Issue No:28 August 2002

Hauraki News Whafca tangata kia fcaha"

Official Newsletter of the 6 Battalion (Hauraki) Regimental Association

PO Box 2217 Tauranga

Tel: 07 5766186 Fax: 07 5766029

Email: trevor.lynn@wave.co.nz Editor Lynn Archer

COMMITTEE 2002 / 03 Patron: Col (rtd.) A.P. Coster ED

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

fox 07-8846075 Secretary Marion Kareko tel: 07:5760277h

07 5788139w Treasurer Ted Dean tel; 07-5444536 h

Fax: 07-5444737 Welfare Officer

Penny Burgess, tel/fax 07-5776480

Committee: Bob Mankelow Shirley Keno Richard Burgess Tony Fraser Penny Burgess Paddy McFarland Erik Kristensen AREA REPS: Auckland: Bob Mack telephone: ph 09-4453242

Thames: nil

Tauranga: See Committee

Matamata Doug McGlashen ph 07- 8886314 Whakatane Vacant

Hamilton:

Stu Foster ph: 07-8436121

Te Aroha:

Gordon Eagleson ph 07-8846675

Te Awamutu: Peter Croucher ph 07-8714360

One Day in Wellington

As our President Des is on a well-earned holiday on the Gold Coast, Trevor, who has kindly put together the newsletter yet again, asked me to pen a few words to take up the space of the President's Report.

We think of New Zealand as growing but it still remains a small country in terms of coming across people.

This was certainly evident in a recent week in Wellington. I met Graeme Vercoe a former Adjutant now a senior manager with the Corrections Department for lunch, and we called on Grant Aislabie a former and well-known Hauraki Officer, now head of the Disputes Tribunal; for coffee. On the way down Lambton Quay we first ran into David and Heather Blanshard who were on holiday in Wellington. David having been an Honorary Hauraki Officer for many years during which we had unprecedented press coverage.

While talking to them along came Roger Mortlock former Land Commander and great supporter of the TF and several other regular force officers now with civilian careers in Wellington.

Checked into the hotel and found Kei Merito one of the great RSM's, also staying there as he was there on ERMA business, a great recognition of his mana, integrity and capability.

Went to the airport for the trip home, met Brigadier Tim Brewer the current TF adviser who was also returning home. Hopped on the plane and was seated across the aisle from Ray Goldring who was the Anti Tank Platoon Commander in the early 80s.

Ray is employed by the Mountain Safety Council and has written a number of publications on safety with weapons and in crossing rivers. These have been adopted by the Council. Ironically, Ray was in Tauranga for a seminar, in part organized by another long standing Hauraki, Bob Mankelow.

It is a small country!

E. P.Dean (Treasurer)

2

Penny's Welfare Corner But in strategic terms the victory was the Americans'. For the first time the Japanese were not invincible. The Japanese carriers had lost more aircraft than the Americans, which meant that both fleet carriers had to return to Japan. Despite being undamaged, ZUIKAKU took no part in the decisive battle of Midway a month later. In contrast, the damaged YORKTOWN returned to Pearl Harbour where the shipyard quickly effected temporary repairs for her to put to sea with a full air group in time for Midway.

And the immediate objective for the Allies was achieved - the Port Moresby Occupation Force turned back. The Japanese Army would later land on the north coast of new Guinea, but they never took Port Moresby. Abridged

With kind permission of Navy Today.

We have a new Secretary At the last A.GM. Mrs. Marion Kareko of 91 Windsor Rd, Tauranga was nominated as the new Secretary and has now taken over the reins from Trev. Please note change of address. Any mail, which goes to the old mailing list, PO Box 2217, will of course be handed on.

Worlds dumbest exam answers.

Oxygin is pure gin. Hydrogin is gin ancl water. H2o is hot water and COZ is cold water

*******

Last Post

On June 8 t h 2002 No 34568 Captain Neil G. Hansen JP passed away at the age of 84. Neil served with the NZ Artillery during WW2 in the 2NZEF.

After the war he joined the Hauraki Regiment, and was on strength from 1945 until 1951 where he assisted with training intelligence sections etc.

Neil was a Foundation Member of the Hauraki Association, being one of first to join. Our thoughts go out to Mrs. Hansen and her family.

On August 9 2002 No 466969 LtCol. Colin C .Brown ED passed away peacefully at Tauranga at the age of 63.

Colin was a Foundation Member of the Hauraki Association, also being one of the first to join. Our thoughts go out to Mrs. Brown and family.

Battle of the Coral Sea 5 - 9 May 1942 But who won?

This battle was the first where the opposing surface ships never actually sighted each other. The entire offensive action was between the air groups of the carrier forces. In material terms the Japanese were the victors -the loss of the light carrier SHOHO and the damage to SHOKAKU was more than offset by the American's loss of LEXINGTON, NEOSHO and SIMS and the damage to

3

A young guy in F-16 fighter was flying escort for a B-52 and generally being a nuisance, acting like a hotdog, flying rolls around the lumbering old bomber. The hotdog said over the air, "Anything you can do, I can do better." The veteran bomber pilot answered, "Try this hotshot." The B-52 continues, straight and level. Perplexed, the hotdog asked. "So what did you do?"

T just shut down two engines kid.'

Taken from the Air Force News.

The 7 m A.G.M.

On Sunday July the 7 t h our 7 t h Annual General Meeting was held at the Garrison Club. Twenty members were present, including two guests. The disappointing part was the lack of members that neither showed up or bothered to put in an apology. The A.G.M. is the place to be if you have a query on anything at all.

There were two new Committee members elected, Erik Kristensen and Paddy McFarland. M. Kareko took over as Secretary with Ted Dean once again taking on the job as Treasurer, with Penny Burgess staying on as the Welfare Officer.

At the completion of the meeting the Barbie was fired up. Bob Mankelow as duty Chef, soon had a large BBQ meal available to all those who wished to partake.

Every Member's Favourite Subs Subs Subs

These are now due: Once again there has been no increase in the Annual Subscription. They remain as follows.

Renewal $15.00 New Members $20.00

Please be prompt and send your Sub to Ted Dean Treasurer, 28 Hammond Street Tauranga. I f you are having problems with your sub contact Ted, he won't place you on a charge.

Appeal for Email addresses

There was a very disappointing response to the May newsletter request for email addresses. Only one member responded and gave his address. Fortunately over the last 12 months or so, through normal correspondence, the Association had acquired a few.

Kiwi News - March 1943

Dominion reps of the 2 NZEF Assoc in Wellington recently and later conferred with the Prime Minister, the Minister of Defence, the Minister of Armed Forces and War Co-ordination and heads of the various departments.

Among matters discussed were substantial increases in soldiers' widows' and orphans pensions.

The deputation advocated a basic minimum compensation for complete disability of five pounds 10 shillings ($11) instead of two pounds ($4) a week, with corresponding increases to widows' and orphans'. Mufti allowances and the question of leave without pay were also discussed.

Trials of a newly Commissioned Officer

Not long after I was commissioned into the 6 t h Battalion Hauraki, in 1982, I was given the task of being escort officer on Anzac Day for the mayor of Paeroa, Basil Morrison JP. Now in 1983 I was a very freshly minted young second Lieutenant with bugger all experience of anything, and only four years experience in the Territorial Force, and those as a private soldier in the Mortar Platoon. The prospect of escorting such an august presence as a Mayor was daunting: but that was the task I had been given.

To get to the point, I carried off the task with all the aplomb expected and was quite satisfied with my performance? Indeed I felt very elevated by the whole thing. Back at the RSA, with Basil and his wife and a few of the other dignitaries that were partaking of the conviviality kindly provided by the Paeroa RSA, conversation turned to me, the new officer- what was my background was the question? The question in itself was fine but it was loaded with expectation and that was the worrying part. What did they expect me to be?

Now at this particular time I was labouring for the local council -you know the sort of thing, filling in pot holes and mending footpaths, spending rainy days in the cab of the truck away from the prying eyes of the foreman. But today, this Anzac Day I was an officer in Her majesty's New Zealand Territorial Force Volunteers, all puffed up in my finery, looking every bit the part. So what do you say?

The conversation went a little like this. Mrs. Mayor "And what do you do Russell? RS " I work in civil engineering." Mrs. Mayor "Oh yes and what does that involve?"

RS " I work in the area of road construction and maintenance-urban infrastructure." (You might have noticed how I dressed it up a little to meet the expectation.) Mrs. Mayor "Gosh that must be interesting; what sort of things do you do?" RS "Mostly I am involved with roading projects and footpath maintenance in the Thames area." (I'm running out of options now, having painted myself into a corner.) But still she persisted. Mrs. Mayor "Yes and what sort of construction jobs have you been involved in recently? (Of course no one else was contributing to the conversation, rather they were keen to hear about me, so apart from the background hub bub there was an air of expected silence. For me the tension was palpable.) RS-Forced now to reveal the truth of the situation; "Well my colleagues and I have most recently been engaged in...."

Saved, for at that precise moment, the president of the RSA rang the bell and made an announcement and all ears were directed toward him. I had been about to reveal that we had been burning rubber and plastic coating off scrap wire up the Waiotahi Valley quarry so that we could flog it off to the scrappy for better value. I f you are going to shatter expectations, do it big time. I decided we would spend time gathering odd scraps of wire from the tip and other job sites, burn it off and sell it to the scrap dealer every month; not exactly a task on the job description.

Any way I was saved the fate of disclosing the reality of my work situation and lived to escort the Mayor another day with my dignity intact.

R.B.Skeet U752026

s

From the Archives April 1969

The following is a message from the Commanding Officer Lt. Col

G.J.MacLeod

This being the first issue of the "Hauraki" for the 1969/70 training year, it is timely that I make a few remarks concerning the very interesting training year just completed.

The highlight and culmination of the year was, of course the Annual Camp in which we, as a Battalion acted as enemy to the Combat Brigade. The following quote from a letter received from the Director of Training will be of interest, "thank you and your unit for a job very well done indeed -you can rightly claim a large measure of what success we achieved on the Exercise. You will be pleased to know that the C.G.S. considered the Exercise to be the best we have held, and this is fully endorsed by all the Corps Directors."

The credit for this success is due to every member of the battalion and the result was achieved only by the use of the knowledge gained in previous training and the spirit of co­operation at all levels, which has for so long, been a feature of this unit.

During the forthcoming year we must strive to consolidate and build further on the high standard already reached, and the training programme has been designed with this in mind.

Mention must also be made of the attachment to the battalion of Burma Company 1D.W.R. under Major Peter Mitchell. Right from the word go these great chaps settled down to work with us and the lusty roars emanating from the OR's Mess on non-training nights amply testified to a successful integration. We send them and their battalion every good wish for the future.

Finally a quick reference to our acceptance of the Freedom of the City of Tauranga. This honour will be bestowed on the battalion at a Charter Parade to be held in Tauranga in September.

Whilst we have always reached great heights in our field training, there is no reason why a disciplined unit such as ours cannot reach similar heights on our rare ceremonial occasions. I look forward to an outstanding effort on this day.

Customs of The Service

Initials Before and After Surnames The authorities are not quite clear on this point, but it is felt that the origin of Officers placing their initials before their surnames, and other ranks after the surname, is brought about by the awards of medals decorations etc.

Up to the 19th century, no medals were issued to the men for any campaigns or battles. That is with one exception, the Battle of Dunbar 1650 when by vote of Parliament, all Parliamentary soldiers engaged in the battle were awarded a medal. It was not until the institution of the Victoria Cross in 1856 that soldiers other than officers were eligible to receive an award for gallantry in battle.

It would appear then, that while officers were in receipt of awards, their initials came first followed by their surnames, then the abbreviation for any awards etc. Although awards are now made to other ranks, the original practice still follows, and today at times becomes an embarrassment to the individual in certain cases; i.e. Pte Bloggs DCM, MM. DCM being his initials and not an award.

L - R Top

Sgt. J. Middleton - Sgt P.Agnevv - S/Sgt.B. Mankelow - Sgt.T. Archer -Sgt. M . Rigby - S/Sgt Obrien

L - R L o w e r Sgt R.Keno-Sgt. Taha-Sgt#.Hiini- W O l D.McDonald - Sgt E.Matahaere-Sgt.E.Kristensen - Sgt.W. Hillman

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 $20.00 to Secretary M. Kareko 91 Windsor Road Tauranga

M k l V 01/99

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