Army News - Issue 428 PDF, 5.29MB

Transcription

armynews
courage
|
CO m m i t m e n t
|
comradeship
w w w . a r m y. m i l . n z
WO Vooght Person
of the Year
|
integrity
I s s u e 4 2 8 | f e b r u a r y 2 0 1 2
Officer cadets
graduate
C-IED: providing the
best protection
RNZE divers
Off
Limits
NZarmy
news
WO 1 Vooght
Defence Person of the Year
FEBRUARY 2012
ISSUE 428
Contents
NEWS
Officer cadets graduate
New Year Honours
Medics graduate in firstever course
WW1 soldier laid to rest
03
05
05
05
PEOPLE
Defence at the Hertz
Sevens
Singapore-bound
06
09
10
Nathan Blackler Memorial
Challenge
11
Lest we forget: Timor-Leste
EQUIPMENT
New weapons
Groin protection
08
13
WO1 Vooght receives his award from Chief of Defence Force, Lieutenant
General Rhys Jones.
The courage, commitment and leadership shown by Warrant Officer Class
One Shane Vooght, of Palmerston North, has earned him the title of New
Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) Person of the Year.
WO1 Vooght, (45) was until recently the Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM) of
2 Engineer Regiment at Linton Army Camp. He is now the RSM of the Training
and Educational Directorate, based at Hokowhitu.
The NZDF Person of the Year was first awarded in 2009 to celebrate
the Defence Force’s values of courage, comradeship, commitment and
integrity and to recognise and honour someone who has stood out in their
commitment to these values.
The Chief of Defence Force, Lieutenant General Rhys Jones, who presented
the award at a special ceremony on Tuesday 13 December, said: “WO1 Vooght
has steered the 2nd Engineer Regiment through a tumultuous 12 months
which was also one of extreme personal difficulty for himself and his family
due to the illness and eventual death of his wife Michelle.
“As Regimental Sergeant Major WO1 Vooght has had a key role in preparing
the Unit for its many overseas commitments from Afghanistan to Antarctica.”
During the year the Regiment dealt with many unforeseen incidents, two
of them in New Zealand. It was part of the Defence Force’s response to the
Canterbury earthquake, provided assistance to Operation RENA, and assisted
with the drought relief effort in the Pacific, providing and installing emergency
water supply equipment on Tuvalu. The Regiment was also deployed as part
of major joint and combined international exercises in Tonga, Vanuatu, and
the United Kingdom.
LTGEN Jones said, “During the year he has overseen a number of military
funerals for retired and serving personnel, including large in-camp funerals
for two serving sappers, Corporal Doug Grant and Lance Corporal Ruben Scott.
"Shane has demonstrated his commitment, leadership skills and integrity
throughout his Army career". In 2001, WO1 Vooght, then in the rank of
staff sergeant, was admitted as an Additional Member of the New Zealand
Order of Merit for the exemplary leadership, professionalism, integrity and
commitment displayed during deployment to Timor Leste.
LT GEN Jones said, “He continues to personify those same qualities in 2011,
representing the core values of the NZDF. Warrant Officer Class One Shane
Vooght is a very worthy recipient of being named the NZDF Person of the Year
for 2011 and a recipient of a Chief of Defence Force Commendation.”
As winner, Shane received a trophy and special study prize, which can be
used in an area of professional development of his choosing.
Cantabrian is Officer Cadet School’s top graduate
EXERCISES
Bluebell in Rarotonga
Neptune
16
18
SPORT
Offlimits
The Roof of Africa
14
26
The Army News is published for the
Regular and Territorial Force and
civilian staff of the New Zealand Army.
Editor: Judith Martin
phone: 04-496-0227 or
DTelN: 349-7227
fax: 04-496-0290
email: [email protected]
Website: www.army.mil.nz
Printing: Bluestar, Petone.
design: Jennifer Watts,
DCG, NZDF
Editorial contributions and
letters are welcomed.
They may be sent directly to the Army News
and do not need to be forwarded through
normal command channels. Submit them to
The Editor, Army News, DCG, HQ NZDf,
Private Bag 39997, Wellington, or by email.
Deadline instructions: Army News is
published on the third Tuesday of each
month, except January. Please have all
contributions to the editor by
the first of the month.
Nothing in the Army News should be taken
as overriding any New Zealand Defence
Force regulation. Readers should refer to the
relevant service publication before acting
on any information given in this newspaper.
ISSN 1170-4411
All material is copyright, and permission to
reproduce must be sought from the editor.
COVER:
Chaplain Chris Purdie leads
the memorial service at the
site of the Leonard Manning
Memorial in Cova Lima
District, Timor-Leste. Pic:
Corporal Janine Fabre, ADF.
(See story page 9)
Caption
Officer cadets celebrate after their graduation ceremony.
Twenty-five soldiers graduated from the Officer Cadet School on 7 December
last year having successfully completed 12 months of rigorous training.
Family and friends of the graduating cadets, New Zealand Defence Force staff
and overseas dignitaries attended the graduation ceremony at Waiouru Army
Camp. Chief of Army, Major General Tim Keating, Land Training Doctrine Group
Deputy Commander Colonel Paul King and Land Component Commander
Brigadier Mark Wheeler, were also present.
At the graduation ceremony, the cadets, accompanied by the New Zealand
Army Band, performed a series of parade drills. The ceremony was concluded
with a rousing haka.
Ten major prizes, including the Lieutenant Tim O’Donnell, DSD, Memorial
Leadership Award and the Sword of Honour, were awarded.
The graduates began training with their corps in January.
Dougald Munro, a 21-year-old Cantabrian who once found the rigours of
university study were not his thing, was awarded three of the 10 major prizes
– the Sergeant Major of the Army’s prize, for the best performance across
all aspects of field training; the Lieutenant Tim O’Donnell, DSD, Memorial
Leadership Award, for exhibiting the attributes of leadership; and the Sword
of Honour, for displaying the qualities of leadership, initiative, integrity,
motivation, academic ability and physical fitness, and for having the greatest
potential as an Army officer.
“My time at OCS has taught me a lot about myself and what I can achieve,
which is more than what I thought possible", said 2nd Lieutenant Munro
An Old Boy of St Andrew’s College in Christchurch, he completed a year of
study towards a Bachelor of Commerce (Marketing) degree at Canterbury
University before deciding to take a gap year. During his year off, he worked as
a PE teacher’s assistant in a military school in the United Kingdom.
“The highlight of my Officer Cadet training was completing difficult field
exercises, and the sense of achievement that came with that,” said 2LT
Munro. “I value the military knowledge I have gained.”
The cold weather and tough times in the field posed the biggest challenges.
And as just over half of the 46-strong class dropped out one by one, 2LT
Munro became increasingly motivated to complete the rigorous training.
He has been posted to the Royal New Zealand Armoured Corps, based
Top cadet 2LT Dougald Munro
at Linton, which operates the Army’s armoured vehicles and is the overall
umbrella grouping of Regular Force and Territorial Force Units.
The Major awards:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
The Military History Trophy -- (awarded to the Officer Cadet who gains
the highest aggregate marks in Military History) 2LT Daniel Deans
(Ashburton).
The Australian Chief of Army's Prize for Tactics -- (awarded to the Officer
Cadet gaining the highest aggregate marks in Tactics subjects) 2LT
Ingrid Gillingham (Auckland).
The Corps of Officer Cadets Officer Commanding's Prize -- (awarded
to the Officer Cadet who has displayed the greatest improvement
throughout the entire course in all areas) 2LT Josh Sullivan (Kaiapoi).
Commandant's Prize -- (awarded to the Officer Cadet whose
performance in and contribution to the corps of Officer Cadets is
assessed as being most deserving of recognition) 2LT Frazer MacDonald
(Papatoetoe).
Commander New Zealand Land Training and Doctrine Group Waiouru
Prize -- (awarded to the Officer Cadet gaining the highest aggregate
marks in Communication Skills) 2LT Jasmine Dwyer (Howick).
Sergeant Major of the Army's Prize -- (awarded to the Officer cadet
for best performance across all aspects of field training) 2LT Dougald
Munro (Amberley).
The Lieutenant Tim O'Donnell, DSD, Memorial Leadership Award -(awarded to the Officer Cadet who has best exhibited the attributes of
leadership) 2LT Dougald Munro (Amberley).
Governor General's Medal -- (awarded to the Officer Cadet gaining
the highest aggregate marks in all subjects) 2LT Frazer MacDonald
(Papatoetoe).
Sword of Honour -- (awarded to the cadet who best displays the
qualities of leadership, initiative, integrity, motivation, academic ability
and physical fitness, and for having the greatest potential as an Army
officer) 2LT Dougald Munro (Amberley).
Special memories of a special son
The New Zealand Memorial Cross has been presented to
the mother of New Zealand soldier Private Kirifi Mila who was
killed in Afghanistan a year ago when his vehicle rolled off the
road and down a steep cliff.
At a service in Newstead cemetery, Hamilton, on 18 February,
Mrs Brenda Keating, the wife of Chief of Army Major General
Tim Keating presented the medal to Mrs Sitafua Tuigamala, PTE
Mila’s mother. A large group of PTE Mila’s family and friends,
as well as a contingent of soldiers from his Burnham-based
battalion attended the ceremony. Army chaplains Tavake Manu
and Ra Koia officiated.
The ceremony was attended by MAJGEN
Keating, 2/1 Battalion Commanding Officer
(CO) Lieutenant Colonel Stef Michie, and
Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM) Warrant
Officer Class One Craig Spinks, and well as
the battalion’s former CO and RSM, LTCOL
Hugh McAslan and WO1 James Moohan.
The New Zealand Memorial Cross is
awarded to the next of kin of all New Zealand
servicemen and women who are killed while
on war service or operational service overseas,
or who subsequently die of wounds received
while on war service or operational service
overseas. It has been awarded since the
commencement of World War Two.
Two versions of the New Zealand Memorial
Cross have been struck: one during the reign
of King George VI, and one during the reign of
Queen Elizabeth II. The King George VI cross
is worn from a thin mauve coloured ribbon
new year honours
awarded to five
nzdf personnel
Army’s Head of Strategy
Management, Colonel John
Boswell was awarded the New
Zealand Distinguished Service
Decoration (DSD) in the New
Years Honours.
He was one of four NZDF
personnel who will receive the
award. A fifth, Chief of Navy
Rear Admiral Tony Parr, has
been made a Member of the
New Zealand Order of Merit
(MNZM).
COL Boswell deployed to
Afghanistan in April 2010 as
the Commanding Officer of
the New Zealand Provincial
Colonel John Boswell
Reconstruction Team (NZPRT)
in Bamyan. He initiated the development of a strategic plan
to transition from a military-led operation to a civilian-led
and finally Afghan managed operation. The first stage of the
transition occurred in June 2010, when leadership of the
NZPRT passed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade with
the appointment of a civilian director, without disruption to
ongoing operations.
Lance Corporal Simon Peffers conducts final checks before
the air drop.
armynews03
issue 428 | February 2012
suspended around the neck, while the Queen Elizabeth II
cross is worn as a brooch.
The King George VI New Zealand Memorial Cross has been
awarded to the families of the more than 11,000 personnel
who died while serving in the New Zealand Armed Forces
during the Second World War. The Queen Elizabeth II New
Zealand Memorial Cross has been awarded to the families of
the New Zealand military personnel who have died while on
operational service since 3 September 1945.
Up to two New Zealand Memorial Crosses are issued to the
family of each individual.
Making the joint approach work
By Chief of Army, Major General Tim Keating
5 Movements
Company personnel
to the rescue
By Lance Corporal Vincent Gordon
Four personnel from 5 Movements Company in Linton helped
in the rescue of the stricken Russian fishing vessel Sparta,
which struck an iceberg and took on water near Antarctica in
December last year.
The soldiers were called off Christmas leave to provide aerial
delivery support to assist the rescue mission. After quickly
preparing and packing all the necessary equipment the
team was at Ohakea ready to marry up with the RNZAF C130
deployed from Whenuapai. On arrival in Christchurch the
riggers got to work in the Harewood cargo yard hangars while
the aircrew departed to rest so they would be able to fly the
next morning.
The items that were provided to drop to the Sparta were
a large water pump, some hoses and fuel. Once a plan was
formulated the team rigged through to 2am to have the two
loads ready for the flight. After a brief nap they were back at
the aircraft at 6am to load the C130.
The Hercules had a long flight ahead and a tricky job to get
the air drop in the right spot. The first load out was an A21
with the fuel and hoses. With some careful judgement the
aircraft placed the equipment on the ice close to the vessel
and the freezing water. The second drop, an A22 with the very
important water pump was also a great success and the FV
Sparta crew had a stroll out onto the ice to retrieve the vital
cargo.
Anniversary events & activities
While the C130 was conducting the air drop the soldiers
28-29 January
Tauranga City Air Show (Red Checkers display)
returned to Linton
and saw
the successful air drop on the
30 January
Auckland Anniversary, Red Checkers over
Auckland Harbour
news.
6 February
Waitangi Day (Red Checkers display)
Two days later
the Sparta
was still having problems and 5
11 February
Coast to Coast finish, Christchurch
Checkers
display)
Movements Company was(Red
again
requested
to provide support.
16–19 February
GEON Art detachment
Deco Weekend, Napier
As before a four
person rigging
moved down to
(Red Checkers display)
Harewood and
with the rigging
equipment
14 March
Official launch,
Wellington already in place
- Launch
of the
Anniversary
Stamp andsome
began to prepare more stores
for
air75th
drop,
including
Coin Collection with NZ Post
3.7m long wood for shoring.
Once
job had the
- RNZAF
75th underway
Anniversary bookthe
launch
17 March
Manfield
Field Days,
Manawatu
team working
into the early
hours
of the
morning and another
early flight time
leading into
the
second
drop of four
17-18 March
Museum
of Transport
andsuccessful
Technology
(MOTAT), Military Weekend, Auckland
containers and two helo boxes.
25 March - 8 April
As part of the 75th Anniversary celebrations
the Red Checkers will be displaying at various
locations in the North Island over the period
25 March - 2 April and in the South Island, 2
April - 8 April. For further information, visit
www.airforce.mil.nz
31 March
Air Force Air Show (Base Ohakea)
3 April
RNZAF 75th birthday celebrations, Wellington
- Forecourt Parade, Parliament
- Commemorative Service, St Paul’s
Cathedral
7–8 April
Warbirds over Wanaka (Red Checkers display)
25 April
Anzac Day commemorations
28 April
Auckland City Charter Event
Unveiling of the Memorial Plaque at
Hobsonville Point
www.airforce.mil.nz
A22 load under parachute at it descends onto the ice with
supplies for FV Sparta.
It is early in 2012 and I get a sense from my discussions
with the Army General Staff team and from the visits
I have made to Trentham and Linton that the plan to
operationalise the Army is well understood.
More importantly I have seen evidence that all levels
of command from Brigadiers to private soldiers are
actively engaged in thinking through the details required
to achieve the 2015 objectives. To me this exemplifies a
healthy mission command environment. However, before
I get accused of having rose- tinted glasses, or being
overly optimistic, there are still significant challenges to
achieving our aim. Critical factors to success will remain
perseverance and our traditional Kiwi can-do and think
outside the box approach.
I am placing my energy in 2012 (my thinking outside the
box) on a critical examination of where we can achieve
our outcomes, both in an operational and enabling sense,
with a greater joint approach. As the Army Transformation
Programme of last decade forged a greater understanding
of the combined arms team approach in Army, and the
benefits of this approach, so I believe we must also
examine and embrace the many opportunities that exist
in a greater joint approach.
This examination is going to challenge some people,
and it may scare some. It will take us beyond our
traditional Army centric thinking and beliefs, but in this
process it will make us redefine what remains as the
fundamentals of our military profession.
From my perspective the underpinning fundamental that
we must continue to deliver is contingency and directed
land operations where the force is trained, equipped and
led to win. I consider that how we raise and train this force
and how we deliver it must be far more joint. This should
not be seen by us in Army as a threat, but an opportunity
to sustain our world class operational delivery by using all
the resources available to NZDF.
I look forward to getting around and engaging as many
of you as I can in this discussion. So start thinking now
and tell me your thoughts on how we can make land
operations better by making the joint approach work.
CELEBRATING 75 YEARS OF SERVICE TO NEW ZEALAND
The Royal New Zealand Air Force is
celebrating its birthday this year - 75
years of providing safe and effective
military air operations to New Zealand.
A busy calendar of events for the first
quarter of 2012 has been planned that
will see the year kicking off with Napier’s
art Deco Weekend in February and
culminating in Anzac Day celebrations
on April 25. There's something in store
for everyone. See page 17.
AIR FORCE
ANNIVERSARY
2012
04armynews
Say AgaiN...Over
A MONTHLY COMMENT FROM DEPUTY CHIEF OF ARMY
BRIGADIER CHARLIE LOTT
I hope you all had a decent break over the festive season
and that you’ve returned with renewed vigour to face the
challenges that will doubtlessly be thrown at us this year.
There were certainly some very tired Army types in an around
Wellington late last year and I’ve no doubt that you also felt
a bit jaded after surviving an horrendous year— a year during
which we arc’d up Army 2015, farewelled some of our long
serving comrades, undertook some pretty radical change, met
some savings targets and generally ran at a million miles an
hour.
2012 will be no different but I’d like to think we could
be more measured in our approach. We hear people talk
about work-life balance to the extent that it has become as
hackneyed as ‘people are our most valuable resource’ but
over the break (when I found out that Manuel Labor is not
a Spaniard trying to catch up on a generally out of control
lifestyle block after a bloody wet winter last year), I got to
thinking about what does work-life balance actually mean, and
MEDICS GRADUATE
A YEAR AFTER
EARTHQUAKE DELAY
By Zen Gregor
Fifty-seven young medics recently graduated at Burnham
Camp from the first ever AUT Diploma of Paramedic Science
and Graduate Diploma of Health Science with the Defence
Force Health School (DHS).
The graduands proudly walked out in front of friends and
family, Senior Defence Force Officers and veterans of Defence
Force health services at the completion of the first qualification
in their two and half year medic course.
Graduates hail from all over the country and are drawn from
all three services; Army, Navy and Air Force.
Chief Instructor of DHS (NZ) Major Brendan Wood notes that,
“This graduation was meant to occur in February last year;
however when the earthquake hit, staff and students were
engaged in support activities and were working alongside
emergency services so the 2011 ceremony was cancelled."
The new programme came into fruition in January 2010 and is
now fully integrated into the Defence training regime
This is the only training programme of its kind in the world
and prepares our medics for operations at a world class level
The training provides the Defence Force with medics who
hold both appropriate academic qualifications as well as
meeting an equivalent standard to civilian sector,” says Major
Wood.
Award winners from the ceremony from each class were:
Overall academic prize: AC Alex Taylor, AMA Gracie Price, AC
Jessica Earnshaw
Letter to the editor
As we are all aware the NZDF is changing and many of us are
moving on with the Phase 2 of the Civilisation round. I would
like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of my
fellow comrades and friends who have and are still standing by
me and my family through out this difficult time in my life.
CPL Douglas Grant (my husband) was killed in action
on 19 August 2011. It is the knock on the door no wife or
is there anything in that phrase that we could take and use to
make us better at what we do?
My thinking strayed to what if we applied work-life balance
in our daily routine? How would we do that? Would any good
come of it?
I decided that there might be some merit in applying some
simple business rules to our way of life so am going to give
these a go this year as a ‘pilot’ (another dreadful term). I’m
going to:
• Sit with my wife and family on getting home and ask
“how was your day?” instead of going straight to my
home office and surreptitiously checking the Blackberry
for any last minute emails. Though I’m happy to be on
call during the evening and night (ours is a 24/7 job
after all), I’m not going to have the damned Blackberry
pinned to my belt after work this year. I actually learned
a valuable lesson over Christmas where while working
on the farm on 30 December (the day we had the terrible
weather – mind you that was the whole of the Christmas
break wasn’t it!)— the Blackberry must’ve got a bit wet.
It started to play up, then wouldn’t work at all which
forced me to reverse engineer my private cell phone to
remain in contact. To tell you the honest truth I didn’t
miss the familiar appendage hanging off my belt at all
and obviously nobody missed me permanently on the
end of it either. But I digress.
• Think about my mates more – you know those guys
(and gals) that you often take for granted until you
need a favour. I’m going to make time to ring my mates
either just to chat and see how things are going in their
organisations and their lives, and I’m actually going to
be interested in what they say i.e. I’m not going to fake
interest as I normally do between rushing on to the next
task/deadline.
• Go for a walk around our farm after dinner – summer
only, sadly. I’ve already begun doing that and it is
amazing the things you notice (like leaking stock water
pipes) when wandering round instead of rushing around
on the quad. I’ve taken to slinging the .22 rifle on
these evening jaunts and the bunny population is now
dropping rapidly. Keeps my eye in, shooting wise too –
you can’t beat a bit of reaction shooting to keep the skill
up.
Peers Choice Award: AC Danny Freestone, AMA Matthew
Pirini, AC Jessica Earnshaw
Top Student Award: Pte Jamie Corbishley, Pte Joshua Boon,
AC Jessica Earnshaw
Defence medics come to the rescue
Two of young Defence personnel who were part of the
graduation have been commended for their actions following a
serious motor accident just south of Waiouru.
Burnham-based medic
Private Zachary Conchie and
AC Juliette De Vries from
the RNZAF had attended
the march out parade of the
All Arms recruit Course and
were returning home on
State Highway One south
of Hunterville when they
encountered a crashed
vehicle.
A station-wagon had left the
road, clipped a power pole,
To the rescue: PTE
gone through a fence, and
Zachary Conchie and AC
rolled down a slope. It had
Juliette De Vries
come to a rest on its wheels,
in a farm paddock.
There were three casualties; two walking with light-moderate
injuries, and a woman who was trapped and unconscious
inside the vehicle. There were about four civilians attempting
to give aid, but there was confusion.
Still in their Service Dress uniforms, both medics immediately
began first aid on the trapped woman, conducting a primary
survey and controlling her bleeding. They also kept her airway
clear. The woman had an existing cardio-vascular condition,
further complicating treatment. Some minutes after their
arrival, the patient regained consciousness, although she had
sustained a head injury.
After about 20 minutes, a unit of volunteer fire-fighters
partner ever wants to be present for. That knock changed
my life and my children’s lives forever. My husband was a
unique, colourful, creative, story-telling individual whose life
was driven by challenge and adrenalin. He was known and
respected by many which was evident on the day of both the
service in Papakura and Linton. He touched many lives and
still continues to do so. He will always be remembered for
being the Doug TV story teller, the Patriot who supported and
rode for White Ribbon, the carpenter who was so pedantic it
drove everyone nuts on his work sites, and for the fun loving
husband and dad to me, Jemma and Jaden.
•
Take regular micro breaks during the year. There MUST
be lulls in the year’s work programme that we can all
use to take some days here and there. If we all did that
we’d actually be doing the NZDF a big favour too – our
contingent leave liability at NZDF level is much bigger
than it should be, so taking a few days here and there
will help to get that down. I’d like to think that if you
folk have done your work and find that you have a bit
of spare time between the next task, that you would
consider asking your boss “is it OK if I spend some time
with my wife/children/dog/whatever? I’d like you bosses
to agree. We all need to remember that the call on our
time is random. We all pull the additional hours when
required so why not reward those who tolerate that (read
partner and family) with a little time back in lieu.
• Sit at the dinner table to eat the evening meal instead of
taking it in the office or worse in front of the damned TV.
• Read a book a week before ‘light’s out’. I’m currently
reading Antony Beevor’s ‘Berlin The Downfall 1945’.
What a great read! It is a story of stupidity, fanatical
behaviour (on both sides) and revenge- taking balanced
by courage, endurance and sheer bloody survival. (By
the way - we don’t do the former but we do need to do
the latters).
The biggie for me though is to keep caring deeply for our
Army and its people. I get to meet so many focused, dedicated
and professional people in my travels that I simply have to care
for them – I can’t not do so. I know the Chief of Army cares
deeply for his people too. Thinking over Christmas, I wondered
aloud whether C3I should become C4I with the addition of the
word ‘compassion’ to courage, commitment, comradeship and
integrity.
So team – we all hear, “work life balance, blah, blah, blah.”
I’ll give my balancing agenda a go but I’d like it if Army could
have a think on the subject this year, especially you leaders
out there, and see what you can do to get your life balanced
and balance those around you.
Sort of fits with ‘comradeship’ and ‘compassion’ don’t you
think?
Stay safe and well.
Brig Charlie
Professor Max Abbott, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean,
Faculty of Health and Environment Science with Private
Ryan George
arrived. Until this point, the medics and De Vries had been
treating the woman using improvised dressings and bandages.
With the arrival of further emergency services, both PTE
Conchie and AC De Vries remained in charge of the casualty.
An off-duty nurse and an off-duty paramedic treated the other,
lesser, casualties.
An emergency helicopter d arrived to transport the injured to
hospital.
A witness to the accident told Army News the two medics
stayed with their casualties, working with the attending firefighters. “I believe that their calm and efficient conduct that
day reinforced the image of the NZDF within the community,
and their actions at the scene most likely improved the
chances of survival for the trapped woman. Their presence, in
uniform, also calmed the civilians involved. The emergency
services attending had enough confidence in these two that
they remained in control of their casualty after the arrival of
fire-service paramedics. They certainly displayed the values
the NZDF stands for.” Both Private (Zachary)
I haven’t had the strength or focus to thank everyone who
worked long hours from the moment we heard the shocking
news till the day Douglas was cremated. People, jobs, gifts,
texts, emails, phone calls, letters and even words still continue
to flow. Thank you, thank you, thank you all. I will always
be grateful to you all, and without you and your support I
would never have been able to give Douglas the send off he
deserved. You will always be part of our family. Kia Kaha RIP
Babe.
Tina Grant, Papakura
armynews05
NEW LIGHT SUPPORT WEAPON FOR NZ DEFENCE
The New Zealand Defence Force has selected the FN Herstal
7.62mm Minimi TR as a replacement for the 5.56 mm LSW C9,
currently in service. The weapons are being acquired now, with
NZ delivery due to start from April this year, and introduction
to service and issuing to units planned to occur in last quarter
of 2012.
The 7.62 LSW Minimi will be issued to certain Army and Air
Force Units. This will replace the C9 capability, with priority
being given to field force units and regional equipment pools.
The 7.62mm calibre has been selected top provide a greater
range of fire power for sections and small teams.
The 7.62 LSW Minimi will be introduced into Service in two
versions, to be known as CAT A and CAT B.
Full Top Rail with Emergency Sight
4 Power Optical Sight with COSR
Reticle
2 Butt Options, Fixed or Sliding
CAT A:
Total 360 guns, to be delivered to manoeuvre units primarily
and deployed to support operations. They are configured with:
• 4x32 ACOG with the COSR reticle (Common Optical Sight
Reticle). This is a Bullet Drop Compensating Reticle
• Micro Red Dot on ACOG for CQB
• fixed or sliding butts
• Combat Torch
• Fore-end Tri-rail
• a total of 201, M192 Light Weight Ground Mounts are
being purchased as a task specific accessory for the CAT
A guns
• Emergency Sight in rail.
Fore-end Tri-rail
Lightweight Ground Mount
Top Rail with Iron Sights
Sight Setting is 100 –
1000m in 100m increments
CAT B:
Total 232 guns, to be delivered to training establishments and
CSS units. They are configured with:
• Fore-end Tri-rail
• Fixed Butt
• Iron sights (Settings 100 – 1000m, in 100m increments).
Fixed Butt Only
Features common to both versions include:
•
•
•
•
Belt retaining pin. This mitigates belts slipping during
loading, also guarantees the first round is picked up
properly by the feed pawls.
Hydraulic Buffer and Non Adjustable gas system. The
buffer contributes to stabilising the Rate of Fire (RoF)
and reduces recoil. Users can not change gas setting;
buffer compensates for carbon build up in weapon and
maintains a consistent RoF.
100 rd rigid pouches.
Improved cleaning kit.
Fore-end Tri-rail
Further information on this weapon and the other weapons to be procured as part of the NZDF In-Service Weapon Replacement/
Upgrade Programme will be provided in forthcoming editions of the Army News.
Corporal Sam Upperton strips and
reassembles the GMG in the first of the
Army maintainer training courses for the
new weapon.
ENHANCING THE
ARMY’S DIRECT FIRE
CAPABILITY
The New Zealand Army is currently introducing the Heckler &
Koch Grenade Machine Gun (GMG) into service as one of the
Land Combat Weapons being provided through the Defence
Capability Plan..
The GMG is a 40mm Automatic Grenade Launcher (AGL) that
can be fired from either ground or vehicle mounts, and uses a
variety of high explosive and training ammunition.
For NZ Army, the GMG will be equipped with the Vinghog Fire
Control System (FCS) to provide the capability for deliberate
planned fires, the BAE Heavy Weapon Thermal Sight, and day
sights. To support this introduction, the NZ Army has also
purchased a combination weapon mount that will fit both the
Grenade and Heavy Machine Guns.
The GMGs will be rolled out into service in a phased
approach over the next 14 months, with the full introduction
expected to be complete in early 2013.
The first stage of its introduction provides the weapon to
the forthcoming rotation of TG CRIB. This will replace earlier
models of the GMG, which will be returned to the manufacturer
to be upgraded to the same standard as the new model.
Within New Zealand, the GMGs will be issued to NZ Army’s
two Regular Force Infantry Battalions and Queen Alexandra’s
Mounted Rifles (NZ LAV).
To support the GMGs’ full introduction in early 2013, a
dedicated tactical simulation training system will be acquired
this year.
Training on the use of the weapon will be conducted at unit
level, with specialist command training being conducted at the
NZ Army Combat School as an additional module on existing
courses. Training for maintainers will be conducted through
the NZ Army Trade Training School.
The GMG will complement two other direct fire weapon
systems: the Javelin Medium Range Anti-Armour Weapon and
the FN Herstal .50 calibre Heavy Machine Gun.
Keep an eye out on future editions of Army News for more
detail on the GMG.
06armynews
WWI SOLDIER ALONGSIDE HIS
COUNTRYMEN AT LAST
A solemn ceremony to rebury the remains of a New Zealand
soldier was held at Messines Ridge British Cemetery in near
Ieper, Belgium on Friday 3 February.
The ceremony was attended by the Minister of Defence, Dr
Jonathan Coleman, the Chief of Defence Force, Lieutenant
General Rhys Jones, the Secretary of Defence, John McKinnon,
the New Zealand Ambassador (Belgium), Vangelis Vitalis, and
the Head of Defence Staff, New Zealand High Commission
Brigadier Antony (Lofty) Hayward.
The Mayor of Mesen, Sandy Evrard, and representatives from
Belgian military, Flemish Foreign Affairs, the Commonwealth
War Graves Commission and Royal British Legion also
attended the ceremony.
Brigadier Hayward said, “The service was a poignant time to
reflect on service and sacrifice. After lying in a foreign field for
95 years he is now with his mates buried with the honour and
dignity befitting a soldier that fought for our country.”
The remains of the soldier were discovered in July last year
alongside a NZ Rifle Brigade hat badge, associated personal
material and the remains of a uniform. After forensic analysis
they were officially accepted as the remains of a New Zealand
soldier.
Messines was the scene of very intense fighting by New
Zealand Division (including the New Zealand Rifle Brigade)
over the period 7-14 June 1917. During this battle around 700
New Zealand soldiers were killed in action.
Within the cemetery stands the Messines Ridge New Zealand
Memorial which commemorates over 800 soldiers of the New
Zealand Expeditionary Force who died in or near Messines in
1917 and 1918 and who have no known grave. The majority
of these soldiers are listed as New Zealand Rifle Brigade
personnel.
medal sentence
The sentence handed down to one of the men who stole $5
million worth of medals from the Waiouru Army Museum was
"fully justified", the Supreme Court has found.
James Joseph Kapa is serving a 13-year prison sentence
after being convicted alongside Ronald Van Wakeren for his
involvement in the December 2007 burglary of the National
Army Museum, when military medals valued at $5 million were
taken.
Today a Supreme Court judgement found no reason to reduce
the sentence.
No arguable question of principle was raised by Kapa's
appeal and the "effective sentence and the minimum nonparole period were not manifestly excessive", ruled Justices
Peter Blanchard, Andrew Tipping and John McGrath.
"Indeed they were fully justified."
Last year the Court of Appeal reduced Kapa's overall sentence
for the burglary and other crimes from 14 years and six months'
jail to 13 years and three months' jail.
While Kapa may not appeal that sentence any further he
has been granted leave to appeal an order for reparation of
$100,000 associated with his sentence.
After returning the medals Kapa and Van Wakeren were each
given a reward of $100,000, and while Van Wakeren handed
back his reward, Kapa's $100,000 was not returned.
The Supreme Court found Kapa may appeal the order of
reparation based on whether or not the sentence complied
with the requirements of the Sentencing Act 2002.
Story: Fairfax
AUSTRALIAN
EXCHANGE OFFICER
AWARDED CA
COMMENDATION
Defence medics come to the rescue
On 8 December 2011 Chaplain Lance Lukin was appointed
as the Principal Defence Chaplain for the NZDF at a service
which took place at the Wellington Cathedral of St Paul.
Chaplain Lukin, who had served as the Principal Chaplain
(Army) since 2008 took over the role of Principal Defence
Fire fighters
acknowledged
The mayor of Upper Hutt, Mr Wayne Guppy, has presented
volunteer fire fighters, including two Army personnel, with
the International Year of the Volunteer awards. Major David
Ackroyd (33 years service) and Warrant Officer Class Two Mark
Morton (21 years service) both of the Messines Defence Centre
Chaplain from Chaplain Don Parker. Following the service
Chaplain Mike Subritzky assumed the role of Principal
Chaplain (Army). Above, Defence Chaplains, including
Chaplain Subritzky (right) pray with Chaplain Lukin at the
ceremony.
received awards. Major Ackroyd was also presented his Gold
Bar.
Employers of volunteer firefighters were also awarded with
a Certificate of Appreciation in recognition of the valuable
contribution to the community. WO2 Morton received the
presentation on behalf of the Messines Defence Centre
The names of the employers of those volunteers serving with
the Hutt Valley Fire Support Unit based in Upper Hutt have
been placed on the lockers of a fire appliance.
The certificate is on show in the recreation area of the
Messines Defence Centre.
Australian exchange officer Major (now Lieutenant Colonel)
Matt Lynch RAE has received a Chief of Army commendation for
his work as the GSO2 Force Development within Army General
Staff and the Directorate of Future Force Development.
An exchange officer from the Royal Australian Engineers,
Major Lynch played a key role in the development of the Army's
Operating Concepts and Experimentation programme, as well
as the Army's Combined Arms Task Group concept. Both of
these have significantly contributed to Army 2015 and the
Chief of Army’s modernisation programme.
Major Lynch also had an instrumental role in the
development of the NZDF's inaugural Future Joint Operating
Concept (FJOC), a document that has great importance to
the NZ Army. The commendation recognises his ability to
co-ordinate engagement with a number of different agencies
across Defence, and his contribution to the development of
underlying principles and themes within the FJOC.
Chief of Army, Major General Keating, acknowledged his
contribution during a small ceremony at Defence House.
"Major Lynch has shown great loyalty and dedication during
his two years service to the NZ Army, and his contribution has
been of enormous benefit to both the Army and NZDF".
Having now completed his exchange, Major Lynch has
returned to Headquarters ADF on promotion to LTCOL.
armynews07
Military personnel backbone of Hertz Sevens
The band plays to a rapturous crowd.
If you thought the Hertz Sevens held in Wellington recently
were run with military precision, you’re right— a large team
of NZDF personnel volunteered their services to make it run
smoothly.
Members of the 45-strong Defence team of workers were
spread across all aspects of the highly-successful event, from
team liaison and lounge accreditation, to game management,
ball people, human resources, and tournament coordination.
Many of the Defence personnel have worked for several years
at the Sevens tournament, while for some it was their first
event. A total of about 230 volunteers help out at the event in
Wellington each year.
Colonel Marty Donoghue,
from HQ NZDF, holds the
voluntary position of HR
Manager for the Hertz Sevens,
and says the NZDF is involved
because individuals love
being part of the team, and it’s
a chance to “give back a bit”
to the Wellington community.
His job with the Hertz Sevens
begins in about August when
volunteers from across the
Wellington community are
Marty Donoghuhe
chosen, and training begins
for the event which is held in the first two weeks of February.
All volunteers, he says, are put through rigorous training to
ensure the event runs smoothly and successfully. “We always
have more people put their hand up than we need. It’s a lot
of fun and a really good team to be part of. We try to ensure
everyone has a good time, and players are hosted well. We
try to help make the operational side of running the games as
efficient as possible to enable the teams to play their best and
for the event to be successful.”
COL Donoghue says the volunteers are the backbone of the
Hertz Sevens, which feedback indicates is one of the best
events in the HSBC Sevens World Series.
Volunteers gain from the
tournament, as well as
give their services. “We
take practical aspects out
of the Defence Leadership
Framework, and teach
volunteers about selfleadership, and small team
leadership.”
Monique Hinds from HQ
NZDF ran the accreditation
system for the event, which
included gathering and
Monique Hinds
collating all the necessary
information from players and volunteers. “My team was
responsible for ensuring the volunteers, teams and officials,
media, contractors, sponsors, and broadcasters were
accredited for their role in support of the Hertz Sevens
Tournament.
“This year we introduced a new and more efficient
accreditation system. To ensure accreditation passes were
provided in time for the tournament, tight deadlines with
supplying accreditation information, understanding of the
processes and working in collaboration with the tournament
functional heads was a necessity.
“This was my third year participating as a volunteer at the
tournament and it is a privilege. I have enjoyed the opportunity
to be part of the Sevens experience, working with the other
volunteers, who are professional, committed and enthusiastic
about making the tournament a success. As a resident in
Wellington, the tournament has enabled me to contribute as a
member of the community and the NZDF. I hope (like the other
200+ volunteers) to return next year to help out.”
Lieutenant Colonel Stu
Brown was responsible for
coordinating the runners for
the Hertz Sevens. “I had a
team of 23 volunteers aged
between 12 and 18, and
we were responsible for
tournament support, ranging
from filling up ice buckets and
drinks cabinets to delivering
team information and score
sheets. It was my second year
Stu Brown
working at the event, having
been brought in at the last minute last year to be a pitch
marshal. I thoroughly enjoyed myself this year; the opportunity
to work with enthusiastic teenagers from the Wellington and
wider region was an enlightening experience. I believe without
the volunteers the Hertz Sevens would not have been the
success it was. I hope to be able to help out again next year.”
Warrant Officer Class Two Red Robinson from Joint Force
Headquarters New Zealand lead a team of volunteers who
helped host players throughout the event.
“I was responsible for coordinating the lounge accreditation
personnel. I had a team of 30 adult volunteers and we were
responsible for securing the player time- out area, corporate
function area and the VVIP function area.
“Our duties included stopping unauthorised personnel
entering these areas, ensuring the players and officials
could move unhindered between the field and their time out
area, providing assistance to Red Badge security personnel
if required and helping the public with any enquiries. This is
the fifth year I have helped with the Hertz sevens and believe
that the volunteers are vital to the success of this great
tournament.”
Army General Staff Principal Staff Officer Bernie Grant ran
the immediate support area for all the teams taking part in
the tournament, with her team ensuring players were fully
prepared for their games, with all the food, showers and
laundry facilities they needed.
NZ ARMY BAND KICKS IT INTO TOUCH
When it comes to sporting achievements, New Zealand Army
can hold its head high, with many of our personnel achieving
outstanding results in pools, paddocks, tracks and courts
around the country and around the globe. But few can say
they’ve taken the field in front of thousands of sporting fans
during one of the countries premier sporting events.
Few that is, unless you’re a member of the NZ Army Band.
On Friday 3 February, the NZ Army Band blasted out a
performance as polished as their instruments – all in the name
of supporting New Zealand as part of the Wellington Rugby
Sevens. And the crowd went wild.
The NZ Army Band played classics old and new – from Esprit
de Corps, written by band member WO2 Dwayne Bloomfield,
to the William Tell Overture – before launching into a bit of
Swan Lake and getting the crowd on their feet to YMCA. At
the pinnacle of the performance, they lead the 30,000-strong
stadium in the Haka – a proud moment for every Kiwi there.
“Performing to 30,000 is always an adrenalin rush for the
troops but to be involved in a prominent international event,
with such a positive reaction from the crowd, made us all very
proud to be Kiwi soldiers representing New Zealand,” said
Captain Graham Hickman, Director of Music for the NZ Army
Band.
The tributes were plenty – with Twitter, Facebook and live
blogs abuzz on an ‘awesome’ performance by the NZ Army
Band.
"The Wellington Sevens has now established itself as one
of the country's premier sporting events, and the NZ Army is
proud to be involved”, says Deputy Chief of Army, Brigadier
Charles Lott.” We recognise the significance of sport to the
New Zealand public, and as an organisation we value our
association with an event that enables us to showcase the
talent of the NZ Army Band."
Army Band feedback on Facebook and Twitter:
• The NZ Army Band was great.
• The NZ Army Band rocks
• The NZ Army band is freakin’ awesome!
• Lovin’ the NZ Army Band – they are the best!
8armyequipment
Army’s New Command and Control Structure
On Tuesday 13 December, the 2nd Land Force Group,
based in Linton Camp, and the 3rd Land Force Group, based
in Burnham, amalgamated to form 1 (NZ) Brigade. The
establishment of 1 (NZ) Brigade is one of the more visible
aspects of the changes being made over the next 2 years to
Operationalise the Army.
The first phase of this plan, known as Army 2015, sees
major changes to Army’s current structures, locations
and method of operations to improve Army’s combat
effectiveness and allow for future growth.
In addition to the changes in Linton, a new Headquarters
Deployable Joint Task Force (Land) is being established at
Burnham Camp, whilst command of the Territorial Forces
transfers to the newly established Headquarters TRADOC
(Training & Doctrine Command) previously the Headquarters
Land Training Doctrine Group, based in Waiouru.
"These new organisations are not a destination. Instead, they
form a starting point for how Army will operate in future years
to support its objectives and the priorities of the Government
of the day," says Chief of Army, Major General Keating.
"These changes fall directly from the future force structure
proposals presented in Defence White Paper 2010. Part
of that White Paper identified a need for Army to develop
a more deployable headquarters & task force. These
changes help us to achieve this, allowing us to continue to
meet our objectives and obligations at home, within the
broader Pacific region, and further afield with our allies and
partners," says MAJ GEN Keating.
HQ Training and Doctrine Command (New Zealand) (HQ TRADOC(NZ))
Location: Waiouru Military Camp - Commander: COL Evan Williams
TRADOC: Training is What we do, Doctrine is How we think.
HQ TRADOC is responsible for Land specific doctrine, the mid and long lessons learned loops, the delivery of Army’s individual training,
command of the Reserve Infantry Units and directed training evaluation. Specifically, HQ TRADOC:
• commands the delivery of Army’s individual training
• provides a centre of excellent, authority and repository for Land-specific doctrine
• through LOTC, analyses and implements the lessons learned loops that impact on individual training
• works with 1 (NZ) Bde and HQ DJTF(L) to synchronise individual and collective training in the two-year training plan
• conducts directed collective training evaluation activities
• provides shadow-posted personnel to HQ DJTF(L) for rotations
• provides command and control to subordinate units (Land Operating Training Centre, Officer Cadet School, The Army Depot, Army
Simulation Centre and Waiouru Military Training Facility)
• provides command and control and training oversight to the Reserve Infantry Units
• maintains links with the TRADOC equivalents of our ABCA Allies.
This HQ will remain in its current location of Waiouru until December 2013 when it will move to Hokowhitu.
HQ 1 (New Zealand) Brigade (HQ 1 (NZ) Bde)
Location: Linton Military Camp – Commander: COL Chris Parsons
Providing Force Elements to win on Operations
HQ 1 (NZ) Bde provides a HQ that prepares Land Force elements up to DLOC.
This HQ:
• provides command, control, coordination and resources to enable Land-Force Elements to conduct BLOC and DLOC training
• provides shadow posted personnel to HQ DJTF (L) for the Initial Deployed Force and for subsequent rotations
• trains staff in preparation for deployment with HQ DJTF (L)
• is prepared to provide the Exercise Control function for selected collective training activities.
• provides Humanitarian and Disaster Relief support for national and international events
• coordinates support (instructors and collective elements) to enable TRADOC courses
• supports Joint Force New Zealand planning
• plans and executes overseas collective training activities
• plans and conducts 1 (NZ) Brigade training
xx command weeks
xx Skill at Arms
xx major exercises
•
coordinates all collective training.
HQ Deployable Joint Task Force (Land) (HQ DJTF(L))
Location: Burnham Military Camp – Commander: COL Phil McKee
HQ DJTF (L) provides the basis of the Land contribution to a Deployable Joint Inter
Agency Task Force HQ.
HQ DJTF (L) is a dedicated rapidly deployable Command and Control (C2) element
that will be able to deliver C2 to support contingencies in the land environment
both domestically and off shore, with a focus on the South West Pacific.
HQ DJTF (L):
• exercises command over all Land Force Elements for some major land-based
collective exercises and selected operations
• contributes to the assessment and development of operational level
capability training activities as part of the force preparation process for
current NZDF missions
• oversees the development of evaluation procedures and practices for
collective training activities
• is the Centre of Excellence for Command Post operations in the land
environment, and provides a basis to grow and develop current and future
capabilities.
2012 anzac CHALLENGE COIN
A New ANZAC Challenge coin will be available in 2012. It
is 45mm in diameter, pewter finish, easy to pack and carry
overseas. Challenge coins can be presented in several wayson their own, in a velvet coin bag or in a wooden rimu box.
Challenge Coins are an old American tradition instituted
into the Defence Force in 2005 as an alternative gift for
dignitaries and others. Challenge coins are also known as
military coins, unit coins, memorial coins, unit challenge
coins or commander’s coins. The coin expresses the holder’s
affiliation to or patronage by the organization who minted
1
2
3
the coin. Legend has it that challenge
coins originated during World War 1 among
American volunteers forming the newlyformed flying squadrons.
Item 131-Challenge Coin $15.00 Item 132-Velvet Coin Pouch $1.30
(coin not included)
Item 133-Velvet Coin Box $9.00
(coin not included)
Item 135-Wooden Coin Box $50.00
(coin not included)
Order forms for ANZAC challenge coins can be obtained
through HQ Defence Shared Service:
Email: [email protected]
Or from the online gift catalogue
http://org/jlso/LP/Publication/CUSG/SDC-HQ/
GiftCatalogue/ANZAC.aspx
Any requirement to have coins before ANZAC Day must be
ordered before 16 March 2012
For the purpose of NZDF presentations etc these can be
charged to appropriate cost centres if approved.
For personal orders, GST must be added to all items.
Lest we forget
armypeople9
armynews09
REMEMBERING THE
FALLEN IN TIMOR-LESTE
Whether you have served previously in Cova Lima or not,
there is a certain feeling of familiarity when you drive through
the district. It may have something to do with turning up at
remote villages and having local people recognise members
of your group and immediately renew old friendships. Or it
may be the numerous Kiwi icons, painted murals, memorials
and the abandoned UNTAET sites that generate the feeling
of déjà vu. One of the objectives of the GYRO 12 Memorial
Patrol to Cova Lima was to visit not only the memorials and
remember those who died in earlier deployments, but to visit
other significant sites and hear first- hand the experiences
of soldiers who had served there during key periods of our
involvement in the region.
Late last year two members of a ground team that had driven
over from Dili the day before, linked up with 10 VIPs who flew
in to Tilomar base. These included the NZ Ambassador, His
Excellency Mr Fautua, the New Zealand Senior National Officer,
Lieutenant Colonel Chris Powell, Colonel Martin Dransfield,
who was Commanding Officer of NZBATTII, and local Timorese
military and community leaders.
The group drove a short distance to the memorial for Warrant
Officer Class Two Tony Walser where another short service
was held. The ground team then accompanied the CMLO and
F-FDTL and the Suco Chief Mr Edie Moniz to the memorial site
at the position where Private Leonard Manning was killed.
This activity was particularly poignant for COL Dransfield (the
CO when Pte Manning was killed) who gave an account of the
events that lead up to the fateful patrol.
The following day saw another group of nine fly in from Dili to
undertake a Battlefield Tour which began with Sergeant Nutts
Ngatai giving a ground brief at the Suai APOD and detailing
how Victor Company, 1RNZIR secured the area as part of
INTERFET in 1999. This was followed by a tour of “White Tiles”
by Staff Sergeant Laury Colvin, who deployed as a signaller
with NZBATT. The tour then visited Suai SPOD where SGT Ngatai
gave an account of securing the beach for the amphibious
landing that included SSGT Colvin. A highlight of the tour was
a brief on NZBATTII operations by COL Dransfield, followed
APOD – SSGT Laurie Colvin (NZBATT1) stands in front of an NZ mural at the APOD in Suai.
a visit to the successful block operation conducted by the
then- Lieutenant Dyhrberg’s platoon on the MOTA RAKATANA
in 2000. The group were broken into teams which had an hour
to sight a Platoon Block position and then give a briefing. At
the conclusion of the back briefs COL Dransfield indicated
the location of the C9 that engaged three militia during the
contact, killing one of the group. To lend credence to the site
visit, the group were introduced to two local men who were
10 years old at the time of the contact. They both recounted
details of the event and identified a local farmer who had been
detained by the militia on the day of the contact.
SGT Nathan Bobette (second left) (NZBATT4) back briefs Col Martin Dransfield (left) at the site of the NZBATT 2
contact. The two groups listening had one hour to locate a Pl Block position in the same spot as the 2000 contact.
The memorial to PTE Leonard Manning that was
visited by the patrol on the 28th of December.
The visit to the contact site was a unique opportunity for
the group to experience first hand a significant event in New
Zealand’s recent military history. Another member of the
memorial patrol SSGT Troy Ambler, who was a signaller with
NZBATT2, was also able to corroborate events leading up
to the contact as he was deployed on a retrans site when it
occurred. Overall, the Memorial Patrol and Battlefield Tour
were important means of maintaining a link with the Cova Lima
District and keeping the achievements and sacrifices of the
personnel who served there between 1999 and 2003 alive in a
new generation of service personnel.
Judging by its age and the light blue beret, this mural on a house
located in a small village between Tilomar and Fohorem may well be
of a Kiwi solider.
Members of GYRO 12 gather around the NZBATT6 Kiwi which is located in Suai township.
10armypeople
Australians
honoured for
rescue efforts
Military Adviser Lieutenant Colonel Darren Beck presented
the New Zealand Special Service Medal to Mr David Armstrong
who was one of four Australians to help with the recovery effort
after New Zealand’s worst air disaster in Antarctica in 1979.
Mr Armstrong, now a resident at Greenleaf Retirement Village
was an air dispatch Warrant Officer in the Army helping unload
supplies at the McMurdo Base in Antarctica in November 1979
when Air New Zealand flight 901 crashed into Mount Erebus,
killing all 257 on board.
The flight was the first commercial route to Antarctica for
sight seeing and on its 14th trip when the plane flew into the
mountain in total whiteout conditions.
David Armstrong and his three men were Australia’s
contribution to the recovery effort.
The men, whose day job was directing and unloading planes,
had the daunting task over the next fortnight of recovering and
identifying bodies and belongings, all in sub-zero conditions.
Mr Armstrong, 74, now suffering Parkinson’s disease, said he
developed a stutter and shake because of the stress.
‘‘Nobody was to be blamed and everybody got on with the
job,’’ he said.
‘‘You imagined what it would be like if your family was on the
craft.’’
The special service medal was approved in 2006 and the
New Zealand government has been tracking down those
Lieutenant Colonel Darren Beck presents the New Zealand Special Service medal to Australian, Mr David Armstrong.
involved.
The second medal was presented to Mr Jim Dance for his
efforts following the 2004 tsunami which devastated parts
of Indonesia, Thailand and Sri Lanka. New Zealand’s Defence
Attache in Canberra, Commodore Ross Smith presented the
medal to Mr Dance, who was, at the time of his deployment, a
resident of New Zealand. He is now Australia based and retired
but still spends a lot of time in the Asian region.
Singapore-bound WO2
Warrant Officer Class Two Vance Thompson, of Messines
Defence Centre, has been chosen to attend the Advanced
Leadership Programme in Singapore this month.
The three-week programme is run by the Singapore Armed
Forces Warrant Officer School at Pasir Laba Camp, and is for
preparing military personnel who are ready to transit to the
role of Warrant Officer Class One.
WO2 Thompson is a member of the Royal New Zealand
Army Logistics Regiment, and has been working as a Project
Manager with Capability Branch for the past three years.
The NZDF is invited to send two people to the programme
each year, with course particpants chosen on merit.
armypeople11
1 RNZIR marks
departures and
achievements
Two people who have made a significant impact on the
1st Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment were
farewelled at the end of last year.
The Colonel of the Infantry Regiment, Colonel R. Upton,
having completed approximately 40 years of service, was the
first to be bid goodbye. In attendance at the ceremony were
the Honorary Colonel of 1 RNZIR Brigadier Phil Gibbons, the
new Colonel of the Regiment, Colonel P Maguire, Colonel B.
Ewart, Colonel Kevin Burnett, Colonel Howie Duffy, Lieutenant
Colonel Stef Michie and Warrant Officer Class One James
Moohan. Colonel Upton was presented with an infantry
statuette.
The following day 1 RNZIR conducted a mounted parade to
acknowledge the departure of the Regimental Sergeant Major
of three years, WO1 Clive. Douglas. Colonel Upton was the
reviewing officer. “WO1 Douglas is a consummate professional,
who has served the unit proudly and with utmost dedication,”
said the unit’s Commanding Officer, LTCOL Glen King.
WO1 Douglas presented the unit with a taiaha on parade
before handing over his pace stick to the new RSM, WO1 P.
McIntosh. He was then blindsided with a rousing haka by
unit personnel before being escorted by LTCOL King through
the waharoa for the last time. WO1 Douglas is posted to Army
General Staff before he attends the United States Command
Sergeant Major Academy in June 2012. During his address,
Colonel Upton reflected on the constants and changes in
soldiering observed throughout his career, before departing
the parade ground for the final time.
Colonel Upton presents Staff Sergeant Matt Bedford with his Long Service and Good Conduct medal.
The battalion conducted a number of regimental activities
as well to recognise the service and performance of unit
personnel. A range of operational medals, as well as Long
Service and Good Conduct Medals and sports awards were
One last Rover patrol for COL Upton.
The battalion perform a haka for the departing RSM.
The Nathan
Blackler Memorial
Challenge
By Emma Daken
On Friday 23 March Sally Blackler will begin a charity walk
from Auckland to Burnham Camp to raise money for CanTeen ,
the Child Cancer Foundation.
Sally will be retracing the steps of her late husband, Army
Physical training Instructor Sergeant Nathan Blackler who
completed the walk in 2004. Nathan was successful in raising
$65,000 for the Child Cancer Foundation.
presented, and number of officers were promoted. The 1 RNZIR
Officers Mess acknowledged those officers who were either
posted out or were leaving the Army.
In 2001, Nathan was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
He endured three years of treatment in both Palmerston North
and Christchurch, which included a bone marrow transplant,
radiation, chemotherapy, and months spent in isolation.
Nathan was cleared in remission in 2003. Seeing children in
the cancer ward motivated him to undertake the fundraising
walk, dubbed ‘Operation Second Chance’.
In December 2004, two months after Nathan completed his
walk, he was re-diagnosed with cancer. Despite extensive
treatment and a second bone marrow transplant Nathan died
on 23 March, leaving behind wife Sally, son Hemi (now 20) and
daughter, Aniwa (now 17).
As a tribute to her late husband, Sally will begin her walk on
the fifth anniversary of Nathan’s death, and hopes to raise
$65,000 for CanTeen – matching Nathan’s earlier fundraising
efforts for the Child Cancer Foundation.
Sally will cover at total of 1014 km over 32 days, striding
approximately 30km each day, with only seven rest days
scheduled. Sally will be joined the entire way by friend,
Corporal Tash Donaldson, who is a section commander at the
Burnham- based Youth Development Unit (YDU).
Sally and Tash will begin the walk in Auckland at Specforce
Gymnasium, owned by Scott Cottier, who was Nathan’s
Canteen's best friend and fellow PTI. Sally will then walk to
CanTeens headquarters. She and her team are scheduled to
finish on Tuesday 1 May at the YDU STH Parade Ground.
Sally and Tash are heavily into their training, which has been
a combination of cardio and long distance walking, beating
the pavements in the weekends, walking 30km legs at a time.
Furthermore, as part of their jobs with the Limited Service
Volunteer Unit, Sally and Tash are able to participate in the
50km pack walks with the trainees on the Limited Volunteer
course. Over the last few months, Sally and Tash have added
weight training, and steadily increased their cardio workouts,
and gradually increased the kilometres. Despite all of this
preparation, there is concern that the body or feet might not
always hold up. However, to combat this, Sally has been
placing emphasis on preparing herself mentally.
CanTeen’s mission is to support, develop and empower
young people living with cancer or a life-threatening blood
disorder, by providing a national peer support network offering
high quality educational and recreational programs.
Donations can be made online at www.sistersinarms.co.nz or
through http://canfans.org.nz/cause/sistersinarms. Progress
reports will also be posted on the website.
12armynews
Providing the
best protection
From January to September 2011, outside of Iraq
and Afghanistan, there were 5050 Improvised
Explosive Device (IED) events globally, an
average of 608 per month
offer even greater coverage —including the upper leg, femoral arteries and
wider abdominal region. It will be used by those troops whose role demands
greater levels of protection, such as those operating hand-held metal
detectors to search for IEDs, or those going forward ahead of patrols in order
to ensure the safety of a route, such as the Enhanced EOD Search
issueTeams.
428 | February 2012
armynews13
How does the NZDF ensure that its personnel are offered
the best protection against IEDs, when they are on
operational duty?
“We are continually striving to find the best and most
effective equipment available to help us in every aspect of
C-IED, from preparing the force and defeating the device,
through to attacking the network, says Joint Force New
Zealand Headquarters,Counter Improvised Explosive Device
project member, Major Mark Bateman.
“There are a myriad of products out there that claim to have
the answer, but sadly this is not always the case and before
we can commit ourselves to chasing down rabbit holes that
often prove to be empty, we must test, trial and prove the
worth of every piece of kit and equipment that we hope to
use.
“There is no asset more valuable than our personnel and
we are committed to ensuring they are provided with the
best and most appropriate kit and equipment available to
enable them to succeed in their role in the safest and most
effective way possible.”
MAJ Bateman says health expert research shows that
anyone who has leg and upper body injuries from a buried
improvised explosive device (IED) explosion is likely to have
very serious groin injuries.
Further to this, soldiers in vehicles are at greater risk of
groin injury because the blast from IEDs is often directed
straight up through the body. Due to patrol requirements,
coalition troops have become particularly vulnerable to
this type of attack—about 80 percent of serious injuries
to soldiers in Afghanistan in the past two years have been
caused by these weapons.
Avoid Setting Patterns
new kit will be available to personnel in Afghanistan by mid-2012, (CRIB
e Force is buying a new Ballistic GroinThe
Protection
20
being
the and
first towaiting
use the protection
Operationally.)
with every
individual
Watching
are two tactical
disciplines
insurgents
Afghanistan and ultimately in all operational
theatres.
receiving
three pairsto
of target
the Tiercoalition
One, and one
set of Tier
Two
forthey
their use.
have
mastered
forces.
What
are
are
Tier
Three will be
issued as- Force
required. isAlthough
TieraTwo
andBallistic
Three will be
The
New
Zealand
Defence
buying
new
Groin Pro
x, three-tiered clothing and armour consisting
of Personal
watching
and waiting
for?Equipment
For you for
to issue
reveal
your
operational
classed
as
Protection
in the
same
way as all
(BGP)
system
for
use
ultimately
all operational
ear and detachable armoured
modular
trousers
that
armour,
Tier
One
willin
be Afghanistan
for personal issue and
and won’t
need to be in
handed
patterns.
back.
tegrate with current kit being used by operational
The BGP system is unisex, three-tiered clothing and armour consisti
special
protective underwear and detachable armoured modular trou
been proven to save lives in IED
explosions.
have been designed to integrate with current kit being used by opera
tal in Camp Bastion in Helmand
province are seeing
troops.
of serious injuries to the groin — including complete
EDs. This equipment is designed to ensure that
o not add to these statistics.”The system has already
been proven to save lives in IED explosions
ystem is known as the battlefield
underpants.
is a hospital in Camp Bastion in Helmand province a
“Doctors
at theItfield
ed from scientifically-tested ballistic
silk material
that cases of serious injuries to the groin — including
sixty percent
more
protection to mitigate against the effects of blasts,
loss
of is
genitalia,
Ballistic
groin protection
for Kiwi
troops
s wear
the shorts
as underwear.
Silk
a natural through IEDs. This equipment is designed to ensure
The Newthe
Zealand
Defence layer
Force is buying
a new
BallisticZealand
New
personnel do not add to these statistics.”
inst skin;
base
is polyester
so the likelihood
Groin Protection (BGP) system for use in Afghanistan and
ultimately
in all operational
theatres. The inherent antimicrobial
during
wear
is remote.
The BGP system is unisex, three-tiered clothing and armour
rly important
asprotective
the garment
has
been
to BGP system is known as the battlefield underpan
consisting of special
underwear and
detachable
The
first designed
tier of the
armoured
modular
trousers
that
have
been
designed
to
nd has
been designed to ensure comfort and
integrate with current kit being used by operational troops.
pair of shorts manufactured from scientifically-tested ballistic silk ma
provides an initial level of protection to mitigate against the effects of
including shrapnel. Troops wear the shorts as underwear. Silk is a n
fibre and comfortable
skin;
base
layer
is Cell
polyester
Thank you for your feedbackagainst
on the Counter-IED
feature the
King and
Mark Bateman
of the C-IED
are keen to hear so the
in December’s Army News. This has clearly articulated
from you. Please share any questions, points of view or
how importantoccurring
you, the soldiers and officers
of the
experiences with us and
we will inherent
answer directly
of any allergies
during
wearpersonal
is remote.
The
antim
NZ Army believe this subject to be and we within the
and share some of your thoughts here. If you wish to have
cell
will be ensuring
that your responsesimportant
are fully
your name
out then
simply add the word
anonymous
in
s been designed with longer treatment
legs. It takesC-IED
isinto
also
particularly
as leftthe
garment
has
been
des
considered as we strive to provide guidance, support and
the title and we will respect that right.
of the groin, ensuring that the
perineal
protection
fromthe
the threat.
Remember,
your question could
to the answercomfort
that
befemoral
worn and
agains
skin,and has been
designed
to lead
ensure
a
In order to further encourage the institutionalisation of
saves your mate’s life. We can all learn from that.
specifically designed to be worn either onC-IED
their
own
into the
NZDF
mindset, a new e-mail address has
Write to CIED [email protected]
hygiene
while
in
use.
been established for your use. Majors Jason Jones, Pete
Tier Two protection system.
The system has already been proven to save lives in IED
explosions.
“Doctors at the field hospital in Camp Bastion in Helmand
province are seeing sixty percent more cases of serious
injuries to the groin — including complete loss of genitalia,
through IEDs. This equipment is designed to ensure that New
Zealand personnel do not add to these statistics.”
The first tier of the BGP system is known as the battlefield
underpants. It is a pair of shorts manufactured from
scientifically-tested ballistic silk material that provides an
initial level of protection to mitigate against the effects
of blasts, including shrapnel. Troops wear the shorts as
underwear. Silk is a natural fibre and comfortable against
skin; the base layer is polyester so the likelihood of any
allergies occurring during wear is remote. The inherent
antimicrobial treatment is also particularly important as the
garment has been designed to be worn agains the skin,and
has been designed to ensure comfort and hygiene while in
use.
The Tier One garment has been designed with longer legs.
It takes into account the crucial zones of the groin, ensuring
that the femoral and perineal arteries are covered and
specifically designed to be worn either on their own or in
conjunction with the Tier Two protection system.
The second tier of the system is a detachable pelvic body
armour that has been designed to meet the greater threats
faced by soldiers on the ground. It can be rolled up and
clipped to a belt and then pulled through the legs to protect
the perinea and groin area, extending between the legs
and covering the rear. The system is designed specifically
to be comfortable and lightweight, allowing the wearer to
perform the majority of patrol tasks with a minimal amount of
disruption. The system is stowable and when not in use can
be secured to the wearer’s belt, it can be fitted/removed in
less than 30 seconds.
BGP Tier 1
The Tier One garment has been designed with longer legs. It takes i
account the crucial zones of the groin, ensuring that the femoral and
arteries are covered and specifically designed to be worn either on th
or in conjunction with the Tier Two protection system.
BGP Tier 2
stem is a detachable pelvic body armour that has
The Tier 3 system is the final layer of pelvic protection, and
e greater
threats
by soldiers
is designed
to offer evenfaced
greater coverage
—including the on the ground. It
upper leg, femoral arteries and wider abdominal region. It
ed towillabe belt
then
pulled
through
the legs to
used byand
those troops
whose
role demands
greater
levels of protection,
such as those
operating hand-held
metal and covering
roin area,
extending
between
the legs
detectors to search for IEDs, or those going forward ahead of
patrols in
order to ensure the safety
of a route,
such as the
esigned
specifically
to be
comfortable
and
Enhanced EOD Search Teams.
The new kit will be available to personnel in Afghanistan
by mid-2012, (CRIB 20 being the first to use the protection
Operationally.) with every individual receiving three pairs of
the Tier One, and one set of Tier Two for their use. Tier Three
will be issued as- required. Although Tier Two and Three will
be classed as Personal Protection Equipment for issue in the
same way as all armour, Tier One will be for personal issue
and won’t need to be handed back.
Femoral
Vein
Sidebar 2:
BGP Tier 1
Femoral
Artery
2012
offlimits
14armypeople
14armynews
Event competitors gather for a pre-ride chat
Offlimits board member Major Derek McMillan presents an iPad to Deployment Services
Officer Janine Burton. The iPad is to help her communicate better with deployed personnel
and their families.
Offlimits supports many different sporting codes, including road cycling and mountain biking.
Competitors prepare for the mud and the streams.
armynews15
It is at the cutting edge of multiple sporting codes and is pioneering innovative but safe ways
428 | February 2012
of better utilising defence land so that the New Zealand public can obtain restrictedissueaccess
to
places like Waiouru. The proceeds of this are then channelled into providing sport and welfare
funding for soldiers. In this article Army News provides an update of where the organisation is
at, and what is planned for the future. OFFLIMITS, an organisation which raises funds for Army
sports and welfare, is the highly successful development of what was once the Linton
Multi-sports organisation.
INNOVATIVE THINKING PRODUCES
SUPERIOR RESULTS
OFFLIMITS was previously the public face of Linton Multisports which, under the direction of Mike Ross, has organised
the TUSSOCK BUSTER trail riding event at Waiouru for the
past four years. In 2011, OFFLIMITS transformed itself into a
separate Trust with the objective of raising funds for Army
sports and welfare.
OFFLIMITS now operates TUSSOCK BUSTER which is the
largest motorcycle trail ride in New Zealand with over 3000
riders participating over three days; WAIOURU SAFARI – a two
day guided quad bike tour; plus BOUNDARY BUSTER- a two day
guided motorcycle ride designed to ride the boundary of the
Waiouru training area. 2012 and early 2013 will see OFFLIMITS
expanding into delivering 4x4 tours, mountain biking events
and horse trekking events.
OFFLIMITS epitomises the new ‘can do-will make it happen’
approach that the Army is encouraging as it adjusts to the
new era of increased operational commitments coupled
with budget cuts, says Dave Greenslade, the Chairman of
the OFFLIMITS trust. “Our role is to partner with soldiers,
units, commanders and the wider NZ Defence organisation to
identify ways to generate much needed Non-Public funds to
help support Defence wide sporting endeavours and soldier
welfare,” he says.
“Gone are the days where, through asking someone in
the know, some civilian group could get access to Defence
property and conduct an event of their own where the issues
of liability were not clearly defined, and there was no land
remediation in the event of damage,” says Dave. Today,
sporting events can attract litigation and public scrutiny
especially if something goes wrong. Dave says OFFLIMITS
brings a professional approach to organising events on
Defence property.
“The idea is to have fewer events but each is to be of
significant scale so they can generate more revenue than the
old piece-meal approach. In order to protect Defence from
litigation, the Trust must be seen to be independent from the
Army system. It has separate trustees (all with previous Army
experience or connections), detailed operations manuals, its
own equipment and a comprehensive risk management plan
for every event. In addition, it is subject to the same rules for
the use of Crown Land as the general public.”
OFFLIMITS is making its mark. In the past 12 months it has
spent over $20,000 in upgrading tracks at Waiouru, has
donated more than $10,000 to Waiouru Camp and helped
fund a multitude of sporting endeavours for soldiers. In
December, OFFLIMITS provided two top of the line Apple iPads
to Deployment Services Officers (DSOs) Janine Burton of
Linton and Carol Voyce of Burnham. This will enable them to
communicate 24/7 with soldiers who are deployed and with
families remaining in New Zealand. Most importantly, the
iPads give the DSOs the ability to use applications such as
Skype to better support families and NOK who live away from
the main camps and bases.
Mike Ross from OFFLIMITS summarised it this way. “We saw
the key role these women were playing in soldier welfare,
we saw the restrictions they were operating under, we briefly
discussed it with the bosses in Wellington and hey presto,
within a week we had made a decision, purchased the iPads
and made the whole thing a reality.”
OFFLIMITS is more than just raising money for soldiers,
explained Simon Reynolds and Warrick Funnell –both
OFFLIMITS trustees.
“We need to be conscious that we have to be custodians
of any Defence land we use, and in particular Waiouru which
is pretty unique in New Zealand. Many soldiers may regard
Waiouru as cold, bleak and unappealing. However, to many
New Zealanders, it is a sport person’s paradise and a bit like
‘forbidden fruits’ in that it is just there beside the Desert Road
but usually inaccessible to the average person.
“One of our roles is to invite access to the training area
but only via organised events, each of which can only be
conducted once a year. We want to keep the mystery and
uniqueness in place.”
Simon Reynolds, a retired Lieutenant Colonel and former
Commandant of Waiouru Support Centre, says OFFLIMITS is
working closely with various people in Waiouru to ensure the
tracks are maintained and upgraded, that the public develop
a new respect for the land and that anyone who attends
OFFLIMITS events comes away with a positive attitude towards
Making a hill climb look easy.
the Army.
“We want our events to be a bit like a recruiting activity.
Encourage people to attend and see what we have, undergo a
positive experience and go away thinking that the Army is not
a bad organisation to join,” he says.
Soldiers and commanders can access funding for sporting
endeavours by writing to:
The OFFLIMITS trustees,
PO Box 301426,
Albany, Auckland 0752
and outlining their situation and what it is they want to
achieve. A good initial step is to have a chat with Mike Ross
by ringing 021-527-299. He can provide some pointers around
how your application may be received. Mike stressed that
OFFLIMITS will support those who are prepared to support
themselves and OFFLIMITS. It will not be an automatic handout
of all the money a person requires to achieve a sporting goal.
“We want to know what you are doing to raise money, how you
and the Army will benefit and what are you going to do to ‘give
back’ to the sporting code.”
The next event on the OFFLIMITS calendar is TUSSOCK
BUSTER at Waiouru on Friday –Sunday 23-25 March 2012. This
is a three day motorbike trail ride which has over 250 km of
marked trails and if last year was anything to go by, it could
attract close to 1,500 riders a day, making it the biggest event
of its kind in New Zealand. This is the major fund raising event
each year for OFFLIMITS, local businesses and community
groups.
Dave Greenslade acknowledges that this year, March is
an extremely busy time at Waiouru with multiple units live
firing, the holding of the traditional TUSSOCK BUSTER event
and then the 1 NZ Brigade exercise towards the end of the
month. “Fortunately, a number of unit commanders plus DCA
and Commander 1 Bde, have been incredibly supportive
of OFFLIMITS and have worked hard to integrate TUSSOCK
BUSTER with training and exercise commitments” says Dave.
All Army (and NZDF) personnel receive discounted entry to TUSSOCK BUSTER.
Go to www.offlimits.co.nz to obtain details and download an entry form.
16armyexcerise
Exercise Bluebell
develops leadership skills
in Pacific setting
Corporal Trent Vartha with a local league player
By Lance Corporal Nicholas Catton
Second Workshop Company recently returned from Rarotonga
where 25 soldiers participated in Exercise Bluebell which
primarily aimed to develop the leadership skills of Privates
and Junior Non Commissioned Officers.
Personnel involved with the self funded exercise also had
the opportunity to interact daily with the local people, and
experience, what was for some, a very different from our own
in many ways.
The leadership training component was achieved by having
the soldiers take turns at planning and managing daily
activities, sorting out the logistics to keep 25 mouths fed and
getting personnel to where they needed to be on time. A lot of
the ‘behind the scenes’ organising was a new concept to many
of the young soldiers and they were able to take a lot away
from it.
We visited two high schools to talk to the students about the
different opportunities the NZ Army has to offer, and answered
plenty of questions from eager children. These visits were
topped off with a lunch of fresh fruit, coconut juice, pikelets
and scones, made in the home economics class. For the
students who were considering a career in the NZ Defence
Force, our acting Physical training Instructor Private Holleron
ran an Required Fitness Level (RFL) test in the evening that was
open to anybody who wanted to give it a go.
We were lucky enough to stay at Auntie Mau’s big house
in Rarotonga, a well known local whose generosity shows
no bounds. Every night, dinner was a different fresh island
delicacy with the highlight being a 45kg Yellow Fin Tuna,
caught by Corporals Vartha and Teague on a hand line
earlier that day. To show our appreciation for Auntie Mau’s
hospitality, we cleared a large section of the local beach of
Beach clean up tasks
rubbish. We also cleared a track known as the ‘Needle’ which
traverses the island over a peak that had panoramic views and
some very steep slopes.
Later on that evening we had a friendly touch game against
the Cook Island League masters team who showed us young
guns some pretty slick moves. They managed to put a few
points on us but we scraped through with a close win.
On the final night, we had the privilege of having our last
meal with the New Zealand High Commissioner of the Cook
Islands, Hon. John Carter and all of Auntie Mau’s family. We
brought along some gifts from New Zealand to give to the
people who hosted us as a token of our appreciation.
The aims of the exercise were met with our soldiers gaining
leadership experience, and seeing a different way of life. At the
same time we were able to provide some assistance in return
for the hospitality from the community of Rarotonga.
Mr Carter has written to the New Zealand Army to commend
the soldiers who took part in Exercise Bluebell. “I am pleased
to confirm that set an exemplary standard and made one
proud to be a New Zealander. To have young people such as
these representing our nation and acting as ambassadors as
they went about their duties is a credit to the organisation
they represent and to themselves as individuals. They have
left behind them a feeling of goodwill amongst the Cook Island
people that they had contact with.”
Corporal David Teague on the Needle Track clearance task.
AN RFL gets underway.
Two Workshop Company Bluebell contingent
armynews17
Singapore
-NEW ZEALAND RELATIONSHIP
FURTHER ENHANCED BY DEFENCE
EXERCISE
More than 600 Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) personnel
converged on the Waiouru Military Training Area in January for
the annual Thunder Warrior exercise.
SAF deployed a 155mm Singapore Light Weight Howitzer,
along with other weapons for the artillery training exercise
which was held in Waiouru for the 15th consecutive time. Chief
of Army, Major General Tim Keating met with his Singaporean
counterpart Major General Ravinder Singh during the exercise.
MAJGEN Keating said the exercise was an excellent
opportunity to cement the SAF-NZDF relationship, which
was very important to both countries, and he was confident
MAJGEN Singh and his party left New Zealand with a positive
impression of their ongoing interaction with the New Zealand
Army. The Singaporeans’ visit enhanced what is already a
strong military and personal relationship, he said.
“We are good military neighbours, and we discussed
issues of mutual concern, and mutual opportunities which
may benefit both armies. New Zealand’s relationship with
Singapore had developed over a number of decades since the
inception of the Singaporean Army.
“The Singaporean Army has grown to be highly competent
and world class. It provides science, technology, innovation
and intellect to military challenges and pursues excellence
to produce its military solutions. We are very comfortable
operating and training alongside each other, and I envisage
Chief of Army, Major General Tim Keating with the
Singaporean contingent in Waiouru.
our relationship will continue to grow and develop as we meet
challenges in the Asia-Pacific region in the future.”
Discussions were held during the exercise about the
potential for further interaction with the New Zealand Army,
and some multi-lateral activities.
“Only hits count”
Anniversary events & activities
28-29 January
Tauranga City Air Show (Red Checkers display)
30 January
Auckland Anniversary, Red Checkers over
Auckland Harbour
6 February
Waitangi Day (Red Checkers display)
11 February
Coast to Coast finish, Christchurch
16–19 February
GEON Art Deco Weekend, Napier
14 March
Official launch, Wellington
- Launch of the 75th Anniversary Stamp and
Coin Collection with NZ Post
- RNZAF 75th Anniversary book launch
17 March
Manfield Field Days, Manawatu
17-18 March
Museum of Transport and Technology
(MOTAT), Military Weekend, Auckland
25 March - 8 April
As part of the 75th Anniversary celebrations
the Red Checkers will be displaying at various
locations in the North Island over the period
25 March - 2 April and in the South Island, 2
April - 8 April. For further information, visit
www.airforce.mil.nz
31 March
Air Force Air Show (Base Ohakea)
3 April
RNZAF 75th birthday celebrations, Wellington
- Forecourt Parade, Parliament
- Commemorative Service, St Paul’s
Cathedral
7–8 April
Warbirds over Wanaka (Red Checkers display)
25 April
Anzac Day commemorations
28 April
Auckland City Charter Event
Unveiling of the Memorial Plaque at
Hobsonville Point
www.airforce.mil.nz
CELEBRATING 75 YEARS OF SERVICE TO NEW ZEALAND
Army Combat
Shooting Team
(NZACST) 2012
Who:
Any RF and TF personnel who are fit, able and
command cleared.
What:
Team selection by unit CO’s and Team Captain by
February 2012.
When:
Training 19 Mar – 27 Apr. AASAM 1 – 20 May.
Where:
Training Waiouru and AASAM Puckapunyal –
Australia. Yes there is leave!
Why:
- Want to do far more than just meet small arms
entry
level AWQ?
- Master marksmanship excellence.
- Develop your leadership and coaching ability for
your unit.
- Win in a competitive international environment.
- Test yourself under the pressure of competition.
- Develop your practical ballistics knowledge.
- Snipers, participate in the AASAM sniper
concentration.
For More Information contact your unit headquarters, past
NZACST members or Maj Pat Edmonds via DIXIS Email
A
AN
2
18armynews
EX
Neptune’s Fury11
By LT Paris de Boam – Regimental Dive Officer
Little Barrier Island
The RNZE Dive Team conducted its final concentration,
Exercise Neptune’s Fury 11 at the end of last year.
The exercise was staged at the picturesque Little Barrier
Island (Hauturu) in the Hauraki Gulf and saw the team conduct
a range of real-time mobility and sustainability tasks in
support of the Department of Conservation (DOC).
Six months earlier Exercise Poseidon 11 focused heavily on
tactical combat support to combined arms/amphibious task
force operations. Neptune’s Fury 11 trained and assessed the
team’s utility in the lower threat environment of civil aid and
reconstruction. The intent was to highlight the Dive Team’s
ability to deploy offshore as a detached ‘capability brick’
proficient in providing engineer support both above and below
the waterline. The team of eight engineers drew a wide range
of skills from within the Corps, including tradesmen, plant
operators, small boat and RHIB operators, field engineers and
six Australian Dive Accreditation Scheme (ADAS) and Defence
Diver qualified occupational divers.
Having conducted a detailed engineer reconnaissance
and liaison on the island, the Dive SNCO, Staff Sergeant
Michael Spicer identified a series of surface and subsurface
tasks which became the focus of the planning leading up to
mobilisation on Sunday, 27 November.
These tasks included creating a ford, constructing P.O.L
and incineration sites, reconstituting a water supply, and
detailed underwater inspections of the island’s key mooring
and boat ramp facilities. Orders were delivered and the dive
container was readied and dispatched to Devonport Naval
Base. This tailor-made store enables the team to quickly insert
all required equipment via air, sea or land-based platforms.
Once in Auckland they completed the strict DOC quarantine
obligations and checked in with the Navy’s Operational Dive
Team. They also uplifted several new buoyancy compensators
and fin systems from a civilian supplier for trials and testing
throughout the exercise.
With a liberal allocation of Sea Legs tablets the team
departed on Tuesday, 29 November aboard the bath-tub
looking MV Hauturu for the five hour steam to Little Barrier.
The island is described as the ‘most intact native eco-system
in New Zealand’ and is generally off limits to all but a few
approved visitors every year. As if to reinforce this privilege,
a welcome was provided by the island’s bouncers – a pod of
Orcas – clearly quite intrigued by the arrival of new comers.
The local Ranger family were far more inviting and quickly
sorted the remaining quarantine procedures and orientated
the divers to what would be home for a busy seven days.
Confirmatory recons were conducted and the team cracked
into their work, generally completing a rigorous PT session
and surface tasks in the morning with dive inspections and
subsurface training serials in the afternoon.
Sapper Adam Sheehan was assigned the responsibility of
overseeing the fording task. Here a deeply scoured creek had
cut off two residential areas after substantial flooding earlier
in the year. The loss of this route was hindering the transit of
stores between two vital areas of DOC operation on the island.
Gabion baskets were tailored to fit the gap and filled with
boulders to create a permeable foundation. Reno Mattress
layers were then added, again filled with rocks, to raise the
ford to a trafficable level before the wearing surface was
introduced. The specific wire netting products selected for this
task enable engineers to quickly create robust structures and,
in this case, restore mobility within a short period. This project
was greatly appreciated by DOC who put it to use as soon as it
was completed.
The early diving serials saw all members using the newly
purchased Sealife Pro underwater video and imaging system
to good effect. The general inspection of the island’s offshore
mooring system was headed by Sergeant Trevor King.
Measurements and observations were recorded on the existing
anchor, chains, risers and buoy components to provide an
overall indication on the level of maintenance required. A
written underwater inspection report was then provided to
DOC for future reference. As it was, only minor repairs were
required to fix a pear-link connector which was completed in a
later serial.
Back on land, Lance Corporal Jason Bowling ran the
refurbishment of the island’s principle water source, a severely
eroded well site. Here a firm understanding of water-source
provision coupled with plumbing expertise saw the well
drained and excavated and a new casing inserted. This was
tamped in place by small boulders sourced from the foreshore.
Inspecting the corroded component of the boat ramp
A sapper surfaces after an underwater inspection.
Warrant officer Class One Shane Vooght presents the unit's driving award to SPR
charles Manumua
armyexcerise19
The result was a potable water source to continue reliable
supply to the island for years to come.
The other key underwater task was the inspection of the
submerged portions of the island’s boat ramp. This task was
conducted by LT Paris de Boam, LCPL Bowling and SPR Charles
Manumua. The aim was to provide a general description of the
level of corrosion, abrasion, loosing of structural connections
and loss of foundational material below the waterline. Again
the new underwater imaging kit proved invaluable and the
subsequent report featured scaled imagery to clearly illustrate
the observations and recommendations to DOC.
SPR Manumua also worked steadily to design and manage
two construction tasks. The first was the refurbishment of
a P.O.L site to contain the island’s backup diesel generator
supply. This ensured that, should solar power fail, the island
would still retain a source of electricity. Simultaneously he
established a new foundation for the DOC incinerator, an
essential part of the islands de-contamination system. Both
projects were delivered to a very high standard and will have
lasting effects on the island.
Wrapping up the surface tasks in good time the Team
refocused solely on its core capability – subsurface
compressed air operations. Skills practised included
underwater navigation, search and recovery, endurance diving
and refreshers on key drills and procedures for dive related
emergencies.
With a successful balance of land-based and underwater
work the Dive Team effectively established a workable ‘battle
rhythm’ that can see engineer support provided both above
and below the surface. Essentially, divers can construct a
ford or establish a water point in the morning and move on
to underwater survey, construction and maintenance in the
afternoon or at night as required. In practising and improving
this duality the team was able to diversify its relevance to
likely employment scenarios. This is increasingly valuable
when, as 2011 highlighted, the requirement for disaster relief
and civil aid tasks at home and in the Pacific often demand
specific RNZE support.
Looking forward in 2012 - the RNZE Dive Team will train
and assess its standard operating procedures on Exercise
Poseidon 12 which will focus on tactical support to combat
operations. Key activities will be support to tactical landing
reconnaissance, emplacing and clearing underwater obstacles,
executing underwater demolitions and brown water search
and recovery.
SPR Adam Sheehan, Liam Walle and Richard Walle (DOC Ranger) officially open “Sheeb’s Crossing”
SGT Carl Crawford and SPR Charles Manumua ready for an underwater search.
A task gets underway
Interested in joining the 2 Engineer Regiment Dive
Team?
Do you have the aptitude to be part of a highly
motivated team that works in arduous conditions?
Can you meet the following prerequisites?
•
•
•
•
Member of Royal New Zealand Engineers,
Required Fitness level: G1
Medically cleared fit to military dive,
Pass a dive physical fitness test consisting of the
following minimum standard:
• Beep test standard of 9.6,
• 30 Press ups,
• 30 half sits,
• 8 pull ups, and
• 400m fin in under 8 mins 30 secs.
Have a workplace first aid and oxygen administration
certificate, and
Be recommended by your Officer Commanding.
Point of Contact: Staff Sergeant Mick Spicer, 2 Engineer
Regiment.
Spectacular surroundings for Exercise Neptune’s Fury.
20armypeople
Introducing
the Defence
Professional
Development
Framework
One of the most important activities the New Zealand
Defence Force undertakes is professional development.
Properly undertaken, professional development enables
personnel to be adaptable, innovative and knowledgeable in
changing situations and is the key means by which the NZDF
prepares its personnel for the current and future operating
environment.
A new approach to professional development and
performance assessment within NZDF is being developed by
the Defence Personnel Executive and single Services.
Currently the NZDF does not have a single clear military
development framework. Additionally, there are seven
different performance assessment tools in use currently across
all areas of NZDF.
To ensure everyone is treated fairly and has access to the
development opportunities offered, the Defence Professional
Development Framework (DPDF) project is being undertaken.
The project is split into three work streams:
• Developing an overarching Defence Professional
Development Framework which incorporates
general rank competencies, trade/branch/specialist
requirements and position requirements and will be
the foundation for professional development and
performance assessment.
• Building a NZDF specific performance assessment tool
that applies a consistent approach across all ranks and
Services. This will replace the existing AFNZ 125A and
the OPR.
• Creating a NZDF specific development framework
and directory which will enable the whole of NZDF to
more effectively and consistently plan professional
development.
Together, these work streams will enable NZDF to holistically
manage talent and succession planning. Additionally it will
ensure a consistent approach is being used across all Services
– better aligning areas of professional development and
the language used around development and performance
assessment.
The Assistant Chief of Personnel Commodore Kevin Keat says:
“The DPDF will assist the organisation to appropriately and
efficiently manage the Total Defence Workforce by providing a
common language and common framework across uniformed
personnel. Additionally, the DPDF will assist in identifying the
core requirements for all positions and in assessing where
individuals are at with their own development and movement
though the organisation. To this end the DPDF will be
developed with full consideration of civilian staff needs.”
The DPDF has evolved from three pieces of work that have
been completed previously within NZDF: the PDP Pilot; the
Success Factor Framework; and the Professional Military
Development Framework. The DPDF has been designed
and developed by NZDF personnel, specifically for NZDF
professionals.
The overarching framework and performance assessment
framework and tool will be trialled March 2012. A cross-section
of individuals from all three Services will be involved.
Further information can be found on the DPDF intranet page.
AUCKLAND’S
TOP
EMPLOYERS
FOR 2011
recognised
By Major Syd Dewes
“This has been totally unexpected and a total surprise,” said
Auckland University Professor Bruce Harris when he accepted
the Northern Region Top Employer Award for 2011.
The tri-service employer awards ceremony was hosted by
3 Auckland (CRO) and Northland Battalion Group at Arch Hill
to acknowledge employers who have provided extraordinary
support to their employees who are also part-time members of
the Royal NZ Navy, NZ Army and RNZAF.
This was the first time the RNZAF has participated in the
awards and it reflects recent initiatives to grow the RNZAF
Reserve.
There were six nominations for the Northern Region awards –
four from Army and one each from Navy and RNZAF.
The six nominees, Auckland University Faculty of Law,
Aviation Security Services Auckland Airport, NZ Post
Whangarei, NZ Police Counties and Manukau South, Ministry
of Justice Auckland, and St John, all received awards.
Auckland University Faculty of Law was overall winner and
The 2011 Award winners.
Rowen O’Neil and Tui Watling, both from NZ Post, are proud of their employee, CPL Wahanui who is an Army reserve soldier.
was presented the Employer of the Year Award, closely
followed by Aviation Security Services who won the ‘Gold
Award’ and NZ Post Whangarei who took the ‘Silver Award’.
Retired Brigadier David McGregor, senior partner of Bell
Gully and Chair of the Northern Region Employer Support
Committee, who presented the awards said, “These awards
recognise the valuable support of employers who have gone
the extra mile to enable their employees to serve our nation be
it through deploying overseas in support of our international
commitments, supporting our communities during domestic
disasters such as Operations Christchurch Quake and Rena, or
to attend military training that prepared them for these tasks”.
He added, “This is a partnership that is highly valued by our
Government and why the winner of this year Regional Awards
will be hosted at the National Awards at Parliament”.
At the conclusion of the evening the 2010 Northern Region
Employer of the Year winners, and also winners of the 2010
National Award for excellence in the private sector, Duff Lawry
Richmond Lawyers, were again acknowledged for their valued
continuing support and for being excellent ambassadors.
Professor Bruce Harris, representing the Auckland Faculty of Law and employee
LTCDR Dave Grinlinton of HMNZS Ngapona.
armypeople21
MYTHS OF
MENTORING
He who walks with the wise, grows wise; but a companion of
fools suffers harm. – Proverbs.
In early 2010 the 2nd Land Force Group initiated a mentoring
pilot programme with the aim of fostering the growth and
development of personnel within the formation, both
professionally and personally.
The pilot involved a small group of interested personnel
who were matched as a mentor/mentee partnership by
the Mentoring Advisory Team (MAT). The MAT oversees the
programme and provides advice to mentors and mentees
as well as conducting training and organising professional
development sessions.
The initiative was drawn along similar lines as the RNZAF
mentoring programme model which began in April 2008 and
has been generally successful throughout their bases and
command.
Mentoring is not new and it is not an NZDF initiative; it
has been written about for over 2800 years in one form
or another, with the earliest recorded mention in Homer’s
Odyssey. We are not the only professional organisation which
has a mentoring programme. Many of the more successful
establishments offer mentoring programmes to develop their
own personnel as a means of increasing their productivity and
recruitment, securing their longevity and strengthening their
leaders.
But what is mentoring? It is not coaching or management,
where the primary focus tends to be on job performance,
standards or the achievement of outputs. It is not a sponsor
where the mentor acts as an advocate or promoter for
the mentee. It is not emotional counselling; matters of
the head and the heart are best left with those who are
appropriately trained. Mentoring can best be described as a
partnership that focuses on personal, professional and career
development outside of the normal chain of command, where
advice is given freely in a safe, non-judgemental environment.
Can anyone be a mentor or mentee? This is a question up
there with the “nature versus nurture leadership” debate,
and while there is not a simple answer there are some
characteristics that both the mentor and mentee need to bring
to the partnership. The mentor should challenge, stretch
and provide inspiration; they should create a structure for
exploration by creating a perspective that provides support,
encouragement and growth. They achieve this by being
a good role model, willingly sharing their time with their
mentee, giving advice without dictating action and offering
constructive criticism and compliments. The mentee should
be willing to be mentored and have the courage to try new
approaches to issues, be open and honest, accept criticism
and responsibility, learn from mistakes and do their absolute
best at all times.
There is still a lot of confusion, misconceptions and even
some apprehension from all ranks about mentoring and a
mentoring partnership. The following are some of the more
common myths about mentoring.
Mentoring is only one way:
A successful mentoring partnership will see both parties
learning from each others strengths, weaknesses and
experiences. Sometimes, in a successful partnership, the
mentees perspective on certain issues may even cause the
mentor to look at things differently. As we know, innovations
are happening so rapidly and that personal experience
is the greatest of teachers, the younger often can present
opportunities to mentor the older. A good mentee recognises
their mentor as an ally to assist through complex issues,
benefiting from their experiences as well as opening networks
that may normally be closed. A good mentor will have the
satisfaction of knowing that they have had an impact on
someone else’s professional and personal development, as
well as gaining a new perspective on some matters from the
mentee. For some, a successful partnership can build on
leadership skills and develop a new professional network.
Mentoring is time consuming:
What needs to be recognised is that each mentoring
partnership is unique. The time and energy that one
partnership puts in will differ from another. It all depends
on what is agreed on by the mentor and mentee as to the
purpose and focus of their partnership. It is acknowledged
that these are times of change and restructure, this puts
pressure on our time management, but a focus on learning and
development increases stability and creates an understanding
of change and organisational growth. It has also shown to
improve productivity through better communication, goal
clarity, increased commitment and career planning. Most
respondents of a recent 2LFG mentoring program survey
indicated that they are able to allocate enough time for
the mentoring partnership and felt that their command is
supportive.
Developing a mentoring partnership is difficult:
A mentoring partnership will be as difficult as one makes
it. It’s about building the partnership based on specific
values and accepting that both the mentor and mentee are
equally responsible for establishing the partnership. What
is important is that time is set aside for both the mentor and
mentee to discuss what is it that they would like to achieve
from the relationship. Some partnerships may consider a
mentoring contract to get them started. This type of agreement
between the mentor and mentee has had good success with
other organisations.
Mentoring will only work when face-to-face:
Some of the most successful mentoring relationships
have been made up of a mixture of e-mails, short phone
conversations, occasional visits, but the very rare meeting.
Again it is at the first meeting where the partnership
establishes their ‘ground rules’ for how often they will
communicate and by what means.
Mentoring is long-term:
A mentoring partnership can be as long or as short as the
relationship needs to be. In some relationships the mentee
will outgrow the mentor, conceding that not all lessons and
experiences of the past can effectively deal with the challenges
of the present. In others the purpose of their mentoring
relationship has been seen to fruition, the set goals have been
met and therefore the partnership is no longer required.
Successful mentor partnerships:
There are several references where high profile celebrities or
sports personnel who have contributed their success to the
fact that they have been mentored during their career.
ARMY RESERVISTS HAVE
THE FREEDOM OF
AUCKLAND CITY
By Major Syd Dewes
With bayonets fixed, drums beating, bands playing, Colours
flying and swords drawn, the 3rd Auckland (Countess of
Ranfurly’s Own) and Northland Battalion Group, 11/4 Artillery
Battery, and 1 Field Engineer Troop, all in full dress uniform
stepped off and down Queen Street, central Auckland to the
loud cheers of an appreciative public gathered outside the
Town Hall.
On Saturday 3 December, bathed in bright sunshine, some
160 soldiers and officers formed up before the Mayor of
Auckland, Mr Len Brown, at the civic parade to receive a new
Charter.
Presenting the parchment charter to Colonel Grant Ellis the
Honorary Colonel of 3 Auck North Battalion, the Mayor not only
acknowledged the military’s strong links with Auckland—they
lie deep and in the case of the Mounted Rifles date back to
the 1840s—he also acknowledged and expressed Auckland’s
appreciation of its servicemen and women’s commitment and
service to the nation. Until that point the Colours were kept
encased and bayonets were sheathed until the new Charter
had been presented.
Following the customary inspection and speeches there
was a rousing massed haka performed with vigour and pride.
It was well received and applauded by the then increasing
number of spectators. Then, led by an Armoured Pinzgauer
and the Colour Party comprising the 3 Auckland Battalion
Colours and 11/4 Battery Colour Gun, the Parade stepped
off under the command of Major Terry O’Neill DSD (currently
the acting Commanding Officer of 3 Auck North while the
CO, Lieutenant Colonel Chris Powell is in Timor Leste). The
Artillery Band added to the occasion and helped keep the
marchers in step.
The Charter Parade also marked a change of command status
for 11/4 Artillery Battery and 1 Field Engineer Troop who now
revert to under command their parent regiment units – 16 Field
Regiment and 2 Engineer Regiment. They will remain based in
Auckland at Arch Hill.
A very special moment was marked at the end of the parade
when a contingent of ex-servicemen under the leadership of
Lieutenant Colonel (Rtd) Tony McLeod formed up and saluted
the parade before it was dismissed.
In attendance at the Charter Parade was also a number of
officials and senior military officers including Colonel Bede
Fahey, Deputy Commander 2 LFG, Colonel Barry Dreyer, the
Colonel Commandant of the Royal New Zealand Artillery,
Commanding Officer 16 Field Regiment Lieutenant Colonel
Matt Boggs, SAS Commanding Officer LTCOL Karl Cummins,
LTCOL Julian Sewell Commanding Officer 6 Hauraki Regiment,
and Major Paul Curran of 2 Engineer Regiment.
22armypeople
OBITUARY
Staff Sergeant James Fredrick Seymour
18 March 1916 – 28 November 2011
By Colonel (Rtd) Ray Seymour
Staff Sergeant James Fredrick Seymour , a World War Two
soldier whom the King of Greece honoured with the Greek Gold
Medal with Crossed Swords for valour, died on 28 November
2011, aged 96.
SSGT Seymour was one of only two New Zealand soldiers to
receive this honour.
He was born on the 18 March 1916 in Te Awamutu, and, like
many soldiers who served their nation during World War Two,
seldom discussed his war efforts. But from the snippets he
had revealed over the years, plus additional research, his
particular exploits on Crete demonstrated great commitment.
At the outbreak of World War Two in September 1939, Jim
Seymour was one of the first to enlist. He was required to
parade at Hopu Hopu Camp, just out of Ngaruawahia, but
on arrival he found, much to his chagrin, that he had been
allocated to the First Ammunition Company – not because of
his skills – but the Army wanted his Indian motor bike. He
managed to convince the authorities that he should join his
Hauraki mates, now forming up as B Company of the 18th
SSGT James Seymour
US dental visitor
Director of Defence Dental Services (NZ) Colonel Andrew
Gray, RNZDC (right), presented Lieutenant Colonel Lisa
Franklin, US Army, with a RNZDC Challenge Coin following
her presentation on the US Army Dental Corps contribution
to Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC).
JPAC, located on the island of Oahu in Hawaii, began in
October 2003. The mission of JPAC is to achieve the fullest
possible accounting of all Americans missing as a result
of the nation’s past conflicts. The highest priority of the
organization is the return of any living Americans that
remain prisoners of war. Dental identification is a major
contribution to the work of JPAC.
LTCOL Franklin also visited Dental Services/NZ Police
Disaster Victim Identification Training at Trentham Camp.
Battalion, but he never saw his motor bike again.
On 5 January 1940, Jim Seymour sailed off to the Middle East
with the First Echelon. Thirteen months later he fired his first
shot in anger while occupying Servia Pass in Northern Greece.
A couple of days later the fighting withdrawal through Greece
commenced which resulted in Jim Seymour and the 18th
Battalion being evacuated off Greece to the idyllic island of
Crete.
Jim, as a Platoon Sergeant, along with a young and
inexperienced Second Lieutenant and about 18 soldiers, were
tasked with protecting the King of Greece and his entourage,
having managed their escape out of Greece and away from
the German clutches. The Platoon guarded the King and his
party in a house on the outskirts of Crete’s capital of Canea
but when the German invasion commenced, a hurried decision
was made to evacuate the King and his party off Crete from
the southern coast. The group took the indirect route across
the rugged White Mountains – a snow-covered mountain
range which bisected the 35 kilometre-wide island. The height
of these mountains is about 300 metres lower than that of
Mount Ruapehu and as rugged as the Southern Alps are in the
vicinity of Arthur’s Pass. A difficult task made even harder with
German paratroopers landing all around them.
The group finally reached the summit having travelled the 20
kilometres, as the crow flies, in four hours but on arrival at the
end of this first stage, the King found that he had inadvertently
left a suitcase, containing something very important, back
in the Canea house. SSGT Seymour and a couple of his men
were ordered to return to the house and retrieve this case. On
arrival, Jim Seymour would claim that he knocked on the door,
only to find the house was now occupied by the Germans. His
request to enter was denied and he was sent away emptyhanded. This is not the story that those soldiers who went
with him would tell.
They struggled back to meet up with the awaiting King and
gave him the bad news. He had now travelled 60 kilometres.
Hunger and the frozen conditions were eased somewhat
by the killing of a mountain goat, but fearing the German
presence, this was eaten raw. After the fresh raw meat meal
and a short rest the party were again on the move and finally
reached their target – the fishing village of Ay Roumeli. The
King and his party were then safely evacuated to a waiting
naval ship that was loitering offshore. But then, without
warning, rank showed it did have its privileges. The young
Second Lieutenant decided that he would also go off with the
King and take with him all the soldiers who were now suffering
physically from their arduous journey. The order probably
went something like this: “Sergeant Seymour, you take the
8 fittest men back with you, along with all the ammunition
taken off the unfit men; get back over the White Mountains
and rejoin the Battalion because they will need all the men
and ammunition that they can get”. It is doubtful if Sergeant
Seymour replied with “Yes Sir”. But an order is an order and
so Sergeant Seymour and his eight men trudged back across
the mountains. On reaching the Battalion position he had
now covered 110 kilometres. The Battalion was nowhere to
be seen. During part of this journey, he and his party were
targeted by German Stuka aircraft. They were pinned down
for about 12 hours but were saved by the protection afforded
them by an olive grove.
He and his group then realised that a general withdrawal
was underway. He joined the exodus and halfway back up the
White Mountains he was halted at a control point and ordered
to declare who he was and who the 8 men were that were
with him. On answering that he was from the 18th Battalion
he was told that the entire 18th Battalion had been killed and
that they were most probably the only 9 survivors. He was
ordered to wait in the area to see if any other 18 Battalion
soldiers had managed to escape the German onslaught. Some
hours later, SSGT Seymour claimed he saw a formed body of
troops literally marching up the mountain road. As they drew
near, he identified it was his Commanding officer – Lieutenant
Colonel John Gray leading his Battalion. They hadn’t all been
killed – only half of them had paid the ultimate sacrifice. SSGT
Seymour and his 8 men rejoined the Battalion and continued
the journey across the White Mountains to the departure
beachhead of Sfakia. By the time he arrived there he had now
travelled some 145 kilometres, whilst constantly under German
interference – and he did this by constantly walking for about
30 hours. He was a tough determined man.
History now shows he was the last Kiwi soldier to officially
be evacuated off Crete. He disobeyed orders to achieve this
distinction.
For his actions, the King of Greece honoured him with the
Greek Gold Medal with Crossed Swords – one of only two New
Zealand soldiers to ever receive this honour.
He died on 28 November 2011 as a proud soldier of the 18th
Battalion and as a proud Hauraki.
•
COL Seymour is Staff Sergeant Jim Seymour’s son.
Canterbury
reservist
wins national
award
Territorial Force officer Tony Sumner has won the Contact
Centre Institute of New Zealand’s Contact Centre Manager of
the Year award.
Tony is Meridian Energy’s Contact Centre Manager, which is
based in Christchurch
He has been with Meridian for the past four years, and has
15 years experience in call centres (both in New Zealand and
overseas). The contact centre he manages has 85 staff.
Following the Christchurch Earthquake, the contact centre
was back up and operating at a temporary site within 36
hours and for the next four months operated across four
temporary sites.
Tony, who is from 2 Canterbury Regiment has been a
reservist for 20 years.
armypeople23
INTO THE SILENCE
The Great War, Mallory and the Conquest of Everest
By Wade Davis
Reviewed by Colonel(Rtd) Ray Seymour
If you want to learn more about The Great War, then don’t
read this book. But if you want to learn about the desire by
the British to conquer Mount Everest, which, as we all know,
was finally achieved by our own Ed Hillary, then this is just the
book for you.
Wade Davis has written a superb book on the determination
and trials of what really appeared to be an endeavour to
achieve the unachievable. A task, as he describes, that has
created Mount Everest into “an open graveyard, littered with
more than three hundred corpses, a dead climber for every ten
who successively returned from the summit”. He has left no
stone unturned in his meticulous research and has certainly
not been backward in coming forward with the true stories
behind this hell-bent desire to get an Englishman to be the
first to plant his boot on to ‘the top of the world’. But when
the impossible was finally achieved, in 1953, after 30 years
of trying to get there, all he could write of this tremendous
feat was his lonely sentence of: “In 1953 victory came at last…
made not by an Englishman but by a beekeeper from New
Zealand, Edmund Hillary, a farmer from the ultimate frontier
of empire …” But, I guess, Davis did not set out to write about
BRASSO,
BLANCO &
BULL
Hillary, even though the sub-title of “Into the Silence” clearly
states that the book is about the “Conquest of Everest”; this
book is all about the English story and their desire to get to
Everest first.
While the pun is intended, there was a lot to ‘wade’ through
in this extensive work. One will need to devote more than just
a few days to get through the 650 plus pages. What really tied
me down were the 800 odd place names and personalities
contained in the book. I found these to be so distracting but,
on reflection, Davis possibly could not have done anything to
reduce this number.
There can be no doubt that “Into the Silence” is also a
tome on leadership – some good – some bad – and some
indifferent. What does come through loud and clear is the
strength of military leadership portrayed in this book. Davis
even made the statement that “if they were to get up the
mountain, it would be on the backs of the soldiers”.
In summary, a gripping story if Mount Everest is your ‘thing’.
For me, I learned so much from reading this account and,
hopefully, am the richer for it. But despite this, the book will
not encourage me to take up the challenge that Mallory and
his fellow climbers pursued so many years ago. Just looking at
the summit of Mount Ruapehu will be enough for me.
• COL Seymour is the CEO of the New Zealand Army
Museum
our own National Servicemen. I was fascinated even with the
similarity of the language used.
So for all of you who received your call-up notice by seeing
your marble drop, and completed either CMT (and between
1949 and 1958, some 63,033 young New Zealanders were
conscripted into the three Services to complete a period
of full time military training, followed by three years in the
Territorial Force) or National Service (when 23,319 young men
were trained through that scheme between March 1962 until
it ended some ten years later) – this is your story. “Brasso,
Blanco & Bull” is priceless and will be just the gift to give
to your grandkids for their next birthday or for Christmas so
they can learn what you did get up to when you were called
up. While I doubt if many of you had the opportunity that
Thorne’s mob got up to as portrayed in this book, I’m sure
that with a little modification here and there, and perhaps a
generous sprinkle of embellishment, that you will come up
with something that you got up to that resembles one of the
stories in this book. Imagine this gem recounted by Tony
Thorne. It’s your passing out parade and all your Mums and
Dads are in attendance. Behind the dais just happens to
be a bronze figure sitting astride his bronze mount. Thorn’s
mob has got up to mischief. Someone managed to drill a
couple of holes into this creation. One hole allowed water to
be poured into the structure and another hole was drilled to
allow water to ‘stream’ out. The exit hole just happened to be
at the end of a prominent part of the mount’s anatomy. A bit
of sealing wax was all that held the water in, but their tests
had proven the amount of time that was needed before the
sealing wax would give way. For some unknown reason that
was timed to coincide with the arrival of the Inspecting Officer.
Much to the mirth of the National Servicemen on parade but
to the disgust of all the brass that were present, gallons of
water were ‘relieved’ from this mount for the duration of the
parade. Priceless! I now wonder just how many stories may be
generated from the antics of our own Servicemen.
Well done Tony Thorne for reminding us of those good times
so many years ago.
Before I forget, you can purchase this little treasure from the
National Army Museum Shop for $29.00 and that includes
packaging and postage.
BRASSO, BLANCO & BULL
By Tony Thorne
Reviewed by Colonel(Rtd) Ray Seymour
What a ripping yarn! “Brasso, Blanco & Bull” is a first-hand
hilarious account of the mischief caused and created by a
select band of British National Servicemen On Her Majesty’s
Service in the mid 1950s.
I was never a National Serviceman but one of my many career
highlights was being a young lance corporal instructor for five
intakes of National Servicemen during the mid 1960s. Despite
the setting for “Brasso, Blanco & Bull” being in the UK, it could
quite easily be in Waiouru or Burnham. I can clearly see many
of Tony Thorne’s stories and they remind me of the antics of
Trentham pers bring
Christmas cheer
NZDF personnel throughout the Trentham area made an
impressive contribution to the K Mart Wishing Tree Appeal
Improved satellite
communications for
NZDF
The New Zealand Defence Force is joining an international
partnership to give it guaranteed satellite communications for
the next 20 years, Defence Minister Dr Jonathan Coleman has
announced.
“This gives a significant boost to our forces’ capacity both at
home and overseas,” said Dr Coleman.
“It will increase our access to satellite broadband more
than twenty-fold, with guaranteed access and at a fixed price,
ensuring better value for money.”
Deployed New Zealand forces around the world use satellites
to communicate with New Zealand. The NZDF currently
purchases bandwidth on commercial satellites at spot prices,
which can involve a premium of up to 100 percent depending
on demand, and which can also limit availability of bandwidth.
The Wideband Global Satellite (WGS) programme is a
network of nine military satellites built by Boeing and operated
by the US Department of Defence.
New Zealand joins Canada, Denmark, Luxembourg and the
Netherlands in a joint agreement for access to the network in
return for partially funding the ninth satellite. Australia has
been involved in a similar agreement since 2007.
“The Government is delivering on the priorities outlined in
the 2010 Defence White Paper, which identified improving
offshore communications as a priority to ensure deployed
personnel are better supported,” said Dr Coleman.
Any unused capacity can be made available to other
government agencies.
The NZDF will invest $83.2 million over 20 years in WGS,
which comes from baseline funding already allocated in the
Defence Capital Plan. Current annual spending on satellite
communications is $NZ 4.3m, growing at some 10 percent per
year.
in December. The Wishing Tree Appeal has run for 17 years,
and K Mart works in conjunction with the Salvation Army who
distributes the presents to bring some Christmas cheer to
children who otherwise might miss out.
The team at NZDF medals and archives branch co-ordinated
the Wellington collection by providing the drop boxes and gift
tags to Trentham Camp, Messines and HQ Joint Forces, and
with the help of the NZDF “Archive Elves” wrapped presents
and drummed up support for the giving effort.
The sleigh that delivered the presents to the Christmas tree
in Porirua was an NZLAV with a crew provided from 1 RNZIR.
Dee O’Connor, the Senior Entitlement Officer with the NZDSM
project, who is also a Territorial Forces Staff Sergeant with 7
Wellington Hawkes Bay Battalion co-ordinated the event for
2011.
“I’ve always felt better giving gifts than receiving them, and
I’ve raised my children to believe they have to give to receive.
It was fantastic for NZDF to finish off the year supporting a very
worthy cause and well received all round".
24armySport
3
Burnham boxers battle it out
Burnham boxers battle it out
The annual 2/1 Battalion Boxing Tournament was in
With
pics
December 2011 provided an entertaining night of Inter-
4
good as they got. With the limited training period due to work
commitments the fighters instilled company pride during the
Company rivalry.
final “Right of Line” Inter-Company competition of 2011. Their
efforts in the ring showed everyone watching what soldiering
The battalion’s companies pitted their boxers against each
is all about, fighting for a purpose and with pride.
other in a night that saw soldiers putting their hands on their
hearts and impressing the audience with good boxing, and
The Canterbury Boxing Association supported the event,
even better determination.
officiating on the night and were once again impressed with
the heart shown by the fighters. Coach Stu Adams of the
From thend
first fight
st featuring Privates "Dobby” Murdock and
Photo“True
Six.North”
2 /1
Battalion
Honorary
Colonel, Major
General
Dodson
Burnham
Boxing(Retired)
Club also supported
the event training both
Brady,
to the last fight
of Privates "Hammerhand”
teams, assisted
by senior
boxers in the club and the
Salmon
“John Cena”
the fighters showed
andMajthe
watches
onandduring
theHarvey
boxing(left),
alongspirit
side
Shane
Ruane
(right).
Battalion. It was a great way to end another very busy year for
determination. No fighters willing to give an inch, giving as
2nd/1st Battalion. It was also a great function to send off for
those leaving the unit, including Regimental Sergeant Major
Warrant Officer Class One James Moohan.
During the evening the 11 bouts were fiercely fought. It was
a narrow margin with Bravo Company and Delta Company
ending in a draw in the Inter-Company boxing competition.
This confirmed Bravo Company as the top company and it was
awarded the “Right of Line” for their efforts throughout the
year.
The annual 2/1 Battalion Boxing Tournament was in December 2011 provided an
entertaining night of Inter-Company rivalry.
The battalion’s companies pitted their boxers against each other in a night that saw
soldiers putting their hands on their hearts and impressing the audience with good
boxing, and even better determination.
From the first fight featuring Privates "Dobby” Murdock and “True North” Brady, to the
last fight of Privates "Hammerhand” Salmon and “John Cena” Harvey the fighters
showed spirit and determination. No fighters willing to give an inch, giving as good as
they got. With the limited training Photo
periodFour.
due Second
to work Lieutenant
commitments
the fighters declared the victor against
Tim Ewing-Jarvie
2nd/1st
Honorary
General (Retired) Dodson watches
on during the boxing
instilled company pride during theopponent
finalBattalion
“Right
of Colonel,
Line”Major
Inter-Company
competition
of(left), with Major Shane
Lieutenant
Sam
Gouk.
Ruane (right).
2011.
Their
efforts
in (Retired)
the ring
everyone watching what soldiering is all about,
2nd/1st Honorary
Colonel
Major General
Mauriceshowed
5
Dodson presents the trophy for “Best Technique” to boxer
fighting
for a purpose and with pride.
Lance Corporal Ryan Pope.
Canterbury
Boxing
Association
thepresents
event, the
officiating on the night and
PhotoThe
Seven.
2nd/1st Honorary
Colonel
Major Generalsupported
(Retired) Dodson
once
again to
impressed
with the
heart
shown
the fighters.
CoachColonel,
Stu Adams
trophywere
for “Best
Technique”
boxer LCpl Pope.
Honorary
Major
Photo
Six.
2nd/1stbyBattalion
General (Retire
of the Burnham Boxing Club alsowatches
supported
eventthe
training
both thealong
teams,
onthe
during
boxing(left),
side Maj Shane Ruane (r
assisted by senior boxers in the club and the Battalion. It was a great way to end
another very busy year for 2nd/1st Battalion. It was also a great function to send off for
those leaving the unit, including Regimental Sergeant Major Warrant Officer Class
One James Moohan.
During the evening the 11 bouts were fiercely fought. It was a narrow margin with
Bravo Company and Delta Company ending in a draw in the Inter-Company boxing
competition.
This
confirmed
2nd/1st Commanding Officer,
Lieutenant
Colonel MichieBravo Company as the top company and it was awarded
presents the “Right of Line Trophy” to 2011 Top Company
the
ofMajor
Line”
for Bravo
their
efforts throughout the year.
Officer“Right
Commanding,
Craig Wilson,
Company.
3
nd st
Photo Eight. 2 /1 Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Michie presents the
PTE Hamish
Blake
(right) throws the head
of PTE Nathaniel
Fletcher (left) during their bout.
“Right of Line Trophy” to 2011 Top Company
Officer
Commanding,
Major
Wilson,
Bravo Company.
Photo Five. Pte Blake (right) throws the head of Pte Fletcher (left) during the
Photo Seven. 2nd/1st Honorary Colonel Major General (Retired) Dod
trophy for “Best Technique” to boxer LCpl Pope.
PTE North Brady (left) and PTE Martin Murdoch (right) face
off in the first fight of the night.
Second Lieutenant Tim Ewing-Jarvie is declared the victor against his opponent Lieutenant Sam Gouk
Photo Four. Second Lieutenant Tim Ewing-Jarvie declared the victo
armySport25
Hitting the road in Timor-Leste
— GYRO 12’S CYCLE RELAY
Defence cycling is alive and well in Dili, Timor-Leste, with deployed personnel making regular sorties
through the local roads. The latest, writes Signaller Reuben Wallace, was a 110km ride from HPOD in
late January.
A team of seven riders and four supporters with three
vehicles, four bikes, plus stores headed to the destination of
Batugade. After a short stop to drop off equipment in the PNTL
border station that would be the accommodation for the night,
the team hit the road again in search of food. After a drive up
the hill to Balibo the team found, with the help of an English
speaking local a restaurant that could serve them. After a meal
the team returned to the night loc for an early night ready for
the long ride home.
Waking at 0530 the team packed quickly and hit the road
a little after 0630. One vehicle lead, bikes in the middle
and two support vehicles with equipment spares following.
The spares quickly came in handy as the first bike was
decommissioned due to a loose derailer. The team pushed on,
stopping momentarily to swap riders, repair punctures and
hydrate with a concoction of salt and Raro, made up by PTI
Staff Sergeant Colvin. During one stop a fall caused Captain
Donaldson to suffer minor leg injuries and another bike to be
My Path
Towards
Becoming
a PTI
By CPL Clearwater 3Tpt
In 2006 I attended the Assistant Physical Training Instructor
(APTI) course. After enjoying the 6-week course, I decided that
I would like to do the Physical Training Instructor (PTI) primary
course.
At this stage I still had one goal to achieve in the transport
trade, that was deploying on OP Farrad, and I have now
achieved my goal with a trip to Sinai as a driving instructor.
As the trip was coming to an end I found out that there was a
PTI selection only one month after I returned to New Zealand.
That left only two months to prepare, so I thought I better start
some serious training.
The Sinai heat (at times up to 50 degrees) making it hard
to train. Time soon passed, I returned home and travelled to
selection in Waiouru. It was time to see if the training had
been enough. The first two days were mainly fitness testing
with some extra activities, this only giving us a taste of what
was to come on Exercise Crossed Swords (a longest day
activity were we were assessed constantly).
After that we had our end of selection course interviews with
the selection board.
On receiving the joining instruction I noticed that there were
only six students on course: two Navy, two Army and two
Air Force. Arriving on course not knowing what to expect we
joined up with the guys and girls from the other services who
had already spent a week in the ‘field’ tramping through the
hills together, something we Army guys had already become
accustomed to.
Three mornings a week we are up before breakfast to do
some Early Morning Activities (EMA’s) where the instructors
take us a for a swimming session. Then it’s back to barracks
for a shower, breakfast and run down to work for our first
class of the day. We study a lot of different subjects in both
theory and put the theory into practice for the physical
aspects. Some of the subjects we are learning are, Anatomy
& Physiology, Principles of Training, Physical Fitness, and
Training Systems.
I am looking forward to the rest of the course. We haveseveral
milestones in the next couple of weeks. This will give us the
incentive to spend some time studying. Christmas was a good
break, and gave us an enjoyable challenge to maintain our
physical fitness and theory knowledge.
decommissioned due to a bent rim. Some fast running repairs
by EIR Tec SSGT Matson, however, enabled the first bike to
once again be ride-able and some fast patch work by Firey LAC
Mills allowed Captain Donaldson to keep riding. The team then
carried on largely without incident back to Dili. Dodging traffic
the riders left the support vehicles behind as they raced the
last stretch to HPOD.
26armySport
The
“Mother of
Enduros”
By Phil Cheater in the Roof of Africa
Three time winner, New Zealander Chris Birch was out to
defend his title, but with a quality field of entrants including
29 international riders he wasn’t going to have it all his way.
I arrived in South Africa early in November and immediately
began getting used to KTM 300 XCW supplied through Alfie
Cox racing. Four of the six Kiwis competing —, Chris Birch, Mike
Skinner, Mitchell Nield and myself — all loaded into a sprinter
van and headed off for some serious Roof training in Lesotho.
After three days of crawling up mountains it was off to
Nelsprit for a local regional Enduro race. Team Kiwi couldn’t
quite sweep the podium but almost did with Chris 1st, Mike
3rd and myself 4th.
Round the Houses
The Roof starts with the Round the Houses race in the city
of Maseru. Three 3km laps on tar seal roads with a few rocks
and tyres provides a great spectacle for the crowds and gets
everybody warmed up for the real racing.
This year each rider could start the Time Trial when they
chose between 10am and 2pm. The rain clouds were gathering
and I decided it would be better to head out early and try to
miss the rain. With my twin Garmin GPSs loaded I headed out
early on the course which consisted of 50km of unknown rocky
wilderness.
After last year’s accident on the Time Trial which saw me
injured and spending time in intensive care, I had one thing
on my mind—finishing. With that in mind I took it a little easy
and made sure I completed the rest of the race. There was
nothing too hard and almost all of the competitors finished
the Time Trail section. I was placed 40th overall out of the 233
competitors.
Day Two
On the second day was at the pits ready to go at 5.30am.
There were three classes, Bronze, Silver and Gold. Riders who
wanted to complete the full course would have to ride 200km
for a Gold finish or they could opt out and go for a Silver finish
140km or a Bronze finish 80km. I headed out with 200km of
track in front of me. I settled into a smooth pace and made
sure I was staying on track with my GPS.
I had started the day in 40th and was making my way through
the field passing other riders regularly and sitting around
30th. About 20km short of the second pit stop my front brakes
rapidly faded to nothing. I made a quick stop to see if I could
fix the problem but there was nothing I could do. I had to cut
my pace back and take some creative lines down hill to make
sure I didn’t disappear off a cliff as I couldn’t really stop once I
got going. I made it to the second pit stop in one piece.
Uncle Rod and the Alfie Cox Race Team fired into action
and frantically tried to fix my brakes. In the end they stole a
complete front brake off another bike and bolted it on as I
patiently waited and counted the riders I had passed come
and go out of the pits. By now I had dropped to around 50th.
I headed out on the silver loop and with my front brakes
working I started to catch the riders who had passed me in the
pits. There was a film crew capturing all of the action from a
chopper as I came to the top of a steep down hill just behind
another rider. I put the pass on down hill but almost threw it
away as the chopper came in for a close up and almost blew
me off my bike.
I pitted again with 50km to go on the gold loop before I could
rest for the day. I rode by myself for awhile until I came to a hill
climb called Spider Web. I managed to pass six other riders
with one hot line and a bit of a push. I continued by myself
until I got to the bottom of Free Fall where I caught another
two riders. There was only one main line and it was difficult to
pass; the finish was at the top and there wasn’t much I could
do. Both of the riders made mistakes just short of the top and I
passed both of them in one move 100m from the finish line.
I had made my way back up to 35th after loosing my brakes
and was feeling good and ready to push on the last day. There
was a battle going on up front between Chris Birch, Jarvis and
Jade Gutzeit
Day 3
Another early rise saw me ready in the pits at 5.30am. We
were lined up ready to go. Chris Birch, Jarvis and Jade Gutzeit
would battle it out for the overall win and headed out first. I
started in 35th and by the second pit stop I had made my way
up to 20th. My fitness training was paying off as the other
riders were starting to fade. The silver loop was rumoured to be
the make or break of the day.
I kept my pace steady and made my way to the bottom of the
longest hill I have ever ridden. It hurt my neck to look up to the
top of it. Half way up I was running low on water and cut back
the pace and rode with two other riders until I could find some
fresh water in the next valley. Although the fresh water tasted
brilliant I am sure it was full of bugs but that’s all I could get.
I got to the top of Welcome Pass, a well known steep downhill
covered in basket ball sized rocks that could end your day if
you got it wrong. I headed down but after a couple of hundred
metres I hit a rock and damaged my front brakes again. I had
to ride the longest down hill of the race with no front brakes.
I used up a lot of energy getting down and nursed my bike up
Bushmans to finish the Silver loop and into the pits to get my
bike fixed.
Uncle Rod and the Alfie Cox Race team fired into action and
bolted on another brake system. I had lost a lot of time and
places riding with no front brakes and had my work cut out for
me on the gold loop.
The Last 50km Gold loop had some steep down hills that I
had to walk my bike down but nothing worse than what we
had all ready ridden. I made up several places and crossed the
finish line for the day in 25th which saw me 29th overall for the
race. I was feeling good and left wondering what could have
been, but that’s racing and there is always next year.
Graham Jarvis, of Britain, finished first, pushing New
Zealand's Chris Birch, who had won for the previous three
years, into second place. Other Kiwis included Mitchell Nield
10th, Michael Skinner 13th, Karl Power 15th and Chris Power
33rd
Big thanks to Off Limits, Multi Sports, NZ Army, Sam and the
crew at Motorcyclegear.co.nz, Raetihi Timber and Stone and
last but not least, Suz.
The next mission is the Red Bull Romaniacs in June 2012.
I will again be training hard and fundraising harder towards
the costs of competing. If you would like to make a donation
towards my Romaniacs efforts or help out with sponsorship
give me a call 0275 748 758, [email protected], phil.
[email protected]
Canterbury
hosts Army
cricket
By Captain Scott MacGibbon
The New Zealand Army interregional cricket tournament was
held in January, with teams hosted in Burnham Military Camp
and games played at Burnside Park in Christchurch.
Numbers attending the tournament were low and only two
teams could be formed (Northern and Southern), however
this did allow us to play the first North Island vs South Island
Tournament since Regional Cricket was re-started about 10
years ago.
The concept for the Tournament was different to previous
years but allowed for more game time for up and coming
players.
Game One:
Northern won the toss and sent the Southerners into bat.
Southern made 206 all out in the 41st over. Notable
performances with the bat for Southern came from Lieutenant
Jade Hamilton with 74, Corporal Kevin Hurrell with 45 and
Warrant Officer Class Two Jeff Roy with 26. Northern bowlers of
note were Sergeant Steve Orlowski with 3 wickets for 22 runs
(3-22), Private Phil Lelievre with 2-20 and PTE Shelford Meads
2-30.
Northern were able to chase the total down and secured
the win in the 47th over. Notable batting performances for
Northern were LT Ray Cunningham with 61, SGT Steve Orlowski
with 31 and Staff Sergeant Wayne Davis with a quick fire 28.
armySport27
Southern bowlers of note were CPL Kevin Hurrell with 3-27 and
Lance Corporal Nick Johnston with 3-34.
LT Jade Hamilton with his innings of 74, was the Player of the
Day.
Game Two:
Northern batted first this time round and were only able to
manage 118 before being all out in the 30th over. Notable
performances with the bat for Northern were Sapper Trent
Morrell with 29 and SPR Ryan Walmsley with 25. Southern
bowlers of note were SSGT Ryan Eder with 5-26 and LCPl Nick
Johnston with 4-14.
Southern were able to chase the total down and secure
the win in the 28th over. Notable batting performances for
Southern were LCPL Johnston with 33 not out, CPL Kevin Hurrell
with 24 and Signaller Jonathon Hanson with a solid 22. There
was one notable performance with the ball for Northern and
that was SPR Ryan Walmsley with 2-18.
LCPL Johnston, with 33 not out and 4-14 with the ball, was the
Player of the Day.
Game Three: (The Trophy Game)
With one game a piece in the two 'trial' games, it flowed
nicely into the final game for the Rainbird Cup. Both sides
were able to settle on their best side and with Northern
winning the toss again Southern were sent into bat.
The Southerners started off slower then usual but were able
to make it to 53 before losing their first wicket, CPL Kevin
Hurrell for 25. This brought LT Hamilton to the crease with SIG
Jonathon Hanson and they pushed the score through to 100
before SIG Hanson was out for 41. Wickets began to fall at
regular intervals after that, with LCPL Johnston finishing the
innings on 44 not out. Despite the wickets falling regularly the
Southern boys managed a very respectful total of 223 from 45
overs.
The Northern bowlers managed to pull the Southerners
back from what could have been a substantial total. Notable
bowling performances were made by SGT Orlowski with 3-51,
PTE Phil Lelievre with 2-35 and SPR Kieran Coulton with 2-29.
Northern were then put into bat to chase down the difficult
total. Unfortunately Northern were slow out of the blocks and
as a result of tight bowling and good ground fielding from
Southern, they lost wickets at very regular intervals. Two
batting highlights for Northern were a quick fire 24 from PTE
Phil Lelievre and 20 from CPL Richard Woodhead. Northern
were eventually all out for 103 in the 31st over.
Inflicting the damage with the ball for the Southerners were
WO2 Roy with 4-36, CPL Hurrell with 2-20 and SSGT Ryan Eder
with 2-16.
WO2 Jeff Roy with his match turning 4-36, was the Player of
the Day.
At the final function on Thursday night the NZ Army Cricket
side was named and the following trophies presented by
Lieutenant Colonel Bill Twiss, Chairman NZ Army Sports:
The Burnham Trophy for Fielder of the Tournament was
presented to Lt Ray Cunningham, 10 Transport Company.
The HopuHopu Camp Sports Club Cup for Batter of the
Tournament was presented to LT Jade Hamilton, 2/1 RNZIR.
The NZ Army Regional Bowling Trophy was presented to SSGT
Ryan Eder, 3 RTW.
Player of the Tournament was presented to LCPL Nick
Johnston, 3 CSSB.
Rainbird Cup for Inter-Regional Cricket Tournament
Champions was presented to Southern.
Army Team:
SGT Terry Horne (Capt), Captain Scott MacGibbon, LTt Jade
Hamilton, WO2 Mark Thompson, SSGT Wayne Davis, SGT Steve
Orlowski, CPL Kevin Hurrell, LCPL Nicholas Johnston, LCPL
Geoff Fosbender, SIG Jonathan Hanson, SPR Ryan Walmsley,
PTE Shelford Meads, PTE Phil Lelievre, SSGT Joel Grason
(Scorer), WO2 Jeff Roy (Coach), Captain Rose Fraser (Strapper)
and Warrant Officer Class One Brent Wilson (Manager).
Reserves:
SPR Kieran Coulton, SPR Logan Broughton, CPL Leighton
Hamlin and LT Damien Esau
Player of the Tournament, LCPl Nicholas Johnston and LTCOL
Bill Twiss
The NZ Army Side
The Southern Side
The Northern Side
Player of the tournament, LCPL Nicholas Johnston and LTCOL Bill Twiss
Calling all
NZ Army Cyclists
28armynews
Inter-Regional
Cycling Competition
(3 DAY TOUR)
Trentham 27 - 29 March 2012
The Races
ROAD CYCLING (3 STAGES)
The Inter - Regional Road Championship will consist of a graded Criterium, Road Race
and Individual Hill and Time Trial.
MOUNTAIN BIKING (3 STAGES)
The Inter - Regional MTB Championship will consist of a Hill climb, Super D (Cross
country downhill) and cross country stages.
THE REGIONAL TEAMS
The Inter - regional is based on competition between Northern (Wellington, Waiouru,
and Auckland areas), Central and Southern regions. The aim is for a minimum of 20
ridersfor each code per region. Riders from the other three Services (RNZAF, RNZN and
NZ Police) are also invited to compete as guest riders.
GRADES
The intention for both races is maximum participation. Riders both male and
female in all age groups will compete in the following grades to allow fair
competition: Challenge, Open, Masters (35 and over) and Elite (A and B grade
club riders)
Auckland
Linton
Wellington
Road:
MAJ Nicola Martin
MTB:
LT Sam Johnstone
MTB:
Capt Dave Carmody
Road:
2LT Andrew Bedford
MTB:
LT Matt Savage
Road:
SSGT Aaron Tregoweth
South
Waiouru
Road:
SSGT Jess Jessop
MTB:
PTE Lennon Voice Zebediah
MTB:
CAPT Daniel Ford
Road:
CPL Suze Landers
Further details on both
events will be promulgated
soon and will be available
from your code POC and
through the Army intranet
site.
Put the date on your calendar and register your interest with your regional co-ordinator or through the Army intranet site.
Online Registration can be found on the Army Intranet site at:
http://communities/Sport/ArmyPages/Sport/Cycling/Homepage.aspx or contacting your regional co-ordinator.

Army News - Issue 428 PDF, 5.29MB

Transcription

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