

25 Battalion, WWII

Normandy Campaign medal

Normandy Campaign medal found in Tory St, Wellington on Anzac Day. Miniature with a Normandy clasp. Thought to be rare. No name or other form of identification. Contact: Jonathan – 04 4396626; jonathan.rings@ nzdf.mil.nz.

S/L Jack Wright

S/L John Leonard “Jack” Wright, DSO, DFC, RNZAF, NZ405781, 75 Sqn & 156 Pathfinder Force A search. Believed to have left items and personal memorabilia with Glen Eden RSA, Auckland about 25 years ago. Items sought for possible donation to Museum of Transport & Technology to display with the restored Lancaster. Contact: Ron – ujp@orcon.net.nz

Herbert Walker

Three photos of Herbert Walker left by W.D.J.Evans, a Gallipoli veteran who was one of his mates. Herbert Walker lived in Tauranga until he died in 1955. Photos available to his relatives. Contact: Ross – rosco1510@hotmail. com

United Kingdom to serve in New Zealand from 1954-56. He was in the RNZASC in Burnham, then a coastal gunner in Wellington, and possibly did a stint in Waiouru. Contact: Brian –brianbethell@ hotmail.com

Francis Patrick O’Dea

War information/records sought for Francis Patrick O’Dea who fought in World War 2.

Contact: Mark and Rachael – greatoutdoorsnz@ hotmail.com

William Lesley Kittelty

Information welcome on who may have the medals for Pte William Kittelty, who served and died at Gallipoli. Contact: Claire – meppems@ optusnet.com.au

William Clark

William Clark was killed in World War 1, probably in France and near end of the war. He came from Kelso, in Otago. His cousin would like to know his age at the time, where he served and which unit he served with. Contact: Dorothy – dorbart@xtra.co.nz

Albert Roxburgh

Nine-year-old boy wants information about his great grandfather’s World War 2 experiences with the 25th Battalion. There is book detailing the battalion’s activities – a copy or any information welcome. Contact: Peter – petercavallaro@ live.com

Information on whereabouts of Arthur Albert Roxburgh MC’s service medals. His wife, Betty, is believed to have donated them to an RSA or a military facility. Contact: John – tweedale@ xtra.co.nz

Selwyn Athol Chatfield

H B G Lewis

Information sought on Selwyn Athol Chatfield to help with a family history/biography for his son and daughter. He was with Union Steamship Co and served in World War 1 in the Merchant Navy on board the USSCo ships that were sent to England. Information welcome on his service and ships during this time as the basis of a date line as to where he was, and when. Contact: Noel – n.b.kreegher@clear.net.nz

Dan Davin

Grandson would like information on H B G Lewis, who served in Gallipoli. He was interviewed

by Maurice Shadbolt in 1984 and recorded in Voices of Gallipoli published in 1988. Contact: Henry Billingsley George – shona-w@xtra.co.nz

John Alexander Yule

Daughter keen to find the name of the regiment in which her now deceased father, John Alexander Yule, served in World War 2. He was in tanks in the North African desert. Contact: Yvonne– yvonnemestrom@gmail.com

The editor of diaries kept by Dan Davin during the World War 2 would like to hear from anyone who served in 23 Bn, in intelligence or in Divisional Headquarters, or who met Davin.

Also interested in what happened post-war to: Rex Keith Kubg, Toby Lewis, Tony Cleghorn. And from anyone who might be able to identify: Paul Griffiths, ‘Duthy’, Tony White, Stewart Young, John Clare, Cedric Mentuplay, Arch Currie, Dick White. Contact: Tom – thomasowenmclean@ gmail.com

Daughter searching for information or anyone who knew her father, FLt John Alfred Scott NZ414349. He came from Dunedin and served with the 10th Sqn in Yorkshire, England and the OTU in Bovingdon. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in September 1945 and may have returned to New Zealand in 1953.

Contact: Jean - leighjean@hotmail.co.uk

Roy Bethell

Carl Honore/John Fenwick

Brian Bethell is looking for anyone who remembers his father, Roy Bethel, who came from the

John Alfred Scott

Carl Honore and John Fenwick, both New Zealanders from Napier, trained and operated

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Adam Matthew Tomuri

Adam Matthew Tomuri 804099, from Kaikohe, Northland, was in Company A, 28th Maori Battalion, 2NZEF during World War 2. Any information on him helpful. Contact: Nyree – salonheadquarters1@bigpond.com

Troop ships

Can anyone help with the names of the ships used to transport 36th battalion/8th brigade from Wellington to Necal (New Caledonia) on April 26, 1943. Lynda’s grandfather was on board; he returned to Auckland on April 19, 1944. Contact: Lynda – gregjobe57@xtra.co.nz

Robert Morrison Swan Can anyone help with information on Robert Morrison Swan, return number 529465, NZ Infantry. Contact: Robert Morrison – shirl2121@ vodafone.co.nz

Mrs Eleanora/Elinora Tate The Embassy of Israel is searching for the descendants of a Mrs Eleanora/Elinora Tate (spelling may vary), who had a daughter (Jenny) and a son (name not known), who was believed to have been killed, aged 19-20, in action in North Africa in October 1942. Burial site unknown.

Embassy staff would like to meet the family and share a book that celebrates his memory.

Contact: Claire – publicdiplomacy@wellington. mfa.gov.il

World War 2 airmen buried in Northampton, England The Western Front Association is writing a book on the histories of Australian and New Zealand servicemen buried in Northampton, England, and would like to contact the families of the four New Zealand airmen from World War 2 buried there. They are: Sgt Alan Craig, Sgt Jack Brennan, Sgt George Davidson, Ian Hamilition Irvine. Sgt Craig is buried in Peterborough Eastfield, and the other three in Wittering All Saints. Contact: Sydney – syd@eden2551.com

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as Fleet Air Arm pilots with 849 Sqn, which flew the Grumman Avenger. Both of them feature significantly in a book on Maurice Macquet. Maurice, a South African, stopped off for home leave when HMS Victorious sailed from Portsmouth to join the Pacific War. Maurice’s son, Tony, has heaps of pictures and details of their training and subsequent operations on D Day, and would like to make contact with them or their families. Contact: Tony – tmacquet21@ gmail.com

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News 19

RSA REVIEW • WIntER 2015

Remembering

TEACHER DRIVES MILITARY HONOUR BOARD

Sue Russell

It doesn’t take long when you’re talking with Phil Gayton to detect his commitment to honouring our past.

More specifically, the self-declared amateur historian – a former pupil of Spotswood College, in New Plymouth, and a full-time physical education teacher at the school since 1978 – has long held a passion towards honouring and celebrating former students who have served in missions overseas.

This has culminated with his co-ordination of the development of a service Roll of Honour board, and its unveiling at the 56-year-old school’s first Anzac Day service.

“The idea to recognise the achievements of former students in theatres of conflict post World War 2 is especially important to me because this school is too young to have direct connections through ex-students with our two world wars,” he says.

He questions why New Zealand has, until recently, found it difficult to honour those who served in Vietnam, Korea, and the more recent conflict zones of the Middle East and Europe.

He believes it is important to do so.

Phil Gayton (left) and Spotswood College principal Mark Bowden check the Honour Board before the Anzac Day unveiling. Photo: Mark Jackson

“If we don’t do this, if we don’t find out about their stories and honour them for what they did, then that history will be lost when they die.”

Tracking down old pupils who have or are serving overseas in the army, navy, air force or police has not been easy task because of the classified nature of the information. Gayton has had to do his own private investigating through word of mouth.

His research began in 2003, but remains a

work in progress as he hears of other former Spotswoodians who have served overseas.

The school held two services, one for year 9 and 10 students on April 23, the other for years 11,12 and 13 the next day. Both services followed a strict order of service.

On the day of the senior ceremony, the board was unveiled by two of the 25 ex-Spotswoodians listed on it – Graham Chard (six missions) and Steven Gordon-Stables (two). The board covers

service in Sinai, Egypt, Bosnia, New Guinea (Bougainville), Timor Leste (East Timor), the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Korea, Afghanistan and the Persian Gulf.

Gayton expects the school will continue with annual Anzac Day services and that the honours board list will continue to grow.

“Thankfully we have had no ex-pupils killed in action. Though they are often deployed as peacekeepers, I know from talking to those who have served in these zones and who have been shot at, that it doesn’t feel like keeping the peace at all.”

He believes one of the significant things the honours board has done for the school and its students is bring a sense of history, respectfulness and honouring rightly due to those who have served.

“Having the Roll of Honour board and the formality of the service gave our students such a valuable and rich experience of gratitude.”

Navy, Conservation join forces to restore World War 2 Coastwatchers base in the Aucklands New Zealand’s last remaining World War 2 coastwatchers base has been restored.

The Royal New Zealand Navy transported Department of Conservation rangers to Ranui in

the Auckland Islands, to weather-proof the base.

Also on board was Brian Jones, the son of John Jones, New Zealand’s last surviving coastwatcher.

John Jones, 91, was all set to go with his son for

the three-week trip, but his doctors ruled him out because of his age.

The rangers took six tonnes of materials in a container to re-roof and re-pile the coastwatchers

base so that it is weather-proof.

They also completed the restoration of a look-out on Tagua, an island further south in the Aucklands.

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20

Remembering

RSA REVIEW • WIntER 2015

RSAS RESPOND TO CAL Karen Phelps Malayan veterans are heartened by the growing number of RSAs marking Malaysia Veterans’ Day in addition to the national ceremony in Wellington.

The New Zealand Malayan Veterans’ Association has fought hard for official recognition of the contribution of those who served in Malaya and Malaysia during the Malayan Emergency in the 1950s and the Confrontation in the mid-60s.

It has been dubbed ‘the forgotten war’, says the association’s senior vice-president, Bill Russell.

“It got overshadowed with the Vietnam War, which was more brutal even though more people from New Zealand went to Malaya. Also, my personal opinion is it never got much attention because America was not involved.

“Unlike the stalemate in Korea and the loss in Vietnam, Malaya remains the West’s only victory over Communist armed forces. We did the job without the USA, and it didn’t get attention.”

He admits the battle for recognition should have happened sooner as most veterans are now well into their 70s.

PHOTOS : Above: Family greetings and farewell were part of the deal for soldiers in Malaya. Left: A helicopter lands in a jungle clearing. Bottom, left: New Zealand Special Air Service troops. Bottom, right: A patrol passes through a village. Army, navy and air force personnel served in Malaya, Borneo and Indonesia over a 40-year period (1949-89). Since 2013, this contribution is has been specifically recognised in New Zealand by Malaysia Veterans’ Day.

MALAYSIA VETERANS’ DAY 4TH COMMEMORATIVE SERVICE 1100 HOURS 16TH SEPTEMBER 2015 NATIONAL WAR MEMORIAL BUCKLE STREET WELLINGTON

Members of Parliament, members of the Diplomatic Corps, Wellington City Civic NZDEF and RNZRSA Representatives will attend.

Malaya veterans of all services living within reasonable travelling distance are urged to attend this annual event, as are widows and descendants.

More distant NZMVA branches are asked to make provision for at least one representative to attend. Tidy dress to be worn please viz. gentleman a jacket and tie and full size medals, ladies equivalent.

A Post-service get together is being organised at the Petone Working Mens club

PROUD TO BE

A VETERAN

The NZMVA, which is affiliated to the RSA, has argued for some time that the 1949-89 period was a very important era in New Zealand military history.

Personnel from three armed services served in Malaya on a voluntary basis. Twelve New Zealanders were killed in action, operations or exercises; 55 died, drowned or were killed in accidents.

Official New Zealand government recognition of the contribution of these veterans did not come until three years ago. The NZMVA had pushed politicians for an official day for the veterans, and recognition through the New Zealand Operational Service Medal.

Russell says September 16 was chosen as it coincides with the Malaysian Armed Forces Day. He says Malaysia continues to be supportive of the contribution New Zealand’s armed forces made to the country, and the New Zealand High Commission of Malaysia was extremely supportive of the association’s battle for recognition for veterans.

“The memories haven’t faded at all. Malaysia wouldn’t be what it is today if it weren’t for the contribution our servicepeople made.”

Around 400 people attended the inaugural Malaysia Veterans’ Day ceremony in 2012; last year

‘ONLY VICTORY OVER COMMU New Zealand’s military involvement in Malaya dates back to World War 2. In March 1942, during the hectic struggle against the Japanese, Special Operations Australia (SOA) was born, and in June 1942 became Z Special Unit.

By 1945, 22 New Zealanders were in the field with this unit – along with 258 Australian, 51 British, three Dutch and two Canadian military personnel, and six Portuguese and Timorese civilians. They were involved in intelligence operations, sabotage, coast watching, and observation of anchorage, strait and aerodromes on the Malay Peninsula, the island of Singapore, Borneo, Brunei and Portuguese Timor.

They operated a mix of 66-feet trawlers (Country Craft), small boats (canoes) and motor submersible canoes in attacks on Japanese merchant shipping (38,000 tonnes) in Singapore Harbour, assisted by United States submarines (two-man canoes) against targets of opportunity. They also parachuted into target zones with manpower, equipment and supplies. Some were betrayed, captured, tortured and killed or executed –112 were killed in action and eight were taken prisoner. This unit was the forerunner of the New Zealand Special Air Service.

A RNZAF Aerodrome Construction Unit was based in Malaya and Singapore in 1941-42 and later Java, alongside 488 Squadron RAF. Around 1300 New Zealand troops were involved in the Malaya/Malaysia conflict between 1948 and 1960. Twenty-two lost their lives. New Zealand troops fought alongside Malaysian, British, Rhodesian (Zimbabwean), Australian and Fijian soldiers through the 12-year conflict.

New Zealand soldiers remained in Malaysia to help with counter-insurgency and border security operations, many also defending Malaysia during the Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation

between 1963 and 1966.

A state of emergency was declared in Malaya on June 16, 1948 following the murder of three British rubber planters and the infiltration of Communist insurgents led by Chin Peng, of the Malayan Communist Party. The group’s aim was to make Malaya a Chinese communist State.

The ensuing 12-year war remains the West’s only victory over Communist armed forces. A Flight, 41Sqn RNZAF, with three DC3s based at Changi Air Force Base, Singapore, began operating in Malaya in 1949 and returned to New Zealand in 1951. By 1954 Venom bombers had been leased and 14Sqn RNZAF was posted from Cyprus to Tengah Air Force Base, Singapore.

Flt Lt McIntyre launched 14Sqn’s first offensive, leading a formation of Vampires to strike at ‘Communist Terrorist’ (CT) positions on May 1, 1955. 14Sqn was replaced by 75Sqn, flying leased Canberra bombers in 1958 as part of 224 Group FEAF. In 1955, 41Sqn returned to Changi with Bristol Freighters. Both these squadrons remained at these bases until 1972. All squadrons were part of Operation Firedog (1946 to 1960), an air campaign against CTs in Malaya.

New Zealand Army staff served on secondment with the Fiji Battalion from 1951 to 1956, and the Special Air Service Squadron, commanded by LtCol Frank Rennie, was in Malaya for 17 months from 1955 until 1957 as part of 22 SAS Regiment.

The 1st Battalion NZ Regiment was formed on August 1, 1957 to replace these units. This involved the reactivation of the New Zealand Infantry Corps, which had been disbanded after British Commonwealth Occupational Service in Japan.

From 1953 Royal New Zealand Navy ships were on duty in Malayan waters, based at HMS Terror Naval Base at Sembawang, Singapore as part of the Far East Fleet. The New Zealand ships were

Remembering 21

RSA REVIEW • WIntER 2015

LL TO REMEMBER ‘THE FORGOTTEN WAR’ there were 150 – the number of the previous year.

This year’s national service will again be at the National War Memorial in Wellington and will include a wreath-laying ceremony. It will be followed by refreshments the the Petone Working Men’s Club.

The interest in a photo album brought along by a veteran last year has prompted the NZMVA to organise a display of memorabilia.

“Now we are having families who are interested in knowing more about what their relatives did in the campaign,” says Russell.

“The RSAs are also starting to realise there are Malaysian veterans in their clubs.”

He acknowledges it is vital to plan to ensure the nation continues to remember Malaya. The idea of linking with other South-East Asian veteran organisations has been suggested as one way to counter dwindling numbers of veterans.

“One thing is for sure,” says Russell. “If we do nothing, we’ll fade away.”

He believes it is important that New Zealand continues to remember: “Malaysia is an important trading partner of New Zealand now, so had it been a communist state, relations may not have been what they are today. We also have to remember those who lost their lives.”

UNIST FORCES’

Black Prince, Pukaki, Kaniere, Royalist, Rotoiti, Otago, Taranaki and Blackpool. They were followed from 1966-71 by Canterbury, Wellington, Southland and Waikato.

On November 28, 1957 the New Zealand Regiment 1st Battalion, commanded by Lt Col W R K (Kim) Morrison, paraded through Wellington and embarked on the SS Captain Cook bound for Malaya. After training at Jungle Warfare School – Kota Tinggi – the unit relieved the Royal Lincoln Regiment, in the state of Perak.

In December 1957 the battalion was engaged in a 17th Gurka Division operation (Ginger) to clear Perak, Perlis, Kedah and Kelantan of Communist Terrorists. According to Brig H J Mogg, commander of the 28th Commonwealth Infantry Brigade, 1NZRegt had more than double the number of captures and surrenders than any other unit in the brigade, with the loss of three (two killed in action and one accidentally).

A special sub-unit, known as the The Tracker Team, was established under the command of F H Woods (ex-NZSAS). Made up of 25 Kiwis, 23 Iban trackers from the Sarawak Rangers, and three surrendered terrorists, it was very successful in its operational activities.

The 2nd Battalion NZ Regiment, commanded

by Lt Col D J (Jock) Aitken, relieved 1NZReg on November 28, 1959.

The ‘emergency’ officially ended on July 31, 1960 when a previously large terrorist army was defeated and reduced to a few hundred near the Thai border. The New Zealand battalion reverted to exercises and short operational patrols along the Malaya/Thailand border. During this time, it captured four terrorists, including the infamous Kerinching in November 1960. He had eluded pursuers for more than two years and was regarded as a priority target.

Left: Malaya veterans march at the inaugural Malaysia Veterans’ Day ceremony in Wellington two years ago. Below: Much of the soldiers’ on-the-ground work in Malaya, Borneo and Indonesia consisted of jungle patrols

On March 4, 1962 the 2nd Battalion New Zealand Regiment was presented ‘colours’ – the first regular unit in the New Zealand Army to receive that privilege. In November 1961, 2nd Bn was relieved by the airlifted 2nd/1stBnNZReg, commanded by Lt Col Les Pearce. The battalion completed a series of exercises during its term.

Even though the Emergency was long over, 2/1 Battalion did operational patrols across the Malayan Peninsula and on the Malaya/ Thailand border. It was under the control of Brig Hamid (2 FedInfBde), the first time New Zealand troops were under the command of a Malayan commander.

During 1962, 41 Sqn RNZAF, commanded by Sqn Ldr B A Wood, was deployed to Korat in Northern Thailand as part of Joint Task Force 116 (US) until December when it returned to Changi.

2/1 Battalion’s tour of duty was planned to end in November 1963, but with the decision to form the ‘new’ 1 Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment, a reinforcement process was developed where the 2nd/2ndBn, commanded by Lt Col R M (Bob) Gurr, relieved until December 31, 1963, when the New Zealand Regiment was formally disbanded.

Sqn Ldr I F Garrett commanded 41Sqn from October 1963. In 1964, under Sqn Ldr G Wallingford, 14 Sqn, based at Tengah in Singapore, was with New Zealand-owned Canberra bombers replacing the Venoms, and shifted between Tengah and Butterworth in the north of Malaya as part of the Commonwealth build-up of forces to counter Indonesian insurgency into Borneo until the end of 1966. On April 1, 1964 the 1st RNZIR was formed and posted to the Malaya/Thailand border. Seven terrorist camps were discovered and destroyed, no contacts were made but several suspects detained. The battalion returned to Terendak.

Indonesia’s President Soekarno objected to the formation of Malaysia, and on August 17-18 and September 2, 1964, Indonesian insurgents landed and parachuted into Malaysia in an undeclared war known as ‘Confrontation’.

The New Zealand battalion, under the command of the 4th Malaysian Brigade, began operations, and all of the 96-strong Indonesian group were killed or captured. The battalion then drove 30 Indonesian insurgents out of their refuge for the Malaysian Army and Police to capture them.

In May 1965 the battalion was deployed to Sarawak 2nd Division in Borneo as part of the 19th UK (Mid West) Infantry Brigade. It was based in jungle forts near the SarawakKalimantan border. NZSAS was in Sarawak from February 1965 to

November 1966, involved in reconnaissance and intelligence in Borneo.

During a six-month tour of duty the battalion inflicted considerable casualties on the enemy without any loss in its own ranks.

There were numerous clashes, some with groups of 100 or more. In October 1965 1RNZIR was relieved by 1st Battalion The Malaysian Rangers and returned to Terendak.

The RNZ Navy deployed two minesweepers to Malayan/Borneo waters. They patrolled the Malacca Straits and the South China Sea between Malaya and Borneo, and the coastal waters/rivers of Sarawak and Sabah. When the Hickelton returned fire on a sampan, it became the last New Zealand ship to fire a shot. The Confrontation ended in October 1966.

In 1965 40Sqn RNZAF Hercules were airlifting New Zealand troops into Vietnam and 41 Sqn, commanded by SqnLdr I A Hutchins, began regular resupply missions from Singapore. In 1967 the first New Zealand helicopter pilots began duties attached to No 9 RAAF Squadron in Vietnam. Thirty New Zealand pilots served in Vietnam between 1967 and 1971.

In November 1965 the battalion, commanded

by Lt Col Brian Ponanga, trained and participated in ‘Lion’s Roar’, an exercise that involved the entire Commonwealth Brigade under the control of HQ 17th Malaysian Infantry Division.

In May 1966 the battalion moved back to Borneo into the 1st Division at Balai Ringin as part of the 99th Gurka Infantry Brigade. Its area of responsibility included about 5o kilometres of border. However, negotiations began to end the Confrontation, and the battalion was engaged mainly in patrolling without contact

with the enemy.

Following the withdrawal on October 1, 1966, the battalion – the last Commonwealth unit to leave the West Brigade Group and Borneo – returned to Terendak for training for 28th Commonwealth Brigade in support of South-East Asian Treaty Organisation (Seato) operations over aggression in Thailand.

The deteriorating situation in Thailand and Indo China saw New Zealand troops committed to South Vietnam – in March 1967 a rifle company (Charlie Company Victor) was based at Nui Dat in addition to 161 Battery RNZ Artillery.

In December that year Delta Company (Whiskey) was posted to Vietnam, formalising the term Anzac Battalions.

Battalion troops remained in Terendak and Dieppe until December 1972 when Victor and Whiskey companies returned. In December 1969, 1RNZIR moved south to Singapore.

In 1970 41Sqn moved base from Changi Air Base to Tengah supporting the Battalion with Strikemaster jet trainers and Iroquois helicopters.

With the disbandment of 28th Commonwealth Brigade on October 8, 1978, New Zealand increased co-operation with Singaporean and Malaysian armed forces. Reinforcement continued annually.

The battalion’s 25th anniversary was marked with a special parade on December 3, 1982. When 1RNZIR was farewelled at Dieppe Barracks in 1989, it ended a record of continuous overseas service thought to be unequalled in the British Commonwealth recent times. This parade closed a military era for New Zealand and prompted the formal disbandment of the MCP and its armed forces based in South Thailand.

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RSA REVIEW • WIntER 2015

THE LAST POST WE WILL REMEMBER THEM

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AITKEN GA 441901 WWII RNZAF 16/01/2015 Wanganui ALEXANDER T JX641220 WWII RN 28/03/2015 Nelson ALLNATT WF 443321 Japan 23Bn JForce 23/03/2015 Mosgiel ANDERSON TN 3021698 RNZAF 28/02/2015 Matamata ANGELL S 77861 Malaya RNZAF 06/11/2014 Massey, Auckland ARMON N 17/04/2015 Blenheim ARTHURS JW 30908 WWII NZ Army 15/05/2000 Foxton BAGLEY LJ NZ4258 WWII 19/04/2015 Mt Maunganui

DAVIDSON AL 411864 WWII RNZAF 19/03/2015 Tauranga DAVIS JH 34820 WWII, Korea, Malaya, Palestine, Sigs 05/02/2015 Christchurch DOBBINS AG 568798 Korea RNZASC 18/04/2015 Dargaville DRAKE RA 413593 WWII RNZAF 04/09/2014 Wanganui DUDDY LB 332020 CMT 4th Fd Sqn 02/04/2015 DYER MW 927981 CMT 05/04/2015 Dunedin E

B BALLINGER RJ CJX247440 WWII RNZN 21/02/2015 Blenheim BARRETT AG 664620 206304 WWII Korea JForce KForce 03/09/2014 Wanganui BERGER HP 451305 WWII 15/03/2013 Red Beach, Auckland BOND AE 572084 WWII RN 23/04/2015 Howick, Auckland BOYLE AS 47295 WWII Engs 04/04/2015 Dunedin BRAY DA 73478 Malaysia RNZAF 30/01/2015 Howick, Auckland BRITTAN AE 435223 WWII RNZAF 10/11/2014 Te Atatu, Auckland BROOK JAG 444587 WWII RNZAF 02/04/2015 Oamaru BROWN SR 514298 04/04/2015 Papamoa BRYDEN M 1611879 WWII Royal Scots 27/08/2014 Wanganui BUCKLEY GC 347924 NZ Army 21/11/2014 Te Atatu, Auckland BURNS H W228734 WWII 2NZEF 04/01/2015 Tauranga BURRELL R RNZVNR7719 WWII 01/01/2015 Kilbirnie, Wellington BYRNE IJ G134211 16/11/2014 Papamoa

EASTELL J 22389160 31/01/2015 Auckland EDMONDSON BJ 34172 RNZInf 18/04/2015 Waimate ELLWOOD HA 449529 WWII 26Bn 2NZEF 05/04/2015 Dunedin ELMIGER WL 90592 WWII 2NZEF 17/03/2015 ELVIDGE GG 648748 Jforce 15/03/2015 Oamaru ENION J 643385 WWII 06/09/2014 Tauranga F FAIR JI 4175832 WWII RNZAF 36631 Tauranga FINN F NZ5719 WWII RNZN 25/09/2014 Te Atatu, Auckland FORD DS 661441 RNZN 08/03/2015 Taihape FRANCIS GF PO/X4073 WWII 06/03/2015 Mt Wellington, Auckland FRASER AJ NZ11689 Korea 15/02/2015 Waipawa FULLER RF 1433275 WWII Royal Arty 06/03/2015 Orewa G

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HADLEY RFW 610505 WWII RAF 29/03/2015 Dunedin HAMLING CE 43258 WWII RNZAF 10/09/2014 Wanganui HARRISON R R11151 WWII 15/01/2015 Arapuni HARWICK JD 888546 TF 27/04/2015 Christchurch HAVELOCK-GREEN NH 461463 05/03/2015 Auckland HEAPS HW 4311963 WWII RNZAF 12/12/2014 Howick, Auckland HERT RJ 827559 WWII JForce, 16 WKSPS 25/06/2014 HOLDER TWE 341197 NZ Army 07/04/2015 Gulf Harbour, Auckland HOLLERON JW 10382 WWII RNZN 20/04/2015 Hastings HOLMES RL 78273 WWII RNZAF 19/11/2014 Wanganui HOLMSTEAD EG 569057 WWII RNZAF 29/04/2015 Wellington HOPKINS PG 4312782 WWII RNZAF 12/04/2015 Wellington HOPPER GF 332585 NZ Army 12/01/2015 Red Beach, Auckland HOSKINS W 4214195 WWII Inf 03/03/2015 Paraparaumu

GILBERTSON R 401977 WWII RNZAF 22/01/2015 Wanganui GILBERTSON IG 454262 WWII JForce Div Cav 15/02/2015 Nelson GILMER J 48389 WWII 28/01/2015 Karori, Wellington GODFREY BJ NZ436049 RNZAF 01/07/2014 Howick, Auckland GORDON RH 662772 NZ Army 27/03/2015 Arkles Bay, Auckland GULLERY GJ 43477 WWII RNZAF 26/10/2014 Wanganui

INNES GL 427992 WWII RNZAF 01/03/2015 Mosgiel ISGROVE RA 16636 RNZN 10/11/2014 Howick, Auckland J JACKSON BT 776905 NZ Army CMT 03/08/2015 Kerikeri JEFFREYS D 136939 WWII NZ Army 13/05/2015 Whangarei JONES N 14012772 WWII 13/03/2015 Papamoa

L LAIRD RD 652125 Japan NZ Army 05/03/2015 Blenheim LANE GE 2032328 WWII WAAF 29/03/2015 Nelson LANG MD 01/03/2015 Blenheim LEE AJS 244223 WWII 24Bn 04/11/2015 Hastings LESLIE RB 121296 WWII 16/03/2015 Tauranga LION AWC 4210266 WWII 11/02/2015 Dunedin LIPSCOMBE WH 816999 NZ Army CMT 28/02/2015 Whangarei LOUISSON TL 645949 JForce 02/03/2015 Ngaruawahia

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O’CONNOR K 822784 14th intake RUZSIES 02/06/2014 Karori, Wellington P PAUL GJ 24502 NZ Army 17/02/2015 Howick, Auckland PETERS-TUNUA AJL NZ17763 Malaya RNZN 11/07/2014 Te Atatu Peninsula, Auckland PRINGLE LS 915110 CMT 22/02/2015 Rangiora PRISK MD 823280 14/04/2015 Howick, Auckland

QUEENIN JW NZ7438 WWII 14/02/2015 Mt Maunganui R RAWSTRON GA NZD3515 WWII RNZN FAA 22/12/2014 Christchurch RICHARDS SO 102126 WWII 02/09/2014 Wanganui ROBERTS A 34678 WWII 19th ATPS 09/02/2015 Christchurch RUWHIU FT 40223 Malaya RNZIR 30/04/2015 Dunedin

SARGENT G 433728 20/02/2015 Mt Maunganui SEABROOK N 282427 Singapore, WRAF 04/11/2015 Blenheim SHARP MA (SCOTT) 2078930 WWII, WAAF 02/03/2015 Whangarei SHEPPARD DE 424069 RNZAF 15/01/2015 Wanganui SHIELD FP 1483976 WWII 21/04/2015 Dunedin SMITH AE 437071 26/03/2015 Blenheim SMITH JW 580466 WWII Inf 22/11/2014 Wanganui SMITH L 335327 WWII 31/03/2015 Ashburton SNOW J 2135765 WWII WAAF 02/03/2015 Nelson SORRENSON NF 14261 Korea 19/03/2015 Mt Maunganui SPENCER HV 21981 WWII 2nd Div Cav 25/02/2015 Hastings STANAWY TG 9392 15/02/2027 Auckland STEWART SC 4210866 WWII RNZAF 03/03/2015 Howick, Auckland STILL WA 32820856 15/03/2018 Auckland STRATTON AE 439815 WWII RNZAF 26/02/2015 Taihape T

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Levin Home for War Veterans

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KENTSLEY RE 14448721 WWII RNZAF 09/02/2015 Howick, Auckland KINSEY EH 1986172 WWII, REngs Dunkirk 17/09/2014 Wanganui KIRKLAND JG 527415 10/10/2014 Tauranga KNIGHT RC 70407 Pacific 36Bn 25/02/2015 Kalgoorlie, Australia

H HACK BC 24045 WWII NZ Army 22/07/2014 Te Atatu, Auckland

NEEDHAM JT 438308 WWII 2NZEF 24Bn 03/01/2015 Tauranga NEWBURN B 207752 Korea, Kforce 19/03/2015 Christchurch

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K CAIRNCROSS A 36061 WWII 11/01/2015 Newtown, Wellington CAMPBELL AS 109494 15/04/2022 Auckland CANTLEY TD 444622 WWII NZAF 20/04/2015 Morrinsville CARR PK 602254 Vietnam 161 Bty 13/11/2014 Brooklyn, Wellington CARTER BJ 813609 JForce RNZEME 16 Workshops 08/04/2015 Whangarei CHURTON DJ 623749 CMT 05/01/2015 Wanganui COLLINSON WF 100117 RNZN 04/04/2015 Orewa CONSTANCE JAC NZ412996 WWII RNZAF 17/04/2015 Howick, Auckland COPSEY PE 654487 WWII 31/01/2015 Tauranga COSGROVE PM 451826 18/02/2015 Mt Maunganui CRABBE SJ 435314 WWII RNZAF 01/05/2015 Rangiora

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MCCONNELL WB WWII 26Bn 2NZEF 02/04/2015 Dunedin McGOVERN DP 36458 WWII 27Machine Gun Bn 09/10/2014 Wanganui MCGUFFOG A 535798 NZ Army 24/02/2015 Howick, Auckland MCKENZIE EI 450575 WWII 24/04/2015 Dunedin McKENZIE GR 63120 WWII NZ Army 15/09/2014 Wanganui MCKENZIE WS NZ415108 WWII RNZAF 28/04/2014 Sunnyvale, Auckland MARSHALL NJ 783776 WWII RNZAF 04/01/2015 Wanganui MARTIN DF 204011 Korea NZ Army 27/08/2014 Te Atatu, Auckland MAYNARD M 809841 RNZN 25/03/2015 Red Beach, Auckland MEADLARKIN PE R317675 WWII 01/03/2015 Tauranga MERRIMAN IC 815329 CMT 03/04/2015 Rangiora MESSENGER JG 803219 01/04/2015 Blenheim MOORE LG 455197 Japan, Scots Regt 13/04/2015 Blenheim MORRIS BL 821040 WW2 WAAC 06/03/2015 Dunedin MORRIS JRM 091052 WWII 27 NZ Machine Gun Bn 28/02/2015 Dunedin MUDGWAY IA 621420 1st WWCT 28/01/2015 Wanganui MULLINS LH 459821 WWII NZ Army 08/10/2014 Howick, Auckland

THORNTON NC N42404 Europe NZ Army 11/03/2015 Waihi Beach TURKINGTON CW 44280 WWII RNZAF 25/10/2014 Wanganui TUTTY JS 18319 CPOCEA RNZN 04/02/2015 V VAN NUGTEREN JJ 1167 WWII 27/02/2015 Dunedin VEYSEY GC 619555 WWII 27Bn 2NZEF 11/01/2015 Wanganui W WALL SC 41634 WWII, 19th NZ Army 6th Fd Regt 19/10/2014 Wanganui WEIR AJ G83220 Vietnam RNZAF 06/10/2014 Te Atatu Peninsula, Auckland WHITE JO 442491 WWII 15/04/2015 Tauranga WHITE WF 459347 21/07/2014 Mt Maunganui WRIGHT GRH 643438 Japan NZ Army CPL 15/04/2015 Blenheim WYLIE P 412961 WWII RNZAF 18/11/2014 Howick, Auckland

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Remembering

SPECIAL AREA TAKES SHAPE FOR MINERS Karen Phelps The blessing of a foundation stone in Waihi at a ceremony attended by international guests and a representative of Queen Elizabeth II marked another step in the development of a special memorial area dedicated to the miners of Waihi.

The Miners’ Reflective Area project has been spearheaded by Waihi Heritage Vision. The foundation stone, from Martha mine, forms part of a memorial dedicated to the World War 1 New Zealand Tunnelling Company.

Waihi Heritage Vision chairman Kit Wilson says the foundation stone is not merely a rock – culturally and spiritually, it connects miners of the past with miners of the present: “We have direct descendants in Waihi of these miners from the NZ Tunnelling Company. This is a way we can make sure everyone is aware of their story.”

The foundation stone, which rests on the path that will eventually lead to a memorial, was unveiled by Desley and Tim Flack, descendants of Tunnelling Company miners, and was blessed by kaumatua Tewi Nicholls and Monsignor Trevor Murray.

About 200 people at the dedication ceremony burst into applause as the stone was symbolically joined with a flint rock from Arras, and a Cook Islands stone gifted by the family of Solomon Isaacs, one of three Cook Islanders men who served with the New Zealand Pioneer Battalion attached to the tunnelling company.

Representative of the Cook Islands, the mayor of Arras, Frédéric Leturque, and Hauraki district mayor John Tregidga were present.

Wilson says that the reflective area is about telling the special story of the miners, honouring

their contribution, bravery and skills during the war, and moving towards peace and healing.

He says it’s a work that has been in progress for a number of years. It contains 29 kowhai trees gifted to Newmont Waihi Gold shortly after the Pike River tragedy (one to represent each of the men who lost their lives in that disaster).

The Waihi Lions Club donated $10,000 for a reflective bench, which was dedicated by energy minister Simon Bridges in 2013.

The final step – a memorial dedicated to the NZ Tunnelling Company– will be unveiled next March, the 100-year anniversary of the company’s arrival on the Western Front. The memorial, largely funded by a Lotteries Commission World War 1 commemorations grant, is being constructed by Nick Brumder, of Waihi Metal Studio.

The NZ Tunnelling Company miners were part of an Engineers Tunnelling Coy the imperial government asked New Zealand to raise in 1915.

The men formed one of 25 British and seven Dominion tunnelling companies – 25,000 men in all – that would serve in France by late 1916.

It was a New Zealand-wide unit, most of them quarrymen, gold miners from Waihi or labourers from the railways and public works departments. Apart from Auckland, the greatest number of miners came from Waihi.

Research by Wilson’s partner, Sue Baker Wilson, uncovered the miners’ story. They dug long shafts under enemy trench systems, carving out a bigger cave at the end of the tunnel, packed it with around 3000 pounds of explosives, beat a hasty retreat and detonated it.

The development of underground shelters for attacking troops to the extent carried out at Arras, in France, by the NZ Tunnelling Company is believed to be unique in military history.

Pupils Francesca Flaws (left), of Te Horo, and Erin McArdle, of Manakau, with the 30 crosses sent to Otaki College as part of the Fields of Remembrance project. PHOTO: Athol Corbett

Crosses lead to first Anzac for students Otaki College held what is believed to be its first Anzac commemoration service, on April 24.

As part of the Fields of Remembrance project, the college was sent 30 crosses representing servicemen and women who had served in World War 1. Students spent a few weeks finding out

Right: Otaki College pupil Kyuwon KIm speaks at the flag-lowering. Behind him are (from left) school principal Andy Fraser and Otaki RSA president Pat Kenny. Below: Pupils Grace Teu and Kyuwon Kim prepare to lay flowers at the flagpole. PHOTOS: Athol Corbett

2016.

about these people and putting together a slide presentation with the information they found.

This was presented in a special assembly where Otaki RSA president Pat Kenny spoke to students, staff and visitors about local Anzac services and their importance.

24 Remembering

RSA REVIEW • WIntER 2015

WARS – THE FORGOTTEN THOUSANDS My father was a World War 1 veteran. In 1914 as a single man, carpenter and joiner, he answered the call. Initially he was rejected on the grounds he was not up to the medical standard. I believe this was the outcome for numerous men who volunteered. He had met my mother and they decided to get engaged, and subsequently married.

Because of the commitments for manpower New Zealand had given the British government and a paucity of volunteers to fight ‘the war to end all wars’, the New Zealand government enacted compulsory military service by a balloting system without going to the country with a referendum.

This was contrary to Australia where a government referendum resulted in the decision that compulsory service could be used only if Australian territory was attacked; all other military service was on a volunteer basis.

In early 1917 my father was caught in the ballot for those married with one child (my sister had been born by this time). He was passed fit according to the new, lower-entry standard and entered camp at Trentham for training and overseas draft, which concluded with time at Featherston and a march over the Rimutuka Hill for embarkation. By the time my father left, Mum was expecting my brother. “Too late,” she cried, as the saying goes.

Incidentally, my dad was a Papanui (Christchurch) boy and was presented with a

JIM CALDER, ex-Navy C5464 RNVR NZD, Papanui RSA, wrote this piece to mark the 100th anniversary of the start of World War 1. It is primarily a tribute to his mother and countless other mums, wives and next of kin who shouldered the burden of the forgotten thousands. medallion for having served from that area.

My Mum, like thousands of wives, sweethearts, children and family, was left in New Zealand, thousands of miles from those ordered by the Government to fight in a “bloody conflict”, and probably get killed or seriously maimed.

The only communication was by mail or Post Office telegraph message. Mail from the troops was heavily censored so that those who received it had little or no idea of the conditions and extreme dangers in the trenches. The newspapers of the day carried casualty lists and, no doubt, censored dispatches, which again were misleading. In reality, those at home were deliberately kept in the dark, notwithstanding the official line that there had to be closed security. The upshot of these conditions for the women at home was worry, worry, and extreme anguish.

The usual World War 1 method of notifying next of kin of death, wounding, missing or other accidents, was a telegraph message delivered by a messenger, in most cases a message boy.

One cannot conceive what went through the mind of a recipient when the knock on the door came, especially in the middle of the night. It would have been traumatic and devastating.

Notwithstanding the mental wrench of Dad’s departure, the wait for the first letter would have been hard for Mum to bear. When it was eventually received, it had been mutilated by some officer censor in the belief ‘the enemy had ears’. So, the only information she would have received was “I’m all right” and “Love you”.

So it went on until she received the message he had been wounded – nothing else. Some time later she was informed it was serious and he was in an army hospital, Walton on Thames. More censored mail arrived, then a message to say he would be repatriated as “medically unfit”.

Mum found out later he had been wounded by a shell burst in the 2nd Battle of the Somme. He came home in the hospital ship Maheno, and again the news was delayed. Such circumstances would have applied to all next of kin. The trauma

must have been terrific for hundreds of wives and mothers.

Because both my brother and I served as volunteers through the six-plus years of World War 2, Mum had to face the same set of circumstances again. My father told me on my first leave that Mum was suffering, and to communicate as much as I could to help relieve the mounting tension and apprehension.

The New Zealand government introduced compulsory conscription during World War 2, with the same criteria as in World War 1.

Again, thousands of wives and mothers were left at home to worry. When it was thought Japan would get further south and possibly invade New Zealand, the Government asked for volunteers from World War 1 soldiers to assist in manning coastal defences; again, my father stepped forward and went into camp at Sumner/Taylors Mistake.

These conditions were no doubt responsible for Mum becoming diabetic and in hastening her passing not long after the end of the conflict. Dad was discharged from the army in early 1945; my brother and I survived the war and ultimately returned to civvy life.

The circumstances surrounding all armed conflicts involving overseas and dangerous service engender the same trauma for wives, mothers and next of kin – except that I understand the method of notifying casualties to next of kin has been radically humanised.

Veterans’ advocate honoured Harima Fraser, who has been instrumental in the continuing development of the 28th Maori Battalion (NZ) Association and prominent in the Wellington branch of the New Zealand Battle of Crete Association, has been awarded a Queen’s Service Medal in the Queen’s Birthday honours.

Her specific role with the Maori Battalion has been supporting the remaining soldiers since 2004. She has been a caregiver and supporter of veterans, organising and coordinating reunions, and attending commemorative events.

In 2006 she recognised that a number were not receiving a war pension and worked to ensure they received their entitlements. She has been instrumental in ensuring veterans and their families have been are visible on

commemorative occasions, often contributing her own time and funds to ensure this has occurred. She has worked with the veterans on a history of B Company, a joint project between the Ministry for Culture and Heritage, Te Puni Kokiri and the Ministry of Education.

At the request of the veterans, she initiated the development of the 28th Maori Battalion website.

Her involvement with the Battle of Crete Association includes the role of secretary of the committee that organised the 65th anniversary pilgrimage to Crete.

Beyond things military, she has actively promoted Maori language and culture in the workplace. And, as a registered teacher, she has taught te reo Maori in the public sector for more than 20 years.

OBITUARIES: Don Kenning, Dave Geddes

Can you help us identify these men?

The photo above was taken by S P Andrew at the Soldiers’ Club, in Lambton Quay, in Wellington on April 28, 1916 – the day the New Zealand RSA was formed and a constitution ratified.

Two men in the photograph have been identified. If you can help with any others or shed any light on the matter, we’d be thrilled to hear from you – contact RSA Review 03 9855505 or dion@ waterfordpress.co.nz.

Second from right in front row (seated on the floor) is Royden Melville Thompson 6/771, who lived in Grovetown, on the outskirts of Blenheim.

Thompson was quartermaster sergeant with the Canterbury Infantry Battalion, which sailed from Lyttelton on October 16, 1914.

He is wearing a red armband, which the Government had authorised for wounded, returned

soldiers, but was generally not popular with the men. He died in 1970.

Seated fourth from left in the second row is Capt Donald Simson 4/642A, the New Zealand RSA’s foundation president. He had been instrumental in the formation of the Christchurch RSA on December 22, 1915 and was made an honorary life president.

Originally from England and a veteran of the South African War, Simson joined the British Section of the NZEF in Egypt and was wounded at Gallipoli in May 1915. He returned to New Zealand on July 15, 1915 aboard the SS Willochra among the first wounded to return from Gallipoli.

He then travelled the country publicising the need for a returned soldiers’ movement and overseeing the establishment of several local associations a week later. He was knighted, and died in 1961.

Two Vietnam veterans – Col Donal Kenning, the gunner who led New Zealand’s first combat troops and Dave Geddes, who led an air squadron – have died.

Don Kenning died in Palmerston North, aged 87 – just two months short of the 50th anniversary of 161 Battery’s arrival in Vietnam. As a major he commanded 161Bty of the 16th Field Regiment, Royal New Zealand Artillery in 1965-66, providing support fire for Australian and American troops in clashes with Viet Cong and North Vietnamese units.

The battery initially included 120 gunners and five 105mm pack howitzers. In the first year two gunners were killed and many wounded in action.

For his “skill, coolness, and courage during operations”, Kenning received an MBE from the New Zealand government and the Cross of Gallantry with Silver Star from the then South Vietnamese government.

He was trained at the Royal Military College, Duntroon, served in the Korean war (1951-53) and was a life member of the New Zealand Artillery Association.

Dave Geddes, who died in Queenstown, aged 69, was instrumental in relaunching the RSA in the town in 2005.

The Queenstown RSA had been in recess for two years until he led the revival and

Don Kenning (left) and Dave Geddes.

became president of both the Queenstown club and the Otago/Southland RSA district.

He worked to make the RSA accessible to the public, and played a major role in modernising and restoring the old Queenstown Memorial Hall two years ago. He was intent on preserving the building’s memorial aspect.

When Dave Geddes attended the Anzac Day dawn and Memorial Centre services in a wheelchair, Lyall McGregor (his successor as Queenstown RSA president) presented him with a plaque on behalf of the RSA national president. Dave Geddes is survived by his wife, Maryann.

25

RSA REVIEW • WIntER 2015

Support & Well-Being

HELPING PEOPLE TO EAT AGAIN Karen Phelps Its products hit the market just late last year, but already The Pure Food Co is helping hundreds of Kiwis with illness and age-related problems to eat again.

The target market is people who have difficulty chewing, swallowing or digesting food. One of the company founders, Sam Bridgewater, says there are literally tens of thousands of potential customers in New Zealand and the aim is to get the word out as quickly as possible.

“We have customers who have been eating scrambled eggs for 12 years because there was nothing else for them.

“There are many people suffering in silence.”

We have customers who have been eating scrambled eggs for 12 years because there was nothing else for them.

He, brother George and friend Maia Royal got the idea for the business from seeing the brothers’ stepfather battle with gum cancer, which made

it impossible for him to eat conventional food.

“It wasn’t something I’d really thought about before, but I saw how difficult it was for him to get a delicious, nutritious meal,” says Sam. “It created another unnecessary level of stress at a time when there was already a lot going on.”

Research quickly showed them that no one in New Zealand was targeting this market. While it may seem as easy as popping normal food into a blender, this is far from the case.

The trio consulted chefs, food technologists and healthcare experts such as dietitians, doctors, dentists and speech-language therapists during 18 months of product development.

To page 26

Review of veteran welfare aims at revitalising support services Significant changes to New Zealand’s veteran welfare area over recent years have encouraged the RSA to review its support services for veterans and former and current service people.

The new Veterans’ Support Act has become law and has led to changes for Veterans’ Affairs and RSAs as they work to implement the act.

There has been a gradual widening of the RSA’s focus towards supporting its community in other ways; from rehabilitation and assistance with

breakthrough drugs that are not yet publicly funded, to the support of those experiencing mental-health issues such as PTSD. The RSA has a base of knowledgeable and experienced support advisers and district support advisers, but not enough new support volunteers are rising through the ranks.

This can be especially problematic when volunteers want to retire but have no one to replace them.

More Kiwis are now communicating on line and there is a need to look at how to use on-line space to make people aware of the full breadth of the RSA’s support services.

The RSA is also living in a world where opinions are freely expressed on line, and there is a need to be mindful that people’s experiences, both positive and negative, can travel quickly.

These factors pointed to the need for a thorough review into where RSA support services

are, where the organisation wants to go, and how to get there.

So, how will the process of this review affect local RSAs? The review aims to lead to a strategy aimed at revitalising support services.

Local RSAs will be consulted during the review process over the coming months and progress will be updated at National Council in October 2015.

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26 Support/Well-Being

RSA REVIEW • WINTER 2015

SOFT FOOD MEALS `LIFE-CHANGING’ FOR PEOPLE

From page 25 The Pure Food Co received grants and assistance from the Callaghan Innovation in developing the New Zealand-made softened food.

“We had to work through a process to get the texture just right,” says Sam Bridgewater.

“Also, soft food can separate into solids and liquids, and lumps can be a choking hazard.

The food had to be nutritious, taste good and work for people with a variety of problems.”

Pure Food Co meals include proteins, vegetables, carbohydrates and sauces. Customers can choose their own meals or receive a chefselected set menu.

Examples of meals (they’re $7.50 each) include: hoki fish pie with leek and potato cooked in a bechamel sauce and hints of lemon, nutmeg and bay leaf; and roast lamb with potato, parsnip and carrot sautéed with thyme, and braised purple cabbage.

Pure Food Co founders (from left) Maia Royal and brothers Sam and George Bridgewater.

Menus will be refreshed every six months in line with seasonal ingredients, says Sam Bridgewater.

Making the meals easy and affordable has been a major priority. All three business founders come from financial backgrounds and have set up systems to produce and deliver meals as cost effectively as possible.

Food can be ordered over the phone or on line.

Meals last up to six weeks if kept refrigerated, which means people can open a packet, warm the food and be eating within minutes.

“The business is growing rapidly,” says Bridgewater.

The company supplies to people’s homes, health-care providers and rest homes, and is talking to pharmacies, supermarkets and

specialist clinics about a retail presence, he says.

Enquiries are coming from overseas and there is clear export potential, although Bridgewater affirms that the New Zealand market remains the priority.

“Some weeks we’re seeing a doubling of orders.

“We don’t pay ourselves salaries because, as a small business, we need to keep reinvesting into the business to get more food out there to people who need it.

“The feedback we get is rewarding, and that’s driving us. We’ve had people tell us our meals are life-changing for them.

“People who were underweight are putting on weight again. Stories like that make it all worthwhile.”

We had to work through a process to get the texture just right. Also, soft food can separate into solids and liquids, and lumps can be a choking hazard. The food had to be nutritious, taste good and work for people with a variety of problems.

Be well this winter by keeping your home warm and dry Winter in New Zealand can be a miserable time for some people, and we know how uncomfortable a cold house can be. So, says Teresa Demetriou, national education services manager at the Asthma Foundation, it’s extremely important to have a warm and pollution-free home so that you can keep well.

“For people with poor respiratory health, particularly older people or those with COPD, it is especially important. Many houses in New Zealand are damp and cold, which leads to more colds and flu and increased hospitalisations.”

Room temperatures under 16 degrees celsius are considered harmful for health – the World Health Organisation recommends a minimum of 18 degrees.

“Taking a few simple steps, such as keeping moisture to a minimum, keeping heat in and keeping the air clean, can help ensure your home is a healthy place for you to live, and also save you money and energy,” she says.

The Asthma Foundation has come up with tips to help people maintain a dry, warm, pollution-free house.

Keep moisture to a minimum

Damp houses are more difficult to heat, so it

Damp houses are more difficult to heat so it is important to identify the cause of dampness and correct them is important to identify the causes of dampness and correct them. If a house is insulated, ventilated and adequately heated, yet dampness and mould growth continue, it’s likely that moisture is coming from damp ground underneath the floor, from rainwater leaking through, or from leaks in plumbing.

The cheapest and most effective method to ventilate a house is to open windows a small amount for long periods (security concerns can be addressed through fitting security stays or fitting aluminium windows with passive ventilation and condensation channels).

You can also: • put lids on pots when cooking • dry clothes outside

• vent clothes-dryers to the outside of the house • use extractor fans or open windows in the kitchen and bathroom to remove moisture • remove mould, using very diluted household bleach • check for water leaks from guttering, plumbing etc, and get them repaired • ensure there is adequate drainage around the house • place black plastic on the ground under the house to keep moisture in the ground and your house drier and easier to heat • install an in-roof ventilation system to reduce condensation • consider double glazing if you are building or replacing windows.

Keep heat in

The World Health Organisation recommends a minimum internal temperature of 18°C. Below 16°C there is an increased risk of respiratory disease.

Tips for keeping heat in: • have well-fitting curtains to reduce heat loss at night and keep in the heat gained from the sun during the day; • use a healthy form of heating such as a

flued gas heater, a heat pump, or a pellet or wood burner; • insulate your ceiling and under the floor to keep heat in and heating costs down – 40 per cent of heat can be lost through an uninsulated ceiling and 10% through the floor.

Keep air clean

The biggest thing you can do to make your home pollution-free is not to smoke inside, especially around children. Around threequarters of people with asthma become wheezy in a smoky room. You can also: • let your family and friends know your house is smokefree • use an electric or flued gas heater rather than unflued gas heaters • air your house on fine days • limit the use of strong-smelling cleaners, air fresheners and fly sprays • keep dust to a minimum – dust with a damp cloth and vacuum regularly (use a vacuum cleaner with a high energy particulate air (HEPA) filter) to reduce house dust mites (a common asthma allergy trigger) • consider hard floors and rugs, ideally with underfloor insulation, instead of fitted carpets.

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28

RSA REVIEW • WINTER 2015

What’s On Website, www.britishairbornenz.tripod.com.

REGULAR MEETINGS 2ND NEW ZEALAND DIVISIONAL CAVALRY (WAIKATO BRANCH) 25 June, 11.30am, Hamilton Combined Returned Services Club, luncheon and annual meeting; 27 August, 11.30am, Te Awamutu RSA, luncheon; 26 November, 11.30am, Hamilton Combined Returned Services Club, Christmas luncheon. Contact: Molly Varley 07 8565317.

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.

CMT/NS ASSOCIATION CHRISTCHURCH INC Anyone who took part in Compulsory Military Training or National Service welcome. Meets at Papanui RSA. Variety of activities monthly.

Contact: Alison Smith, secretary, 21 Kearneys Rd, Bromley, Christchurch 8062; 03 9817623, legles@paradise.net.nz.

ITALY STAR ASSOCIATION (CHRISTCHURCH BRANCH) 2015 meetings: 27 Jun, 29 Aug, 31 Oct, 28 Nov (Christmas luncheon). 1.30pm, Papanui RSA, 55 Bellvue Ave, Christchurch. Contact: Peter Scott, 27 Kenwyn Ave, St Albans, Christchurch 8052; 03 3556732; peter.judy@actrix.co.nz.

SOUTHLAND CMT GROUP Ex-CMT and National Servicemen welcome. Meets monthly, third Thursday. Gore RSA or nominated venue. Usually lunch, visit to place of interest, or speaker.

Contact: John Turner. 03 2016084, ardlussa@ farmside.co.nz.

JUNE RNZRSA NATIONAL WOMEN’S ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE & ANNUAL MEETING 22-23 June, Tauranga RSA. Contact: Deidre Rich 09 8343998; richfamily@xtra.co.nz.

RNZRSA NATIONAL INDOOR BOWLS TOURNAMENT 27-28 Jun. Hosted by Morrinsville RSA. Contact: 07 8897014; morrinsvillersa@ clear.net.nz.

JULY 161 BATTERY, 16 FIELD REGIMENT, ROYAL NEW ZEALAND ARTILLERY, VIETNAM 14-16 Jul, Palmerston North. 50th anniversary of deployment to Vietnam. Open to all who served with the battery in Vietnam. Contact: John Barrett 07 5494829; 027 2807915; jonlynbar@yahoo.com VETERANS – WARNING ORDER 18 Jul, Papanui RSA. Get-together to celebrate 50 years since 161Bty arrived in Vietnam; infantry followed in 1967. Contact: Eddie Bassett 03 9201581 or Wendy, Papanui RSA 03 3521185; papanui. rsa@xtra.co.nz.

SEPTEMBER 2 NZ REGIMENT(1959-61) NATIONAL REUNION

14-16 September, Tauranga. Contact: Evan Torrance, reunion co-ordinator, 58 Rongopai St, Roslyn, Palmerston North 4414; 06 3549914; evan.zilla@xtra.co.nz MALAYSIA VETERANS’ DAY COMMEMORATIVE SERVICE 16 September, 11am, National War Memorial, Buckle St, Wellington. Post-service programme organised by Hutt Valley branch, Malayan Veterans’ Association at Petone Working Men’s Club. All Malaya/Malaysia veterans, widows, children invited. Contact: Bill Henderson, secretary, Hutt Vallery MVA, wjhenderson@ xtra.co.nz.

OCTOBER RSA NATIONAL GOLF TOURNAMENT October, Rangiora.

ROYAL NEW ZEALAND NAVY STEWARDS’ REUNION 9-11 Oct, Ngata Ringa Sports Complex, Birkenhead RSA, North Shore. Contact: Chief Steward D.Kingi, Stewards’ Reunion treasurer, HMS Philomel, Private Bag 32901, Devonport, North Shore City 0744; 09 4455999; stewardsreunion@hotmail.com; Facebook, Royal New Zealand Navy Stewards Reunion. Application forms can be downloaded.

NEW ZEALAND KOREA VETERANS’ ASSOCIATION NATIONAL ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 17-18 Oct, Napier RSA. Contact: Ray Perry, president, 06 8726105; John Campbell, secretary, 06 8586010.

RSA NATIONAL DARTS TOURNAMENT 24-26 Oct (Labour weekend). Manurewa.

RSA NATIONAL SNOOKER SINGLES TOURNAMENT 24-26 Oct (Labour weekend). Whangamata.

NOVEMBER RNZN ENGINE ROOM BRANCH REUNION Friday-Sunday, 6-8 Nov, Napier. Registration forms available from February 1. Closing date with fees: September 15. Expressions of interest/information: Dennis Zachan, 12 Norrie Place,Tamatea, Napier 4112; 06 8442201; 021 673242; exstokers@gmail.com.

ROYAL NEW ZEALAND ARTILLERY ASSOCIATION (RNZAA) ANNUAL MEETING/ REUNION 13-15 Nov. Activities based at “new” Christchurch Memorial RSA, Armagh St, Christchurch. Note: Friday, November 13 is Canterbury Anniversary Day. Information: RNZAA website, http://www.rnzaa.org.nz).

Contact: Skin Frances, skin_frances@outlook. com; 03 3832967; 021 2168109.

VICTOR 2 COY VIETNAM 1967-68 REUNION 13-15 Nov, Hastings RSA. Includes mortar/ pioneer/RP sections, New Zealand Component, BN HQ and 104 BTY RAA. Contact: Bukit Hill, 13 Bledisloe St, Masterton 5810; 06 3772979 (home); 027 6590679; bukithill2xtra.co.nz.

2016 FEBRUARY 23 INTAKE RNZAF AIRMAN CADET SCHOOL/5 CET 5OTH ANNIVERSARY 19-21 Feb. Contact: Dave Bryant, davebryant@telus.net; https:// sites.google.com/site/23intakeairmancadetsc hoolrnzaf/home.

MARCH RSA NATIONAL OUTDOOR BOWLS TOURNAMENT 7-9 Mar. Gore.

KAITAIA WAR MEMORIAL REDEDICATION 24 Mar, Kaitaia Cenotaph. All returned service men and women invited to rededication on 100th anniversary of original dedication. Enquiries: Red Beatson – 09 4453526 (home) 09 9505642 (bus); Arthur Simeon 09 4080031; David Russell 09 4080490; Richie Taafe 09 4067198.

RSA INTERDOMINION DARTS TOURNAMENT 25-28 Mar (Easter). Australia.

MAY HMNZS BLACKPOOL F77 - 50th ANNIVERSARY OF COMMISSIONING Those interested in a reunion of HMNZS Blackpool crews in May 2016 to acknowledge the 50th anniversary of the ship’s commissioning are invited to register their interest to Graeme Lowe: newplymouthrsa@xtra. co.nz by June 30, 2015. This is to gauge interest before going ahead with a reunion.

JUNE RSA NATIONAL SNOOKER PAIRS TOURNAMENT 4-6 Jun (Queen’s Birthday weekend). Mt Maunganui.

RSA VICTORY CLUB DARTS TOURNAMENT 4-6 Jun (Queen’s Birthday weekend). Napier.

RSA NATIONAL INDOOR BOWLS TOURNAMENT 25-26 Jun. Rotorua.

AUGUST RSA NATIONAL POOL PAIRS TOURNAMENT Aug. Venue to be announced.

OCTOBER RSA NATIONAL DARTS TOURNAMENT 22-24 Oct (Labour weekend). Tauranga.

RSA NATIONAL SNOOKER SINGLES TOURNAMENT 22-24 Oct (Labour weekend).

Venue to be announced.

RSA NATIONAL GOLF TOURNAMENT Oct. Venue to be announced.

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 arms, and those with special service to British Airborne Forces; associate membership - immediate family; afflilate membership - those in airborne units of other countries.

Contact: Frank Clark, president, 04 2336123. Roy Tilley, secretary, 04 5660850, rmt@xtra.co.nz.

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.

EX-RAF HALTON, RAF LOCKING OR RAF CRANWELL AIRCRAFT, RNZAF APPRENTICES. Contact: Ed Austin, 67/46 Beresford St, Pukekohe 2120, 09 2392698, edaustin38@gmail.com.

HMNZS LACHLAN 1949–53 FIRST TWO COMMISSIONS 60th ANNIVERSARY, FINAL REUNION Contact: Keith Goddard, 4 Kimberley Rd, Waihi 3610, 07 8633318, 021 2516220, goddz@xtra.co.nz. Frank Robb, 14/57 Enfield St, Hamilton 3200, 07 8644246.

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: President, Ron Browne, 07 5758916; ronaldbrowne@ xtra.co.nz.

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 coordinator; if you’re overseas, contact the 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 5482018; dee.nottle@gmail.com.

NEW ZEALAND BRANCH, ROYAL MARINES ASSOCIATION Meets two-monthly, 2pm, Pt

29

RSA REVIEW • WINTER 2015

RSA Life

MURAL MEMORIES ‘REALLY POSITIVE’ The service and sacrifice of Ngaruawahia people in world conflicts were remembered at Anzac Day in a series of murals.

The free-standing works, commissioned by Ngaruawahia RSA, were displayed along the club’s fenceline.

The latest murals – part of a five-stage project – were unveiled at 8am after the dawn service to mark the centenary of the Gallipoli landing.

The first murals in the series were revealed in August last year.

The RSA plans to complete the mural project this year. Still to come are a Fields of Remembrance banner and images commemorating the 28th Maori Battalion, as well as soldiers who fought in South East Asia.

“The reaction to the murals to date has been

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 PapakuraClevedon 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.

really positive,” says RSA treasurer Wendy Diamond. “They’re absolutely beautiful and are part of the effort to tell our people’s stories and to educate others.”

The murals included a reproduction of Horace Moore-Jones’s Man and the Donkey, World War I soldier Robert Capstick’s letter home, and a reproduction of Peter McIntyre’s Two New Zealand Tuis.

“Peter McIntyre’s work depicts two New Zealand nurses,” says Diamond. “Even though it was painted in World War 2, the work is a depiction of women’s contribution to war, both at home and overseas.”

She says 216 soldiers from Ngaruawahia served in World War I; 66 of them were killed – “more killed than the national average”.

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 get-togethers, 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.

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.

THE REGIMENTAL 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, Unit 19, 53 Condell Ave, Papanui, Christchurch 8053; 03 3525471; frankandaudrey@clear.net.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.

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.

Ngaruawahia RSA club secretary Anne Ramsay and treasurer Wendy Diamond with one of the Anzac murals outside the RSA in Ngaruawahia.

`Grandad’ lives up to his nickname He was known as ‘Grandad Wintle’ through being the oldest in his class when he received his wings in World War 2 And on May 8 John Frederick (Jack) Wintle lived up to his nickname when he turned 100.

Now living at the Hetherington House rest home in Waihi, he celebrated the occasion in style with family and friends as he received congratulatory messages from Queen Elizabeth II, prime minister John Key, and other government officials. Waihi RSA president John Davies attended the celebration.

“It’s amazing when anyone gets to 100,” says Jack’s daughter in law, Anne Wintle, “but especially living through two world wars.”

He was born in Te Puke, the youngest of five children. His father, John Frederick senior, served in the Auckland Mounted Rifles Regiment during World War I. The year Jack was born, he headed off to Suez. He returned unharmed.

Jack left school at 13 and at 18, was working as a grocer before deciding to follow his father and join the army. Six months later he requested to join the Royal New Zealand Air Force and moved around New Zealand while training. He gained his wings in 1944 in Canada, where he was sent for additional training.

Six months later he was promoted to flying officer and flew to various locations in the United Kingdom. He served overseas for two years before returning to New Zealand to join his wife, May, and their other two children, Barry and Rex. Anne Wintle says Jack hasn’t spoken much about his war-time experiences, but there is growing interest from the family,

Jack Wintle toasts his 100th birthday in Waihi.

especially among the younger members.

“One story I do remember him telling was the day one of his best mates got lost in a snowstorm while flying. They found him dead in his plane. That hit Jack hard.”

Another story she remembers him telling is one of hope. “When he returned to New Zealand on the ship, he was on the upper deck and looked down and saw his brother-in-law, who everyone had thought was missing after he had been in a prisoner-of-war camp. That was a joyful reunion.”

At Jack’s hundreth there were photographs to represent each of his decades, including the day he got his wings.

Another chapter will be added to the family’s military tradition when his greatgrandson, Matthew, graduates from officer training in the Royal New Zealand Navy shortly.

Turning 100: `I wouldn’t wish it on anybody’ Arthur McNeil would have been quite happy to quietly turn 100 and get on with things. But his room at the Bupa Ascot Care Home in Invercargill quickly became a party venue when three generations of his family arrived with armfuls of gifts, closely followed by friends from the Gore RSA, Clutha-Southland MP Todd Barclay and veterans’ affairs minister Craig Foss.

He admits he’s had “quite an interesting journey”. He grew up in Gore, worked in a dairy factory and on farms for several years, then enlisted in the army in his mid-20s, volunteering to serve in World War 2.

“All my mates were going, so I thought I should do my bit,” he recalls.

He arrived on the front lines in North Africa about a year into the war as part of the Sixth Reinforcement, and fought for more than four years: “We were the longest serving reinforcement. We were up in Syria for a good while too, making sure the Germans didn’t come through there.”

He started as a private, but when his unit was converted to armoured, he became a trooper, working as a radio operator in tanks.

The war still crosses his mind regularly, but it’s not a time he likes to think about. He returned with damaged hearing, but says he was one of the lucky ones.

He and his wife, May, settled in Edendale

Arthur McNeil with his royal message.

where they raised their family and lived for about 60 years before moving into the home.

As a builder, he worked alongside several of his war comrades. He believes this made it easier to re-adjust to everyday life.

“Once I learned to be a builder, that was what I did for the rest of my life.”

And is he excited to have reached triple figures? He laughs: “Oh, not really - I wouldn’t wish it on anybody.”

30 RSA Life – Taradale RSA

RSA REVIEW • WINTER 2015

NEW BLOOD BEHIND YOUTHFUL VIBE Karen Phelps The Taradale RSA has traditionally relied on word of mouth for new members. But times are changing. It is now taking a more proactive approach to letting people know about its pitch for younger members, says Taradale RSA manager Ben Allen.

Allen, 31, has played a big part on injecting a youthful vibe into the Taradale organisation.

He took over in 2013 from his dad, Ricky, who managed the club for more than 25 years.

Ben Allen came to the RSA as a teenager and has worked in the kitchen and bar, and been bar manager.

He says that he is working on initiatives such as a new website and a greater presence on social media, particularly facebook, with the aim of modernising the RSA and bringing in new members.

Membership sits at 1700 and growing, and thought has been given to how to make joining the RSA an attractive proposition. When new members sign up, they get a $24 restaurant voucher on their birthday, which means more than half of their membership fee is effectively returned to them.

And the new ‘Thank You Thursday’ package provides members with entertainment, discounted drinks, free bar snacks, giveaways and on-the-spot prizes.

The club, which was refurbished less than three years ago, has a fresh, modern look.

It facilities and entertainment options include gaming machines, a self-service TAB kiosk, snooker, pool, darts, indoor bowls, crib, 500s cards, shooting, golf, an over-60 club, a women’s To page 31

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PHOTOS: Clockwise from above – Chef John Bredda in the carvery; Sue Hobbs mans the beer taps in the bar; Diners help themselves at the buffet; Restaurant staff James Weeks (left) and Claudia Karlsson.

RSA Life 31

RSA REVIEW • WINTER 2015

A Flight Trophy winners John Dawson, Ted Mallowers and Howard Clark (Opotiki).

Championship winners Reg Crook, Pauline Smaller and John Chelley (Whakatane).

Top: Championship runners-up, Mike Gordon, Lance Hoete and John Dowie (Whakatane).

The Wellsford RSA’s 90-year-old patron, former NZ Army Service Corps member Leslie Jenkins, turns the first sod for construction of the extension.

Inter-Island Trophy winners Joe Frost (Tawa) and Dennis Doak (Far North/Kaitaia.

B Flight Trophy winner Noel Topp (Mt Maunganui).

HOME CLUB TOPS BOWLS Fifty-two teams descended on the Whakatane RSA for the 2015 RNZRSA national lawn bowls tournament in March.

The games were played over three days on greens at the Whakatane and Ohope bowling clubs.

Registration at the Whakatane RSA on the Sunday was followed by an opening ceremony, dinner and a “shout” from sponsor DB Breweries.

A combination of Whakatane’s awardwinning sunshine and very little wind produced ideal playing conditions.

Both clubs have artificial surfaces, which were a new experience to some, but by the end of the tournament there were no issues with the greens and many players quietly surprised by how well they played.

Whakatane and Ohope club members provided support through morning teas, and provided lunches at the players’ expense.

The club bars were well supported and money raffles popular.

Over the first two days teams played 12 ends, with a 1 hour 40 minute time

limit. However, only about a quarter of the games reached the required ends. The organising committee has recommended to the RNZRSA Sports Council that playing time be increased to one hour 50 minutes.

After six qualifying rounds over two days, Bruce Stewart, Jim Bentley and Bruce O’Sullivan (Hastings) were the only unbeaten team; they had a +38 points differential. Reg Crook, John Chelley and Whitestone Trophy Consolation winners Gary Pauline Smaller (Whakatane) had Cooley, Steve Yates and Bruce Cochrane. five wins and a +47 differential.

Six other teams – skipped by John and their teams, with Crook winning 10-9.

Pilkington (Birkenhead), Bill Smoothy In the all-Birkenhead consolation final (Taradale), Graeme Looney (Opotiki), Yates scored with his last two shots to pip Steve Yates (Birkenhead), Randell Watkins Pilkington 10-9.

(Birkenhead) and Wayne Herring (Opotiki) North Island (Far North/Kaitaia and – also had five wins.

Tawa) beat South Island (Nelson and Gore).

Crook and Hoete won through the chamThe Whakatane RSA president, John pionship knock-out rounds to contest the Bluett, presented the trophies in front of final, which had a no time limit. It was a a happy crowd at the prizegiving function close and measured game from both skips at the Whakatane RSA.

Surprise sprung on breakfast crowd at Wellsford The 200-odd Anzac Day crowd at the Wellsford RSA for a post-dawn service, champagne breakfast got more sparkle than they bargained for.

A false wall was dropped to reveal the $400,000 extension to the building, and the crowd was wowed, says the RSAs voluntary manager and treasurer, Shirley Blakemore.

An entertainer was on hand as people took a look around the 110-square-metre extension at the back of the building.

The result is more dining space (the restaurant now caters for up to 70), a dedicated sports area, and a new block with a children’s room, office and toilet. Cream and charcoal décor combines with soft lighting and four skylights to make the interior lighter and brighter.

It was fitting, Blakemore says, that the extension was unveiled on the 100-year centenary as the aim was to keep the RSA alive.

Other than a few spruce-ups and a kitchen extension, the building had not changed much since the 1960s.

The idea had been talked about for some time and, once a firm decision was made, things

happened quickly. Work started in January, and local tradespeople were employed, including many club members.

“The RSA was reasonably small before and we were busy,” says Blakemore.

“There were so many people we couldn’t move. It was like having an orgy in a phone box,” she says with a cheeky giggle.

More than 1600 people came to the dawn parade.

The RSA has opened its door to community groups, offering use of the venue for an optional donation. It has also become more family friendly.

A children’s room, visible from the dining area, allows parents to keep an eye on the kids; books, DVDs, television and colouring books are also on hand.

The Wellsford RSA is unusual these days as it’s still mostly run by volunteers.

The restaurant, open Fridays for dinner from 6pm, offers home-cooked food made by a group of volunteers.

There’s a special every week, and the last Friday of the month is roast night when to 60 people crowd the dining room for dinner.

“That’s big for here,” says Blakemore, putting things in perspective. A Mother’s Day brunch was trialled this year.

A new covered deck offers rural views to those wanting to dine outdoors or have a quiet drink.

The money for the extension came from a bequest

by Ted Fisher, the sale of a property, investment, and catering for members’ functions at the RSA. A memorial wall is planned as part of the extension and you can buy a plaque to dedicate to a returned serviceperson. One plaque has already been dedicated to Ted Fisher and his brother, Bert.

Word of mouth continues to ensure that the RSA grows.

Membership sits at 265, with more joining every month.

Blakemore says Wellsford is working hard to let people know you don’t have to be a returned serviceperson to join the RSA. “People used to say the RSA was where old soldiers went and never came out again.

“Things have changed and if we can attract families and the younger generation, then the RSA will be kept alive for the future.”

Taradale `keeping members happy’ From page 30 section, housie, weekly raffles and entertainment. The committee room can be hired for events, and there’s a projector and pull-down screen for small meetings and conferences.

The Clock Tower Restaurant, which can seat up to 90, has a $24 buffet Friday and Saturday evenings, and a Super Tuesday $14 lunch buffet every second week.

Allen says the aim is to encourage more people to use the restaurant so that it can open more nights and try out new dishes. Bar meals (roast meal, fish and chips, steak and platters etc) are available every day from 5pm to 7.30pm.

A Buddy Holly and Tina Turner tribute show is booked for June 27, and Allen would like to see a range of events, such as a hypnotist or a murder-mystery night, to attract different people into the RSA. At the same time, the club is keeping a firm eye on the past. The RSA does hospital and home visits, and once a month members from rest homes come in for an afternoon of drinks and entertainment.

“I’ve always enjoyed hospitality,” says Ben Allen.

“It’s good to see people smiling and having a good time. I want to be mixing with the members and finding out what they want because that’s the most important thing – keeping the members happy.”

The Taradale RSA does hospital and home visits and once a month, rest home members come in for an afternoon of drinks and entertainment.

32 RSA Life – Tauranga RSA

RSA REVIEW • WINTER 2015

RELOCATION PROVES TAURANGA SALVATION Sue Russell Turning a potentially threatening situation into a huge positive has been the journey of Graham Howard, general manager of the Tauranga RSA, his executive committee and staff.

A decade ago, the club was looking at a less than rosy future; in fact, its very viability was at stake. However, the club boldly began imagining and researching other options. That ‘will’ to embrace the future, to think outside the square and to look seriously at alternatives has proved the making of the club.

“We did our due diligence for two solid years, forming a working group to look at a whole raft of options,” says Howard. “Part of that involved projecting where the club would be in five to 10 years if it remained as it was. and it soon became apparent that to survive, the club needed to alter course.”

The options included merging with a similar club, building a new purpose-built clubroom or relocating to another facility.

“It was a challenging time for us and we were determined to pitch our thinking of what would best serve the club, at what I would describe as the ‘middle’ member. That helped guide our decision-making.”

We did our due diligence for two solid years forming a working group to look at a whole raft of options.

The upshot was that the club chose option three, and bought the Greerton Motor Inn and its facilities in 2009.

Howard says proof that the right decisions were made is evident everywhere in the club, not the least staff numbers, which have risen from 18 to 50.

“It has been very exciting to see how the last few years have tracked. We can offer fully fledged hospitality with an excellent restaurant and accommodation for 22 people.”

All of the accommodation has been upgraded, and attention has now turned to refurbishing the big restaurant into a modern facility.

Above right: The Tauranga RSA’s base at the Greerton Motor Inn. Left: A water feature is at the centre of the memorial wall, which displays the old roll of honour, as well as the places where members served.

Graham Howard strongly recommends that clubs struggling with the implications of changes in drinking and gambling patterns in the last five or so years take a proactive rather than reactive approach.

“The big thing is to be willing to look at your situation and see the writing on the wall early enough to be able to control what happens.

Through that process it’s essential to keep members well informed. We had 16 meetings, and you are always going to get a group who won’t like what you are proposing.”

The club now has about 35 per cent returned service men and women, and 65% associates.

Some sections, including darts and pool, are very strong.

Howard, who was in the army for 20 years, says he is in his element running a thriving hospitality business. He is also part of a support network

for other RSAs in the Bay of Plenty region.

“Key to enjoying the role is working with the members to improve their club, and having a supportive executive committee and great staff who all have the attitude that a challenge is an opportunity in disguise.”

He sees the key to any club’s future in finding ways to create streams of income away from the traditional sources, alcohol and gambling.

“For instance, we’ve looked really closely at how we can work with the new lower alcohol-limit rules. We are now serving a range of ‘mocktails’, which are proving very popular.

“Legislation on alcohol and gaming is always a threat. Given the changes in the new Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act, we now have three light beers on tap. Working successfully in this environment is always about being able to find new ways that add value.”

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1235 Cameron Road, Greerton, Tauranga Phone 07 577 9733

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“SwiftPOS can really help venues in terms of attracting new customers and retaining existing customers,” he says.

“It can link every sales transaction to the member who made the purchase. This allows RSAs to analyse their sales in so many ways to benefit members.”

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who support the club the most. Door-entry terminals help RSAs to reward members and offer randomprize draws and product promotional draws for current members only. Calnar says this provides a real incentive for members to pay their fees on time with benefits for current members only easing the burden of member renewals and maintaining address details with the integrated internet member registration system.

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33

RSA REVIEW • WINTER 2015

Local RSAs Kaikohe & District Memorial RSA (Inc)

NORTHLAND

Northern Wairoa RSA Club

Hokianga Rd Dargaville Ph: 09 439 8164

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

We are open everyday from 11am Meals Daily from 11am till 9pm Great quality food at affordable prices All visitors are most welcome to enjoy our club facilities • • • • • •

Sky TV TAB Pod Gaming Machines Pool Tables Courtesy Van Available Facilities available for function hire

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

11am - 11.30pm Sun 1pm - 9pm

“Friendliest Club in The North” 158 Broadway, Kaikohe Ph 09 401 2368 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

AUCKLAND

HOBSONVILLE

114 Hobsonville Road • Ph: 09 416 7227 Restaurant Ph: 09 416 9239 • E: hobbyrsa@xtra.co.nz

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 EVERY DAY EXCEPT TUESDAY FROM 11:30AM TILL CLOSE Diggers Restaurant open 6 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

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.

663 SWANSON RD - PH 833 9013

A WARM INVITATION IS EXTENDED TO RSA MEMBERS & GUESTS TO THE FRIENDLIEST RSA IN THE WEST

SILVERDALE

The Orpheus Restaurant 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

Glen Eden RSA

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

9 Glendale Rd West Auckland Ph: 09 818 4219 Web: www.glenedenrsa.co.nz

Open: 11am Mon-Sat. Noon on Sun

We are better than the rest. We are the friendliest in the West

Meals Lunch: Tues - Fri. Dinner: Thurs - Sun. Entertainment: Fri & Sat.

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

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

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 Manager 09 424 9026 Fax: 09 424 2446

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

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.

HOWICK RSA

Phone: 09 534 9702 • 25 Wellington St Howick

When visiting Auckland’s Eastern Suburbs call into our pleasant clubrooms and enjoy our hospitality

IN THE  OF HOWICK

BIRKENHEAD RSA

WARKWORTH & DISTRICTS RSA Inc

MEMORIAL RSA

HOURS Mon toThurs 11am - 11pm. Fri & Sat

Hours 11am-10pm, Mon to Sat. Noon-6pm Sun

Family Restaurant - Meals Wed Thurs Friday and by arrangement.

SWANSON

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

Fridays & Saturdays from 7 pm DINE & DANCE LIVE MUSIC www.howickrsa.co.nz 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

HENDERSON RSA

66-70 Railside Ave Ph (09) 838 9012 www.hsnrsa.co.nz

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!

Mt Wellington Panmure RSA 163 Queens Rd, Panmure

Ph: 09 570 5913 Fax: 09 570 5903 Email secrsa@vodafone.co.nz 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

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 Family Nights - have entertainment on the second Friday of the month and starting in mid-July on Friday nights and Housie

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

EAST COAST BAYS RSA (Inc)

15 Bute Road Browns Bay Ph: 09 478 8033 North of the Harbour Bridge ecbrsa@xtra.co.nz

When heading north, staying or visiting the North Shore, stop at East Coast Bays RSA 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 Gaming Machine * Darts * Pool * Snooker Housie I/d Bowls * Dinning & Dancing * TAB * Raffles

A WARM WELCOME TO ALL MEMBERS & THEIR GUESTS

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

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

34

RSA REVIEW • WINTER 2015

Local RSAs WAIKATO / KING COUNTRY / BAY OF PLENTY

TAUPO

WHAKATANE RSA (Inc)

“The Centre Of it All”

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

* Gaming Machines * Sky Tv * Snooker * 8 Ball * Indoor Bowls

Rendezvous Restaurant Wed, Thur, Fri Lunch 12 - 2pm Mon, Wed, Thur, Fri, Sat Dinner 5 - 8 Closed Tuesday and Sunday

Club Hours Mon- Wed: 11am -10pm.

Thurs- Sat: 11am - Late. Sun: 2 - 8pm Horomatangi Street Phone: 07 378 7476 Please visit our wesite at: www.tauporsa.co.nz

& 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

Taumarunui & District RSA 10 Marae St, Taumarunui

PO Box 24 PH: 07 895 7517 FAX: 07 895 8343 Email: taumrsa@xtra.co.nz

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

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

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

MATAMATA

MEMORIAL R.S.A. (Inc.) Ngaio Street Ph: 07 888 7190 Open from Mon- Sat 3pm, Sun 4pm.

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

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

Come and visit our friendly Club the

‘ROSE of the WAIKATO’

27 Studholme Street Morrinsville Ph: 07 889-7014

Open for bus tours & private functions by arrangement

OTOROHANGA MEMORIAL RSA (Inc)

Now located in The Otorohanga Club, Maniapoto Street, Otorohanga Open 9am Monday to Saturday, 11am Sunday 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.

AMPLE PARKING (FREE) FOR BUSES AND CARS

TE TE PUKE PUKE

16 Oxford Street

MEMORIAL MEMORIAL RSA RSA (Inc) Ph: 07 573 7922 A (Inc) Hours: Club open daily from 12 noon. Sunday from 3pm Restaurant: Thurs, Fri and Sat nights. Lunch ‘Pension Day Tuesday’

All RSA members & Visitors are most welcome to our warm & friendly, air conditioned club

Open 7 Days ---- Bar Hours

Hours: Tues - Fri: 3pm - 10pm, Sat 11am - Late, 3rd Sunday each month: 3pm - 8pm Retreat Restaurant: Thurs - Sat 5pm - 8pm Lunch every 2nd Tuesday 11am - 1pm Family Lounge: Regular entertainment, 12 gaming machines with $1000 jackpot, Sky TV on the big screens, pool & snooker tables, indoor & outdoor bowls, fishing and darts. www.morrinsvillersa.org.nz

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

OPEN SEVEN DAYS

Mon-Thurs 10am-10pm.Fri & Sat 10am till late. Sun 2pm-8pm

Restaurant Hours

Lunch and Dinner Tues-Sat Bar Snacks Available 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

A Friendly Welcome in Warm Whakatane

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

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)

All The Games You Can Play, TAB & Superscreen TVs/Videos GALLIPOLI RESTAURANT

Ph: 06 876 4739

VISITORS WELCOME

Otaki & District Memorial RSA 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

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

Haupapa St, Rotorua

We offer a warm welcome to our thermally heated club.

Bar open 7 days.

Restaurant Lunch 12-2pm Mon-Sat, Dinner 6-9pm Seven days.

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

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

Registered Military Museum

Rotorua RSA

1072 Haupapa St, Rotorua Phone/Fax: 348 1056 Email: rotrsa@xtra.co.nz www.rotrsa.co.nz

Lower Hutt Memorial www.lowerhuttrsa.org.nz

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

Oaktree Restaurant

Open 7 Days from Breakfast - 7.00am - Lunch - 12.00 noon Dinner - 5.00pm

Poppyfields Restaurant:

HASTINGS RSA Avenue Road West Ph: 06 878 8808 Fax: 06 878 7642

TOKAANU-TURANGI

MANAGER: John Callinan

NGARUAWAHIA RSA (Inc)

Richardson St Ph: 07 307 0343 Fax: 07 307 2604 Email: whakatanersa@xtra.co.nz

“When in the Bay stay with us” Motor Inn accommodation available Excellent Rates “Visitors Welcome Anytime”

EAST COAST - HAWKES BAY WAIRARAPA - TARANAKI MANAWATU - WELLINGTON

WANGANUI Great Entertainment...

S BER MEM ME W NE ELCO W

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

CLUB night every FRIDAY 4.30 - 6.30pm in the ANZAC Lounge

Kensington Restaurant Open Upstairs Wednesday - Sunday from 5:30pm Bistro Open 7 Days A Week Lunch 11.30 - 2.00pm Dinner 5:00 - 9.00pm Live Band Friday and Saturday 8.00pm and Sundays 3.00pm 3 Bars, Garden Bar, Large TV Screens, Sky Sport, TAB, Internet, Library, Gaming Room, Conference Facilities.

47 Udy Street, Petone. Ph 568 5404 Members, Guests and Affiliated members welcome

NAPIER RSA

34 Vautier Street, Napier 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 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.

TAWA RSA 89 Oxford St. Ph: 232 5788

A warm welcome is extended to all RSA & Char tered 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

35

RSA REVIEW •WINTER 2015

Local RSAs SOUTH TARANAKI RSA (Inc)

Milton Bruce RSA

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

31 Union Street, Milton Ph: 03 417 8927

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.

1 Easton Street, Ph: 06 3637670 Fax: 06 3636838 Email: foxtonrsa@xtra.co.nz www.foxtonrsa.co.nz Friendly & safe environment (children welcomed)

Open:

Mon. & Tues.

Wednesday Thursday Fri. & Sat. Sunday First & last Sun of the month

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

PORIRUA RSA (Inc)

Open daily from 5.00pm *All Welcome*

PAPANUI RSA Ph: 03 352 9770 55 Bellvue Ave Access also from Papanui Rd & 1 Harewood Rd

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

* Sky Tv * TAB * Gaming Room * Pool * Darts * Indoor Bowls * EFTPOS * Wine Club * Kapa Haka BAR HOURS Mon 11am - 7pm. Tues 11am - 7pm. Wed 11am - 8pm. Thurs 11am - 11pm. Fri 11am - 12pm. Sat 10am - 12pm. Sun 10am - 9pm

RESTAURANT HOURS Thurs, Fri & Sat. Dinners 5.30 - 9.30pm

NEW, RETURNED & SERVICE MEMBERS MOST WELCOME

BULLS

Ph: 03 388 9059 Open daily from 3.30pm Sunday 11.30am Meals available Thurs, Fri & Sat “All Welcome”

RICHMOND/WAIMEA R.S.A. INC. P.0. Box 3034 Richmond 7050.

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

HOURS: Mon - Sun open from 12pm. Lunch time Courtesy Coach Available Fridays

Call and make some West Coast friends

SH1 Bulls Ph 06 322 0875

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 from 5.30 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

Paparua Templeton RSA

Marlborough RSA

38 Kirk Rd, Templeton

CLUB BAR HOURS

42 Alfred Street Blenheim (In Clubs Marlborough Complex)

Wed 1pm - 7pm, Thurs 4pm - 7pm, Fri 4pm till late, Sat 4pm til late

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.

Last Thurs of month Fri from 5.30pm, Sat from 5.30pm

MEALS

NEW MEMBERS WELCOME

RANGIORA RSA CLUB (Inc) 82 Victoria Street Ph: 03 313 7123 Restaurant: Lunch Wed, Thurs, Fri. Dinner Thurs, Fri, Sat & Sun. Courtesy Van Available Thurs, Fri, & Sat nights

GREYMOUTH RSA CLUB 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.

Gore District

21 Mafeking Street, New Brighton, Christchurch

Christchurch Memorial Returned and Services Association Inc.

5 -7 McKillop St, Tel: 04 237 7695 Fax 04 238 2343 OPEN SEVEN DAYS

NEW BRIGHTON RSA

A warm welcome is extended to all RSA members, families and friends

Facilities: Administration Office Support and Welfare Office Museum • Event/function Centre Trenches Restaurant and Bar (Public License) Poppy Club members’ bar Memorial Plaza and Remembrance Wall Operating Hours: Monday to Wednesday 08:00am to Midnight Thursday to Saturday 08:00am to 01:00am Sunday 08:00am to 11:00pm

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

motueka

memorial rsa (inc)

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner available

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.

P: 03-3799724 E: office@christchurchrsa.org.nz www.christchurchrsa.org.nz | www.trenches.co.nz 74 Armagh Street, P.O. Box 354, Christchurch 8140,

Visitors Made Welcome

Private function bookings are welcome

49 High Street

Look us up on Facebook

Open 7 Days Mon-Thur 2.30pm Fri-Sun 11.00am Restaurant open 7 days

Dinner 5.30-8:30pm Lunch Fri-Sun 11:30am-1:30pm rsa - clubs nz members most welcome

CHARTERED CLUB

35 Centennial Ave. Alexandra

INC TARADALE &RSADISTRICTS 156 Gloucester Street Ph/Fax 06 844 4808

Clubrooms Open Mon-Fri 8.30 am Sat-Sun 10.30 am

Meals Available 7 days - Lunch & Dinner 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

ashburton rsa [inc]

12 Cox Street

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

All Indoor Sports available. Gaming Machines Live Music Every Alternative Saturday nights.

Wheelchair available

ashburton Where the North meets the South

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

Travel New Zealand 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

CATERING A SPECIALTY Gaming Machines, Sky Tv,Snooker, Pool Darts,Bowls

Visitors Welcome INVERCARGILL WORKINGMEN’S CLUB INC. Incorporating the INVERCARGILL R.S.A. 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

RIVERTON & DISTRICTS 141 Palmerston Street Riverton 9822 Phone: (03) 2348737 Enjoy Southern Hospitality Tue-Sat 3-6pm & Fri 3-9pm

Special Package Deal* Offer includes: Accommodation plus Breakfast & Dinner Buffet

Ph: 07 578 9654 Single: $130 Double $165 Scan for more info >>

1237 Cameron Rd,Greerton, Tauranga Email: admin@tgarsa.co.nz www.greertonmotorinn.co.nz/rr 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

WANGANUI. Bignell St Motel, Quiet Warm Friendly, Comfortable, Pets by arrangement $65 single + $15pp extra. Phone Now 0800 244 635 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 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

36

RSA REVIEW • WINTER 2015

Travel Australia FREE High Speed 271 Elizabeth Street, Sydney + 61 2 9264 6001

DIRECT BOOKING ONLINE NOW AVAILABLE

www.pandanusmooloolaba.com.au

Visit: www.hydeparkinn.com.au

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.

Anyone for f a Gold Coast Getaway??

Getaway??

Welcome to Palazzo Colonnades boutique, high-rise holiday accommodation apartments in Surfers Paradise....

Largest holiday apartments in the area.

Opened in 2005, across from main car park to the beach.

• Complete cooking & laundry facilities • Fully air conditioned • Full gymnasium • Free foxtel TV • Heated pool & spa • 200sq metre 3 bedroom, flexible layout, can be let as 1, 2 and 3 bedroom.

• 2 Carparks

• Fully self contained, air conditioned one bedroom and two bedroom apartments • Heated 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

Tel: +61 7 5457 8989 Free call: 1300 787 668 15 – 21 Smith St, Mooloolaba QLD 4557

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 1/6/15 - 18/12/15. Block out dates apply.

SAILPORT

M O O LO O L A B A A PA R T M E N T S

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.

Special - Stay 7 Pay 5 Feb, May - July, November

Telephone: 00617 5444 1844 email: reception@sailport.com.au.

Cnr River Esplanade & Hancock St, Mooloolaba, Queensland Australia.

w w w.sailpor t.com.au

|

07 5444 1844

B e a c hf ro n t A p a r t m e n t s • Heated swimming pool and spa • BBQ area • Close to local restaurants • Short walk to Jupiters Casino • 50 Metres to the famous Broadbeach Oasis Mall

Sandpiper Apartments is a 12 storey resort complex located on the beach. Every apartment faces the ocean and includes a private balcony. Spectacular views.

Book for 7-nights in a 1-Bedroom Ocean view apartment - $700 Book for 7-nights in a 2-Bedroom Ocean view apartment - $875 (Excludes High season and special events)

www.sandpiperapartments.com.au | 155 Old Burleigh Rd, Broadbeach | 07 559 201 44

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

37

RSA REVIEW • WINTER 2015

Tours FULLY ESCORTED TOURS FOR SENIORS Our 2015 - 16 tours include: NZ: High Country Spectacular 25 Sep-6 Oct; Wonders of Westland 12-20 Oct; Taranaki Rhodo Festival 30 Oct-2 Nov; Chatham Islands 7-12 Nov; East Cape for Christmas 23 - 27 Dec; Winterless North Feb 2016; Top of the South Feb 2016; South of the South March 2016; Great Barrier Island April 2016 AUSTRALIA: Australia's Red Centre 7-24 Jul; South Australia Explorer 27 Jul-9 Aug; Sydney, Canberra & Outback 12-26 Aug; Cape York Discoverer 30 Aug-9 Sep; Touring Tasmania Jan 2016; Melbourne, Adelaide & Murray River April 2016. PACIFIC: Norfolk Island 29 Nov-6 Dec; Samoa May 2016.

VIETNAM TOURS 20 Days ex Auck, Wgtn, Chch.

From $6795 pp share twin. Special conditions apply.

Kiwi Vietnam Tours 305 Kahuterawa Rd RD 2 Palmerston North

Writer and illustrator Michelle O’Connell (centre) with Masterton RSA president Bob Hill and Masterton mayor Lyn Patterson

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Medals

Next-door discovery ends up as a book As part of her involvement in Masterton’s commemoration of a march made by men going off to war in 1914, Michelle O’Connell discovered that a young man from the house where she and her family lived was one of them.

She and her son, Christopher, dressed in period clothes and joined in the commemoration, assembling at the town hall and following the soldiers up Perry St, where they boarded a heritage train.

“I was just a mother, curious and interested and wanting to share a day with my son, and teach him something meaningful and historic.”

The result was Leaving For The Front, a World War 1 book written and illustrated by her. It’s a children’s book with a message for everyone.

“All I can say is: Don’t underestimate the power of a book, or a story, or art when it comes

into the hands of children,” says O’Connell.

Masterton RSA president Bob Hill recalls when she came to see him to talk about her idea.

“I was just amazed that somebody had taken the time to research a house she lived in, research who lived there, and then take the time to not only write the story but to illustrate it and finally publish it.

“I think that is fantastic. What a wonderful way to communicate with our younger generation by putting something so simple in a book like that.

“The RSA embraces this way of educating and telling stories to our younger generation so that they have an idea of just where we came from to be here today.

Information: BMS Books Ltd, 5 High St, Rotorua 3010; 07 3494107; 027 209686; ms@bms.co.nz; www.bms.co.nz.

A group from the City of Christchurch Cadet Unit of New Zealand Cadet Forces visited Rannerdale Veterans Care, in Christchurch – an opportunity for cadets and veterans to meet and talk. The cadets were shown around Rannerdale and saw the recently opened Rannerdale World War One Commemorative Centre, then shared morning tea, provided by CCCU, with the veterans. Rannerdale manager Steve Shamy welcomed the cadets and invited CCCU to return.

Left: Cdt Kenworthy shares memories chats with a Rannerdale resident.

Below: LCpl Matthews chats with Heather. Photos: Cdt Blackwell.

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38

RSA REVIEW • WINTER 2015

What’s New

TINY SCHOOL PRODUCES WINNER Sue Russell It has been a busy and exciting time for the 34-pupil Waingaro School, nestled halfway between Ngaike and Glen Massey in the heart of the Waikato.

The activity has been focused around the way the school has studied and commemorated the centenary of the landings at Anzac Cove and the subsequent World War 1 military campaign known as Gallipoli.

Senior teacher Colleen Randell has used the fact that this is such a special year in New Zealand’s history to engage her year 4 to 8 pupils with a new world of learning.

“Every child in the class got involved in the Gallipoli and WW1 project in lots of ways,” she says. “We created a field of remembrance with crosses marked with the names of those from the district who served in the war; we made a wonderful display in a quiet space that engaged the children in research and contemplation, and each one of them, regardless of age, wrote a poem.”

What intrigued her and gave her the greatest satisfaction was how much the students willingly embraced their own learning, spending hours at a time engrossed in these activities, “really taking in an understanding as best they could of just what it must have been like”.

“They did a lot of their own research and, through this, discovered that WW1 was like no other war since. Hard, hard drudgery and sacrifice compared to the world these children have known. I remember their reactions looking at quite graphic pictures and coming to grips with the numbers killed and wounded.”

A class trip is planned to Waikato Museum to view the For Us They Fell exhibition, which tells the WW1 stories through the experiences of Waikato people involved, often through

St Patrick’s College camera club, Paekakariki, early 1900s. Back row: Howard Buckley, William Lynch, Bernard Chapman, Courtenay O’Rourke, Oscar Lynch. Front row: unidentified.

Both Lynch boys served in WWI. Oscar died of enteric fever in Alexandria. William was killed at Gallipoli, 8 August 1915.

Photographer unidentified. ATL: 1/2-080314-F.

An exhibition at the National Library of New Zealand, Molesworth Street, Wellington. Mon-Sat 8.30am-5pm.

For programme: www.natlib.govt.nz

Cherie Meecham, director of the Waikato Museum, at the opening of the World War 1 centenary exhibition, For Us They Fell. Year 7 Waingaro School pupil Isara Gatfield-Dudson won a Waikatowide poem competition centred on World War 1, which she read out at the official opening of the exhibition.

diary entries and servicemen’s letters home.

But the school’s connection to the exhibition runs deeper than the visit. Year 7 pupil Isara Gatfield-Dudson’s WW1 poem won a Waikatowide contest and she was asked to read it out at the official opening of the exhibition on April 24. Randell describes that moment as humbling and profound, not just for Isara, but to all who heard the words.

“When she had finished reading the poem beautifully, there was this profound silence that lasted at least 20 seconds, absolute silence because of the impact the poem had on those gathered.”

Back at Waingaro School the special “war museum” space created out of the efforts of the children is a popular place for them to slip away

quietly to read old newspaper articles, study photos and think about a very different time.

“We even made Anzac biscuits,” says Randell.

“I asked my students to sit somewhere quietly while they ate, and think about the person whose name is on the cross they placed in the ground. Do you know what? Thirty-four children ate their biscuits in absolute silence.”

She is one of two teachers at Waingaro School, which she describes as an excellent learning and supportive environment for the children and their families: “Rural schools are like that, they are so much more a part of the community. We still have a special day each year where past students return to run games with our children.” It’s a day celebrated by all.”

Isara’s winning poem – For Us They Fell Out on the battlefield, Facing the enemy, For us they fought, And we are remembering.

For them we live, The peace they gave us, The lives they lost, The families who mourned,

There are far too many for us to forget.

They say ‘Lest we forget’, And right they are.

The poppies we wear, Are for their souls, Are for the blood they shed, Are for the lives they lost.

For us they fell.

The centrepiece installation includes 100 teardrops, embellished with a poppy, cascading from a wooden cross cradled in barbed wire.

RSAs offered a taste of an ‘inspired’ artpiece RSAs are being offered the chance to showcase a commemorative artpiece, which, says the artist, was inspired by her father’s tour of duty as a gunner during the Pacific War. Theatre 100 – a revolving installation created

by Hamilton artist Elwyn Stone – was installed at the Hamilton RSA as part of the club’s 2015 Anzac commemorations.

She is hopeful her installation will find a permanent home, but in the interim, is offering to place it in RSAs or community spaces by arrangement.

Stone says her aim is to engage viewers aesthetically and intrinsically, “commemorating a spirit that underpins our senses of nationhood”. The work consists of narrative images impressed on acrylic tears, sheltering an illuminated, slowly revolving generic cross and bringing about engagement with the ‘story’.

As well as the Theatre 100 installation, she says she has created an individual response to the cataclysmic events of war and the legacy passed to generations who have not known war.

This collection of 25 artworks and another installation are on exhibition at the National Army Museum, at Waiouru, until late July.

She says that rather than focusing on specific battles and actions, these artworks aim to depict in a conceptual sense a precis of New Zealand at war.

The centrepiece installation, Tears for our Our Fallen, involves 100 teardrops, embellished with a poppy for remembrance, cascading from a wooden cross cradled in barbed wire, symbolic of pain and loss.

A number of teardrops are etched with names of “fallen”, and the remaining teardrops are available to the community to add further honour.

This artpiece was installed in the Stratford Club for unveiling during the Anzac commemorations.

Information: Elwyn Stone -027 4718957; un_nouvelle@xtra.co.nz; facebook.com/elwynstoneCS.

What’s New/News 39

RSA REVIEW • WINTER 2015

The magic of Whataroa wizardry From page 40 ideas and referred them to Development West Coast, a charitable trust set up to apportion government funds to support business and community initiatives on the Coast.

The Whataroa boys got the green light from Development West Coast, but had to apply to the Westland District Council for a grant because trust funds have to be channelled by that route. The trust also provided them with a letter of support, directing that a grant be made for their project. This proved invaluable as the council initially turned down the application, but reconsidered its stance once the letter was produced.

There was still one more bout with bureaucracy to come. WestPower was intransigent on the power price to supply the RSA in Whataroa, refusing to move off a bill of around $800 a year. Two issues: This would this virtually wipe out the RSA’s tiny budget, and with the high number of power cuts in the area, there was no guarantee of electricity when you wanted it. No problem. There was still enough in the council grant to buy and install a couple of solar panels.

Brian Cadigan is enjoying the prospect of hoisting the district’s oldest RSA member on a cherrypicker (the Catholic church in Whataroa has one – why wouldn’t it?) for a ceremonial cutting of the power.

Meanwhile, the volunteer workers - including a gratis contribution of labour from Kevin O’Keefe, the local painter and carpetlayer, on the interior work– have chipped away for the best part of three years. Everything meets or

The RSA party placed a poppy on the graves of returned servicemen buried in the Whataroa cemetery.

exceeds the current building code.

Brian Cadigan – who counts sawmill management, building and truck-driving amongst his vocational accomplishments – has masterminded the plan, dealt with the authorities, and done a vast amount of the work himself.

Ask him how much time he might have put in, and what has driven him to do it, and he turns extraordinarily coy: “Well, someone had to do it, so it might as well be me.”

Ask others about his efforts, and the response is – colossal.

Renovations have included the installation of a toilet and shower that’s accessible to visitors and travellers. New windows, a ranch slider, a gas oven and a multi-fuel burner have been fitted. Some old piles have been replaced to level the building, and a couple of tweaks have been made to the framework to concur with modern regulations. The building has been

Letter takes the long way home Sue Russell Just over three years ago Hawera man Goulburn Frederick Whalen, the last surviving World War 2 Crete veteran from the South Taranaki district, died at 96. His daughter, Jenny Greenhill, still misses him.

“He had all his faculties right up until the end. Just a week before he died in April 2012 he was playing the piano, but he was ready to go, wanting to be with Mum. I used to see Dad every day and, yes, I do miss him.”

She recalls Goldie’s funeral as a “really fine celebration” of a distinguished long life - the local press covered the story, and there was a military guard of honour and gun salute.

Back in 1940, Goldie, then 25, was one of 1600 soldiers about to leave port on the troop ship Dominion Monarch when he decided to send a farewell letter to his mother and father. He scribbled this goodbye on a piece of paper and threw it over the ship’s railing to the waiting crowd on the dock.

Across the envelope he wrote “please post”, hoping someone would find it and do just that.

Jenny is convinced the letter did make its way to her parents before it was lost for 75 years, only to surface in Auckland quite recently.

“I can see what has happened to the letter. Dad’s mum

Right: Jenny Greenhill with the original of her father’s letter.

would have passed it through the family until it was with Dad’s niece, Cleta, in Auckland, and when she went into care, it was amongst material left in her home.”

The letter was found by Max Catlin who was helping a friend clean out the house. Sensing how important it was, he set about tracing a member of the Whalen family.

“He (Catlin) was really happy the letter had found its way home,” says Jenny. “He said that with Anzac Day coming up, he thought somebody would like it.”

Jenny recalls just how very fond her father was of Anzac Day as a youngster, and how much importance he placed on the formality and respectfulness of the day.

“On Anzac Days we had to wear skirts. In his later years Dad would talk to his great grandchildren about his war days, but he didn’t talk about the gruesome things.”

Goldie had four years at War from 1940, serving in the 19th Battalion under Denis Blundell in Egypt, Greece and Crete.

painted inside and out, and the grounds have had a good tidy-up.

Just a couple of small bits of concreting and installation of the the solar panels remain to be done.

The result is an asset for the wider community – a civil defence base, an Anzac memorial and a community meeting place. Several groups have confirmed they want to use it, former users are looking at returning to the RSA venue, and others have indicated interest.

At the same time as renovating, they set about recruitment – so successfully that RSA membership has multiplied exponentially from a base of four or five to 80-ish.

In a precursor to the RSA’s national membership scheme, the vast majority of Whataroa members pay a very modest sub to support their new community facility and the RSA ideals.

The subs cover the cost of the annual rates (the

only major outgoing once the solar panels take effect), with a little bit over for maintenance.

The RSA brains trust is now eyeing the possibility of another source of income – using the vacant land around their building as a camping ground, serviced by the kitchen, toilet and shower facilities.

The project and the effort of the Whataroa crew was recognised when they entered their project in the 2013 Trustpower Westland community awards, and won the heritage and environment category.

And that’s only one way the new-look RSA has attracted attention. The other is its colour – bright yellow.

Brian Cadigan, who did the painting, is very cagey about the choice of colour and the suggestion he grabbed the “special” of the day. But, as the locals say, it grows on you. And, as the old saying goes, ‘You can’t miss it.’

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40

RSA REVIEW • WINTER 2015

WHATAROA WIZARDS WEAVE MAGIC RSA Review editor DION CROOKS spent Anzac Day in South Westland learning about a grassroots RSA story that exhibits all the peacetime qualities exhorted in the Anzac Spirit.

They’re known to be a doughty lot, these West Coasters – resourceful, resilient, resolute. And deep in South Westland, you’ll find a couple of RSA groups that give enduring life to this reputation.

The Whataroa area: population 288, a classic Kiwi farming (largely dairying these days) centre...pub, store, school, churches, an old courthouse, the staging base for tours to the white-heron breeding sanctuary.

Through nearly four years of vision and persistence, the RSA has been revitalised, a new-look clubrooms designed as a community facility, an Anzac Day dawn service preserved - just over 200 people gathered on the main road outside the RSA this year (22 from the Whataroa area lost their lives in world wars – 13 in WW1 and nine in WW2).

Just 31 kilometres up the road over Mt Hercules, Hari Hari: population 330, an expansive hotel designed in the days when Hari Hari was the gateway to the southern glaciers, a few more commercial options than Whataroa, South Westland Area School, the staging point for bushwalking, birdwatching, trout and salmon fishing.

Through similar vision and persistence eight years ago, the RSA was rescued from nearextinction, the clubrooms were spruced up

Above – Anzac Day in South Westland: late-morning at Hari Hari (left) and dawn at Whataroa (right), Left: The powers behind the Whataroa revival...Brian Cadigan (centre), Geoffrey Nolan (far left) and Tom Nolan (far right)

into an attractive community facility, and the late-morning Anzac Day observance continues to draw 100-plus (15 from the Hari Hari area who lost their lives in world wars – 11 in WW1 and four in WW2).

Hari Hari RSA president Barry Adamson recalls how a dozen or so locals had to fight to save their RSA. The RSA had been in recess for around 30 years, and a group in the community wanted to sell the RSA clubrooms and demolish the war memorial. Things got bitter at times, but the RSA supporters won out.

The RSA was revived and now has around 35 members (a number of them keen supporters even though they no longer live in the district).

The clubrooms have been refurbished and now provide an attractive, workable base for a number of community groups, for functions, and for meetings.

It seems like a close-at-hand blueprint for Whataroa, but remarkably the Hari Hari experience was not a massive factor in what transpired slightly to the south.

The Whataroa story began in 2011 when the

local RSA president and policeman (by tradition the RSA secretary) both gave notice they were moving away. The question arose: Who was going to look after the RSA? Or more pertinently: What was there to look after? The building had reached the point where it was unattractive and user-groups had forsaken it.

But Brian Cadigan – a South Westland man through and through (born a bit further south at Jacobs River and longtime resident of Whataroa), and an RSA member – could see potential. He suggested he and a mate might be able to do the RSA up a bit – if they could get some cash.

He put his mind to the issue and concluded $25,000 would do the job. His wife, Pat, was involved by inevitable association, and they were joined by another pair of community and RSA stalwarts, brothers Tom and Geoffrey Nolan.

They sorted the RSA executive roles – Geoffrey as president and Brian as secretary – and approached Chris Auchinvole, the West Coast MP of the time. He reinforced the value of their

PHOTOS: Whataroa: Felicity Jean Photography, Whitianga Hari Hari: Tanya Salter-Anderson Photography, Hari Hari

To page 39

Far left: The Hari Hari RSA ‘s war memorial room.

Left: The new-look RSA at Whataroa.

Above: A soldier who formed part of the guard at the Hari Hari Anzac service.