Issue No:27 May 2002

H a u r a k i N e w s "Whafea tangata kia kaha"

Official Newsletter o f the 6 Bat ta l ion (Hauraki) Regimental Associa t ion

PO Box 2217 Tauranga

Tel: 07 5 7 6 6 1 8 6 Fax: 07 5766029

Emai l : trevor.lynn@wave.co.nz Editor L y n n Arche r

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING STARTING 1400 S u n d a y J* u l y T + H 2 0 0 2

T o H ^ l c f At THE G A R R I S O N C L U B T A U R A N G A

S E E I N S X D E F O R D E T A I L S

COMMITTEE 2001 / 02 Patron: Col (rtd.) A.P. Coster ED

President: Des Anderson, tel: 07:5711951 h Vice President Gordon Eagleson tel 07-8846675

fax 07-8846075 Secretary/Treasu rer Trevor Archer, tel: 07:5766186

fax: 07-5766029 Mob 025.928794

e-mail trevor.lynn@wave.co.nz

Welfare Officer Penny Burgess, tel/fax 07-5776480

Committee: Bob Mankelow Richard Burgess Penny Burgess John Couchman A R E A REPS: Auckland:

Shirley Keno Tony Fraser Ted Dean

Bob Mack telephone:

Thames:

ph 09-4453242

Russell Skeet ph 07-8687955

Tauranga: See Committee

Matamata

Doug McGlashen ph 07- 8886314

Whakatane Vacant

Hamilton: Stu Foster

Te Aroha:

ph: 07-8436121

Gordon Eagleson ph 07-8846675

Te Awamutu: Peter Croucher ph 07-8714360

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Presidents Report

There was only one member outside the Tauranga area who was interested in a weekend activity this Hauraki Birthday. Your Committee has downgraded the event to an afternoon; a BBQ, a drink with some of the serving soldiers, and the AGM. See the secretary's notes for timings.

The Hauraki Association, like many other organizations, has the question asked, "what's in it for me?" Our constitution in general terms, defines our role as comradeship, between the past and present members of the Regiment, organizing social events and developing a history room.

Should the Association be doing more? What other directions should the Association be going? Is "welfare", for financial members, a direction to take?

With the number o f recent deaths of members and non members (Ex Hauraki), it has high-lighted our lack of procedures to advise EVERY ONE of any required up-to-date information. Your committee is working on a protocol to correct that oversight, but it does raise the question of who to contact. Al l financial members, non-financial members, ex-financial members, any ex Hauraki who did not wish to join, or any ex Hauraki that is known?

I was at the recent change-over of the Hauraki Regiment's new Commanding Officer. The presenting Colonel, Commander 2 n d Land Force Group Colonel Mark Wheeler, stated "the Hauraki Regiment is doing well and there will be no changes to the structure", or words to that effect. At the time I felt great as his inspiring words caused a shiver of pride to run

down my back. It was only later that I realized, no matter what he believes or says, the politicians control the military and they make changes to whatever they want.

This is the year WE can change them. When you vote, and I know you all vote, remember some of the changes they have made in your name, to the direction of the military.

1. Reducing the Air Force to a transport company.

2. The Navy to a coastal patrol role.

3. The Army to a non-aggressive force.

I believe the politicians, or some of them, next intend to denude the SAS ( a long held agenda of those on the left). Thus the Army, including the Hauraki Regiment is reduced to only a lightly armed police unit.

Come and visit the Garrison on a Friday night, discuss some of the issues of the day, and expand on your experiences of the past. See for yourself the growing museum; maybe drop off a memento or two. Your comradeship is always welcome, along with your stories.

Kia Kaha Des Anderson President

Thank You On July 7 this year, my term as "Temporary" Secretary will be over, and I shall retire. I wish to thank President Des and the Committee for their tireless frustrations they must have endured at times. Also thanks for the assistance and kind words I have received over the last 7 years from the Members, non members and friends. It was all appreciated.

Trev the Sec

Penny's Welfare Corner

Last Post

We regret to advise that on 4 t h January 2002, 1/2/249 Pte F .H. John Morrow of Hamilton passed away, aged 78. Pte Morrow served his wartime years with the 2 n d NZEF, and was a Foundation Member of the Association having joined up in 1996.

Regretfully 1/2/410 Pte Maurice T Wilson of Pyes Pa Tauranga passed away on the 15 t h February 2002 in his 80 t h year. Born in Pukekohe, he was educated in Paparoa in the Kaipara. He had been married to June for 60 years.

Maurice farmed for most of his life in the Pyes Pa/ Oropi districts developing a large block of bush land at Taumata. Serving in the TF with the Hauraki's 1940 -1942, an experience he shared with Colonel's Smith and Condor.

His prowess as a morse operator earned him recognition, but his age precluded him from going overseas with the Army so he joined the Air Force and trained in Canada under the Empire training Scheme. His morse skill earned him a gold medal.

He served in Coastal Command flying in Catalina's mostly out o f Gibraltar reaching the rank of Flight Lieutenant. Maurice was a Foundation Member of the Association having joined up in 1996.

Maurice was a stalwart of the BOP Officers Club and of the Hauraki Association. He will be sadly missed.

Sadly on march 19 2002, in his 70 th year, N-535015 Col H.R. (Bob) Burt M.B.E (Affectionately known as Col Bob) passed away. He had been unwell for some time.

Approximately 400 people farewelled Bob on the day. Col Bob had a fiill Military Funeral, complete with Gun Carriage and Firing Party.

Col Bob joined the Army in 1950 with the CMT and later joined the Regulars in 1959, serving with RNZIR and the SAS until 1981. He held the rank of Pl/Sgt Pi/Com, Coy 2-IC, CO. , and Honorary Colonel.

Col. Bob was a Foundation Member of the Association, in fact it was his baby, and being the main instigator, he o f course was very instrumental in getting the Association off the ground, serving on the Committee for 3 terms, 1995 until 1998. Many thanks Bob, for all your hard work.

Bob was also a stalwart o f the BOP Officers Club and of the Hauraki Association, and will be sadly missed.

Our thoughts are with Patti and her family at this time.

Enclosed is a poem, "The Saga of Willie Whitebait" (as requested by many) written and signed by Bob a few weeks before he died. Hauraki News has called it an "Ode to Bob."

Sickness

Alan (Redeye) Redding, since our last newsletter, was unfortunately readmitted to Auckland Hospital for another operation and is now back home again and doing very well considering his ordeal.

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Once again the 106 Anti Tank Platoon provided another

New Commanding Officer

On March 1 s t 2002, at an informal morning tea, Maj. John Dick was promoted to Lt.Col and made the new CO. of the Hauraki Regiment.

Along with distinguished guests Maj Dick was welcomed onto the establishment with a "Wero" (Challenge) which was performed by Cpl K. Haumaha.

Commander 2LFG Col. Mark Wheeler addressed the guests and on completion, assisted by Lt.Col Kenneth Brown, Major Dick received his Lt.Col .rank slides.

Lt.Col. Brown then addressed the guests before handing over the CO.'s Sword and Honorary Badge to Lt.Col. Dick, thus making his position as CO. official. Lt. Col. Dick then replied.

Approximately 50 friends and military pers were in attendance making for a very enjoyable morning.

(With Brig Dean (Rtd) once my Pl.Sgt. in Anti Tank and Lt.Col.Dick once my Cpl when I was Sgt.in Anti Tank, dare I say I taught them well? Yeah right. )

Lost Members

T.O'Regan Ohope

Secretaries boo boo

I have just discovered that the February News Letter was incorrectly shown as Issue No 22 Feb 2001. It should of course shown Issue No 26 February 2002. My apologies for that.

News from the Regiment

Hauraki Nominal Roll for Overseas Service April 2002

Timor

Bayly P.D. Booth J.V. Donald B. Haley J.S. Sutton A.

G749323 F1001103

T753451 Ul004727 U1004727

NZMFO Sinai

Major Private L/Corporal Private

L/Corporal

Walters M.W. X753294 Major Darwin

Epiha W.D. N50428 WO

The Hauraki Association wishes you all well, and a safe return.

Hauraki Ties

These are now available from the Association. The price at this time is $50 each. The format is a woven Hauraki Badge on a plain blue background.

Purchases are to be made through B.Mankelow at P.O.Box 2217 Tauranga.

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For the young amongst us I f you drink don't park. Accidents

cause people

LATE SUBSCRIPTIONS! !

If you are current don't read this.

In two months time, subs for the year ending 2002-03 will be due. To the majority of our members it is no big deal and they will pay them. BUT!! There is still a minority who don't wish to, or can't be bothered to pay. I f in doubt about your current status, ring the secretary or write a letter. It will be most welcomed. I f your newsletter has stopped being posted to you, then you are not current, and will be reinstated as a member again for $15. I f you prefer a one off payment of $150, this will make you a Perpetual Member and all will be well. I f for some reason you want to resign, please notify the secretary.

G A L L O P O L I

A brief review. Written by Les Carlyon, published in 2001 byPanMacmillan:ISBN 0 7329 10897

Students of the Gallipoli Campaign will say "have there not been enough books written; what can yet another book offer?" True enough, many others have been written: what Carlyon's book offers is a text written like an adventure story; with a beautiful little cameo's of the main players littering the text, and glimpses of the Peninsula to-day taken from Carlyon's own visits to broaden the readers understanding. And Carlyon makes some judgements. He arrives at the same sorts of conclusions that most readers would arrive at, and he states them; leaving in no doubt as to his opinion. Carlyon is an award winning journalist and his skill at composing details and differing strands of a story, into an interesting and coherent account, is evident in this effort. Typical is his treatment of the August offensive; the 6 t h, 7 t h and 8 t h are rich in detail that unfolds clearly and sensibly.

The book is 583 pages long and every page is a compelling read - don't let the number of pages put you off. There are good notes, bibliography and index for those with the interest.

Let me tempt you to indulge in the book with this description:

"..Godley didn't like being stood up. He was a robotic soldier. I f he thought at all, it was only about important things, such as how to cadge a smart horse for a days fox hunting. Godley was made for drill and good order and the rituals o f the Officer's mess for training grounds and peace time. He was not made for this war where part of the trick was to know which of the old things to discard. Grit and dash and discipline, they were fine things and when Godley began his career they might have enough to take an objective, particularly i f it was held by Sudanese with spears. Machine guns and quick firing artillery now chewed up men and bayonets; it didn't matter that these men were brave, good at drill and always did as they were told. The world had changed and Godley had not. He was not alone."

R.B.Skeet U752026

Social Postponed The proposed Weekend Social for July 2002, as advertised in the February newsletter, has been postponed due to lack of interest. Only one response received. Trev the Sec.

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From The Archives 1969

A Message From The Retiring CO. Lt.Col G.J.Macleod ED

It is now four years since I was appointed CO of this Battalion, and 15 years since I was first transferred to it. During these past four years we have maintained and even enhanced our reputation, which is second to none among the Infantry Battalions of this country.

The time has now come for me to hand over command, and I do so with considerably mixed feelings. There is no doubt in my mind, that after almost 30 years of Wartime, Regular and Territorial soldiering, these 4 years have been the most rewarding of my career.

This has been entirely due to the splendid co-operation I received from the Officers, Warrant Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers and Private soldiers - both Regular and Territorial - with whom I have served during this period, for which I thank you all.

We as a Unit are known throughout the country for our "esprit-de-corps" and it is encouraging to see that with the predominance of National Servicemen, we can still maintain this spirit so strongly.

The Battalion is in good heart, and I know that it will continue to go from strength to strength in the future. Although my term as CO is completed, I wil l always remain a Hauraki and I look forward to seeing a lot more of you in the future.

Good luck and best wishes to each and every one of you.

Ake Ake Kia Kaha !

A Message From Mai.A.P.Coster ED

As CO elect, I would like to take this opportunity to say that I look forward to taking over command of the Haurakis in April. 6RNZIR is second to none among the Territorial Units of this country, and has proud history dating back to before the Boer War..

Also I feel I must thank Lt. Col. Macleod for his handing over the Unit in such good heart. The fighting spirit of the Haurakis, has been frustrated of late by our role in the Reserve brigade, but I am glad to say this spirit has never been dampened

Kiwi News 1943

SECOND FRONT F O R E C A S T

London Feb 25. The Yugoslav Government spokesman in London states that the Germans have launched a major campaign to clear Gen. Draja Mihailvich's patriot army from the plain areas and to restore control of the main railways. The campaign is inspired by nazi fears of a full-scale Allied invasion of the continent, with Yugoslavia one of the main points of attack.

NZ BASES F O R USA

Washington Feb 26. Mr.Walter Nash, NZ Prime Minister here stated that his government is prepared to give the US permanent rights to any air or military bases it may need in NZ in exchange for lease-lend rights.

Article from KHarrison and the late I.Still

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AGM/Birthday BBQ

The Regimental Birthday will be held at the conclusion of our A G M (with a bit of luck the PMC may even shout us. Sec.) Sunday July 7 t b 2002. This A G M will be held at the Garrison Club Tauranga, starting 1400hrs, followed by a BBQ at 1500hrs. Please bring shared salad.(Bar opens 1500 or earlier)

E-mail Addresses This is a request to all members who have e-mail. I would like to start up a Members e-mail address book for the Association, so i f there are no objections, will you please advise me of yours.

Hauraki Army Cadets Paeroa

Our Unit was invited to join with the Taupo Cadet Unit, and several other Units, taking part in a camp at Taupo, from March 2 8 - 3 1 .

Seven Cadets and myself attended. One of our female Cadets attended the Junior NCO course conducted at the Camp.

Our thanks go to 2/Lt Faith Pitama Unit Commander of the Taupo Unit for organising a very successful and enjoyable long weekend. Thanks also to WOl's Dave Galvin and George Ririnui of the Hauraki Regiment and all other staff and helpers.

Our numbers have grown to 52 on the books, but we now have the problem of "too many Indians and not enough chiefs." So, i f anyone has time to spare to become an Officer or helper within our Unit, you would be very welcome.

Kia Kaha Gordon Eagleson HCCU Unit Commander

Being part of the NZ Cadet Forces

I have been in the NZ Cadet Forces for the last three years, and it has certainly changed my life. The many skills learned in this time continue to impact in every other area of my lite.

Without doubt, the camps in the cadet unit hold the most fun. This is where theory becomes practice, plus an opportunity to meet and make new lifelong friends from all three corps. There are three main types of camps; Unit, Tri-Corp and Inter Unit. Unit Camps (your own) are small, a lot of fun, where heaps of training can be done. Tri Corp camps are camps with Sea, Air and Army cadets combined; these are essential for learning new skills and meeting new people. The best camps are Inter Unit camps. These can be huge with 150 cadets in attendance making for an exciting and interesting time, with the possibility of meeting people from all over New Zealand.

One camp worth mentioning contains the 'Skills' competition. The Units engage in 16 different activities eg survival in water, in the field, Search & Rescue etc; to gain points against each other. The team that wins goes on to National Skills to compete there. 'Skills' are held in high regard as the unit that wins can consider themselves as 'top unit'. With over 60 units competing nationwide, the competition is fierce.

In summary, the cadet force teaches us life skills and important virtues. It helps us with our futures and life in general. It shows us how to lead and gives us a wealth of practical and physical knowledge. It also opens the door to meeting heaps of genuinely great people, plus provides the chance to progress and grow, as you must in real life. So it's with these things in mind, I urge you to give it a try. It could just be your thing!

Under Office Steve Grant (abridged) W.B.O.P.C.U.

HAURAKI SCRAPBOOK

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1 s t March 2002 At the end of the Official handover

Lt.Col. John Dick The new CO.

Hauraki Association Guests left to right

Gordon Eagleson-Shirley Keno Marion Kareko -Des Anderson

6 HAURAKI ASSOCIATION INCORPORATED APPLICATION FORM FOR

NEW MEMBERSHIP ONLY

Regimental No Date of Birth

Full Name

Partners Name (If App)

Full Postal address

Telephone Number(Home) Business

Brief resume of Service with 6 Hauraki (Include dates and appointments)

Highest Rank Held Service in other Units

OFFICE USE ONLY

Date Joined ..Receipt no Membership no

This information is collected for the purpose of the 6 Battalion (Hauraki) Regimental Association Inc. and is strictly Confidential. It will not be supplied to any other person or organisation in compliance with the Privacy Act.

Post Subscription of $Xo to Secretary T.J.Archer P.O.Box 2217 Tauranga

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