armynews
courage
|
CO m m i t m e n t
w w w . a r m y. m i l . n z
Women in conflict
CA’s views
Helping out a devastated neighbour
Vanuatu
ww100
Fighting a war a world away
|
comradeship
|
integrity
I s s u e 4 6 1 | A P RIL 2 0 1 5
NZarmy
news
A P RIL
2015
ISSUE 461
Contents
NEWS
Vanuatu relief effort
04
PEOPLE
Women in conflict
WW100 – Fighting a
war a world away
03
New CO for 2/1
12
14
Fine Kiwi effort at
Paralympic trials
16
TRAINING
MHOV loading trials
18
CANTERBURY medical
facility trials
22
SPORT
Golf
Tussock Buster
Rugby
23
24
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: armynews@nzdf.mil.nz
Website: www.army.mil.nz
Printing: Bluestar, Petone.
design: Vanessa Edridge,
DPA, NZDF
Editorial contributions and
letters are welcomed.
They may be sent directly to the Army News
and do not need to be forwarded through
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The Editor, Army News, DPA, HQ NZDf,
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published on the third Tuesday of each
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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.
Senior soldier’s memories of
a Manawatu Gallipoli veteran
When Sergeant Major of the Army,
Warrant Office Class One Mark Mortiboy
collected for the Poppy Appeal on 17
April, front of mind was his grandfather,
who fought at Gallipoli and is buried at
Palmerston North.
“My grandfather Frank Gatley was working on a station up the Whanganui
River when WWI broke out,” said WO1 Mortiboy.
“The head shepherd, who went by the name of Pye-Smith, went to
Palmerston North and joined the Mounted Rifles. Frank wanted to sign up
too but was told he had to wait as they needed someone to keep running
the place.
“He did manage to sign up later with a reinforcement, only to find out
that tragically, Pye-Smith, who had become a Sgt Major, was killed at Hill
60 at Gallipoli.
“My grandfather was one of the last on the Peninsula and survived, going
on to fight in France. He returned to the Manawatu and went on to serve
in WWII as well. He was an active member of the RSA, I believe he is in a
photograph that still hangs in Foxton RSA. He and my grandmother, who
was a Sergeant in the WRACS, are buried in the RSA plot at Kelvin Grove
cemetery at Palmerston North.”
WO1 Mortiboy has a large framed photograph of his grandfather in his
WWII uniform on his desk.
Frank, who rose to the rank of Captain in WWI, died in 1971, aged 80, and his
grandson remembers him well. When he visited Gallipoli, he made a personal
pilgrimage to find Sgt Major Pye-Smith’s name on the Hill 60 memorial.
Best wishes to those
about to deploy
The veterans and members of the Paraparaumu RSA have extended their
best wishes to the men and women of the New Zealand Defence Force who
will shortly deploy to the Middle East.
“We thank them for their service, and their families for their sacrifice, and
wish them a safe return home to New Zealand,” said President Chris Turver.
“The deployment marks the beginning of an extension to our Club’s
intention to build on our recent ‘Welcome Home” parade and pro-actively
engage with more recent veterans.
“As part of this we will shortly be engaging with your own family support
staff to develop local RSA support, within our capacity, to Kapiti-based
service personnel who may be heading overseas and their families.”
Mr Turver asked the Chief of Defence Force, Lieutenant General Tim Keating
to pass on the RSA’s gratitude to those about to deploy and to all the men and
women serving New Zealand overseas. “The Paraparaumu RSA stands ready
to support them however we are able to and whenever we are called upon.”
The Paraparaumu RSA has recently refurbished and rededicated its
Memorial Arch which remembers past and present servicemen and women.
PROTECT AGAINST
THE FLU THIS WINTER
Winter is on the way – and now’s the
time to get immunised against the flu.
COVER: NZDF aid at Vaemali
on Epi Island in Vanuatu. Local
boy Michan Luke from Vaemali
accepts a water bottle from
MAJ Logan Vaughan.
Photo: Rod MacKenzie
Like us on Facebook
/officialNZArmy
WO1 Mortiboy, along with Chief
of Army, Major General Dave
Gawn, and New Zealand’s most
senior Navy and Air Force officers,
were among at least 500 military
personnel who volunteered to be
Poppy Appeal collectors on 17 April.
“Volunteering as a Poppy Appeal
collector or making a donation is
a way we and every member of
the New Zealand public, can show
respect to those who have served
in many conflicts and missions of
peace – and to those who made the
ultimate sacrifice,” he said.
“Every Poppy Appeal is special
but the fact that this is the Gallipoli
WO1 Titch Mortiboy with the
centenary gives 2015 added
photograph of his grandfather.
resonance. My grandfather will
certainly be very much on my mind
during the Poppy Appeal and on Anzac Day.”
Funds raised from the appeal support the work of voluntary RSA advisors
across the country to help veterans and former servicemen and women,
their spouses/partners, widows, widowers and dependants, whether or not
they are RSA members.
RSA National President BJ Clark said donations will help people who have
served in many ways and across many decades, from WWII to recent times,
and their widows and dependants.
“People think of veterans as being older,” said Mr Clark. “But those
who were deployed in recent conflicts like Afghanistan and Timor are also
veterans and we are here to support them too. We honour the memory of
those who have gone before by caring for those still with us.”
Getting vaccinated is quick, but requires a 20-minute wait afterwards
(the time needed to check for a rare allergic reaction).
Flu vaccination is available to military personnel (free of charge)
through an NZDF medical treatment facility, while NZDF civilians
can be vaccinated using a civilian provider then submitting an MD
990 to have the cost reimbursed up to a total of $25.00. Last year,
approximately 3,500 NZDF personnel were vaccinated.
Remember that being young, fit and healthy will not protect you or
your family from the flu. Get immunised.
The NZDF healthcare system does not cover flu vaccination for family
members but free vaccination, through the public health system, is
available to:
• pregnant women
• people aged 65 and over
• people with ongoing medical conditions such as heart disease,
respiratory disease or diabetes.
The Chief of Defence Force, Lieutenant General Tim Keating at the
refurbishment of the Paraparaumu Memorial Arch.
PTE Duncan still missing
As Army News went to print there was still no sign of
Burnham soldier Private Hamish Duncan who is missing,
feared drowned, in Lake Coleridge in the South Island.
Official and family
searches have failed
to find any sign of
PTE Duncan who went
missing while kayaking
on the lake.
His peers at Defence
Health School remember
him as an outgoing,
talented, smart and kind
young man.
The Defence Force will
continue to support
Hamish’s colleagues and
his family. A memorial
service was held for
PTE Duncan on 18 April.
a message from chief of army
WOMEN IN COnflicT
by Chief of Army, Major General Dave GAWN, MBE
For this edition of the Army news I have chosen to provide
an article on a subject I was asked to present on recently.
I’d like to challenge your preconceptions, or even lack of
consideration, on the issues of gender and provide you some
insight into my views. Ultimately, I hope to provide a catalyst
for discussion, enlightening you to gender challenges and
‘our’ role in these, particularly as they relate to UNSCR1325.
Unanimously adopted in 2000 by the Security Council,
UNSCR 1325 is widely considered a landmark resolution
that for the first time formally recognised the link between
women’s experiences in armed conflicts and maintaining
levels of peace and security internationally.
While I believe we have not been totally blind to the
issues facing women and girls (as well as other vulnerable
groups) in a combat environment or in the services, we as an
Army have reflected a lack of conscious thought on gender
issues, particularly in conflict and gender mainstreaming.
To my mind, our thinking must be deliberate, coherent and
comprehensive. We require a stream of consciousness in
our planning for, and in the execution of operations, all the
way from conflict prevention through to post conflict nation
building. To successfully realise and embrace the ideals
of UNSCR 1325, we must also ensure that our house is in
order with respect to equity and equality, representation,
education, and training.
First some context. By chance of geography we live in the
‘free-est’ country in the world. We are free to make choices
about who, where and when we might fight or engage with
in the world. We are big enough to be viable but not so big
(or small) as to be challenged by significant human security
issues. Most importantly we do not suffer from poverty of
hope. This is not the case for most.
The complexities of population growth, climate change, and
resource competition negatively impact millions of people
particularly in the ‘global economic South.’ Competition for
water, food, fuel wood, land, and employment, all create
widespread insecurity among volatile and vulnerable
populations. Mass migrations due to conflict, disease, and
drought all exacerbate the likelihood of conflict and more
than half the victims of this reality will be women and girls.
As former United Nations Commander in the Congo, Major
General Patrick Cammaert said, “it has probably become more
dangerous to be a woman than a soldier in armed conflict”.
Today and into the future, conflict will be fought within the
population, for the will of the population; a civilian centric
operational environment, where perceptions and beliefs have
increasingly become key terrain. Whilst we train to ‘fight’ in
that terrain and we consider cultural impacts of our actions,
we do not consciously deliberate on the gender elements of
whatever operations we are involved in and I would argue
that this is probably the case for most Armies in the world.
UNSCR 1325 provided four key pillars to be addressed in
support of its overarching aims. It calls for change in the
participation of women at all levels of decision-making,
the protection of women from sexual and gender-based
violence, the prevention of violence against women through
the promotion of women’s rights, accountability and law
enforcement, and the mainstreaming of gender perspectives
in peace operations.
The implementation of the ideas and concepts implied by
UNSCR 1325 is not straightforward. As a soldier on the ground
and when I look at this now with the hindsight of thirty plus
years, I find myself asking, ‘what do women need to really
feel secure?’ Is it rifles and check points and soldiers or, is it
homes and economic opportunity, education and freedom of
movement? How can an Army contribute to an ideal such as
‘freedom from fear’ – a basic premise of human security, the
attainment of which can only be realised through inclusive
engagement and conversations with women at the locus of
battle, from the conflict prevention stage all the way through
to the ‘peace table’ and post conflict nation building.
Armies are unique and each has its own socially
constructed identity, its culture. In general terms they
are muscular and testosterone fuelled. Culturally and
traditionally, the natural way of things is that men fight
men in order to defend their values, their territory and in
particular, their own women and families. Men stormed
the beaches of Gallipoli and Dunkirk, they were gassed in
the Somme, and patrolled the jungles of Vietnam. It is this
muscular, male gendered, characterisation of soldiering
which is still reinforced through media and Hollywood. A
social norm that will take time to change and yet the very
fighting that ‘we’ males engage in has the most profound
effect on what we are often trying to protect— women. Now
what I have described is a very simplistic view of the social
construct of war and while many may find it offensive it is the
environment that shaped the start of my military journey.*
Feminist theory teaches us that conflicts, wars, and
militarism are gendered processes. They use, maintain and
promote the ideal of masculinity and femininity. Women are
regarded as the ‘protected’ and ‘the defended.’ They have
to survive the violence and then patch the war-torn society
instead of finding equal participation in the peace process,
democratic development, enforcement of rights, justice and
the creation of human security for all.*
Whilst the gendered construct of conflict has not moved
significantly, its character has. Over the eighties, nineties and
into this century the ratio of casualties has changed. During
the First World War only 5% of casualties were civilian. Today
it is closer to 90% and women suffer disproportionately due
to existing gender inequalities, marginalisation in decision
making structures, and a lack of services responding to
women’s needs. And it is invariably men who desecrate the
family unit by using rape camps, girl slaves, child soldiers;
human trafficking, organised sexual and gender-based
violence as tactics of war.
To play our part in addressing these dire and often horrific
issues, New Zealand signed up to UNSCR 1325 in 2000
and in order to progress this resolution, and nations have
subsequently been asked to develop and implement a
National Action Plan (NAP). With MFAT leading, an interagency working group was established which includes NZDF,
Police, and the Ministry of Woman’s Affairs. The NZ NAP is
currently ready for minister and public consultation in May
this year with the timeframe for NAP initiatives set to be
completed in 2020. Once the NAP is approved, NZDF will
assign responsibility to progress the following six draft NZDF
initiatives approved by CDF for inclusion in the NZ NAP.
1. Review NZDF policy/ directives relevant to Women,
Peace and Security and reference 1325 where applicable.
2. Inclusion of 1325 and gender analysis into the HQJFNZ
deployment planning framework / PDT.
3. Development of a Commanders’ Guide on Women,
Peace and Security to assist in the deployment setting.
4. Increase NZDF leadership, deployment and resourcing
capability to respond to Women, Peace and Security
(through representation and consideration of gender
advisors/response teams).
5. Contribute NZDF representation to a UNSCR 1325
inter-agency advisory in order to monitor progress and
convene for new deployments.
6. Brief NZ personnel on selection panels for international
security deployments on UNSCR 1325.
A provision for gender in our staff planning is essential to
ensure that gender doesn’t get lost within the wider context
of culture. As I have articulated, gender is a critical aspect to
operations affecting over 50% of the populations that we will
work with and amongst.
Women and girls experience conflict differently from men
and boys – these differences are wide-ranging and complex,
including increased gender-based violence as a weapon
of war. Given that one of the initiatives centres on greater
representation of women there will also be some reliance
on recruiting to increase the ‘pool’ and improving retention
of women within the organisation. Fortunately work has
been underway to determine the barriers and drivers for
enlistment of women into the Services and those results
will guide an integrated campaign toward improving female
representation.
Ultimately, dialogue is essential to Army continuing to
evolve gender issues. Teaching and debating gender in our
units and class rooms, is key to developing our conscious
thought on gender, and I encourage you our leaders, to begin
this dialogue.
*Source research and reference material available on request
04armynews
issue 461 | APRIL 2015
armyMISSION05
issue 461 | APRIL 2015
Locals watch as equipment is unloaded.
Helping out a
devastated neighbour
It was a tri-Service effort when the
New Zealand Defence Force went to the
assistance of cyclone devastated Vanuatu.
The Pacific nation was struck by Cyclone
Pam in March. The cyclone tore through
the mainland and several islands,
wrecking homes, hospitals, businesses
and the local water supply.
Photos: Rod MacKenzie
High and dry: a boat makes a handy seat while help gets underway
06armyMISSION
issue 461 | APRIL 2015
Stores and machinery are loaded for the relief mission.
More than 100 New Zealand Army personnel, mainly
engineers, as well as the sealift and amphibious support ship
HMNZS CANTERBURY travelled to Port Vila and beyond to
help support Vanuatu’s recovery.
HMNZS CANTERBURY offloaded 150 tonnes of food and
other supplies at Port Vila before loading aid including
hygiene packs and water purification equipment, destined
for Epi Island and others in the Shepherd Islands group about
100 kilometres north of Port Vila.
A C-130 Hercules from Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)
Base Auckland at Whenuapai carried medical supplies
and telecommunications equipment to replace and repair
installations damaged by the cyclone.
A RNZAF B200 King Air from 42 Squadron in Ohakea was
also busy in Vanuatu, transporting aid co-ordinators and
carrying out reconnaissance flights to assess damage and
help plan relief efforts.
“Our aim is to support the people of Vanuatu, and with
HMNZS CANTERBURY we have the supplies to address
immediate needs such as providing clean water, materials to
repair buildings and the ability to reassure the local people,”
said the Commander of the New Zealand Task Force, Colonel
Glenn King.
Fourteen NZDF personnel and three New Zealand Fire
Service staff travelled to Rovo Bay on Epi Island to repair the
Vailame Medical Centre. They also worked on a local school
as part of a set of tasks prioritised in consultation with
Vanuatu Government representatives who were on site with
the aid teams.
The Commanding Officer of HMNZS Canterbury, Commander
(CDR) Simon Rooke, said that it was very satisfying to get the
much-needed aid to Epi and the outlying islands.
“Everyone is really happy that we are here and are moving
stores and personnel ashore. On Saturday a landing craft
took 15 tonnes of Red Cross stores to a neighbouring island,
and then took the NZDF engineering teams ashore, and
the helicopter was also busy moving people to where they
needed to be.
“The beauty of this ship is that we have a platform that
can put a very capable force to work, but we don’t put any
additional demands on the island,” CDR Rooke said.
“Having combined reconnaissance teams of NZDF, Ministry
of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Vanuatu Government
personnel going ahead of us sets up access for us, allowing
us to prioritise work and decide what to put where and when.
“It has been a really well co-ordinated activity. Everyone
here has the same sense of purpose and vision, and we are
all determined to provide maximum effect to improve the
situation of the people on these islands as soon as possible.
“We are all focused on the same thing so that makes it
really easy to work together,” he said.
armyMISSION07
issue 461 | APRIL 2015
The relief effort, including a major clean-up, gets underway.
“It has been a really well
co-ordinated activity.
Everyone here has the same
sense of purpose and vision,
and we are all determined
to provide maximum effect
to improve the situation of
the people on these islands
as soon as possible.”
08armyMISSION
issue 461 | APRIL 2015
Army engineer Fraser Graham spent Easter hard
at work on the island of Epi, helping to restore
some normality to life there after it was savaged by
Cyclone Pam.
In his almost three years in the Army as a Field
Engineer he has never been to the islands for any
activities like these. “Port Vila wasn’t as bad as
we thought but here at Epi we have looked around
and seen the destroyed schools. We picked up
school books and saw the dates on them from a couple
of weeks ago. It’s a reminder of the scale of
the devastation.”
Traditionally a field engineer would be near the
front line involved in clearing enemy minefields,
barbed wire and other obstacles as well as helping
to build obstacles and defences for their own troops.
Engineers found some of those skills helpful on
the Vanuatu mission. “We are pretty much here to
help rebuild and do the jobs that the locals can’t
do or do easily. Things like clearing out the roads
with chainsaws, and some of us are helping out the
tradesmen and doing basic jobs and helping out
wherever we can,” said Sapper Graham.
While it was hard work in the heat it proved
rewarding for the troops involved. “You can see the
impact straight away, people are using our roads now
they are cleared, a lot of people are taking notice of
what we are doing and when we are finished people
will be able to drive up and down the island making
their lives a bit easier and the aid can also get out
there easier,” he said.
He was impressed with the locals’ attitude. “Locals
have been showing up with machetes and giving us
a hand and there are always kids around us. They are
really friendly. Everyone comes up to us and shakes our
hands. They were pretty thrilled with us being here.”
Clearing roads made a significant impact, especially on
the island of Epi.
“You can see the impact straight away, people are using our roads now they are cleared,
a lot of people are taking notice of what we are doing and when we are finished
people will be able to drive up and down the island making their lives a bit easier
and the aid can also get out there easier.”
armyMISSION09
issue 461 | APRIL 2015
Finding solutions
to ease the
devastation
Army engineer Mathew Nieper played a key role in the
recovery of the villages of Vanuatu.
Sapper Neiper, 28, was a qualified plumber on
enlistment in the Army. In his two years’ service he has
never been to the islands to work but he had a very
valuable role in the relief operation. “My main role is
to reinstate the water supply to the communities. I’m
repairing current infrastructure and installing new
systems like rain water harvesting and increasing the
storage capacity.
The work was much more rewarding than plumbing
out a house at home, he said. “It’s really good to get
things sorted and water back on for the villages. The
current infrastructure was poor, in bad condition and
very old so the cyclone really affected it,” he said.
There were fire-fighters and health teams ashore too.
Sapper Nieper was all too familiar with the New Zealand
Fire Service Urban Search and Rescue Team. “I used
to be a fireman and I have done the USAR course,” he
said. “The language has been a barrier at times but
I’ve managed to get by and work with the locals who
are essential in showing me the water supplies, water
sources and damaged pipes.” He had few resources and
has had to improvise the equipment he has with him
and locally sourced items to get tasks completed.
“The whole trip has been a highlight of my career to
date — being on the ship, finding solutions to get water
going and being thanked by the locals. It’s been great”
he said.
10armyPEOPLE
issue 461 | APRIL 2015
A quilt to
remember
Anzac 100
The foyer of the New Zealand Defence Force Headquarters
has a special decoration – an Anzac quilt sewn by HQ
employee Faye McGregor (left).
A quilter and knitter, Mrs McGregor made the quilt to
commemorate the centenary of the Gallipoli landing.
“I made it for pleasure, but a lot of feeling went into it,”
she says. She used a recycled grey Army blanket, and
knitted the 100 poppies that are sewn on to it. The quilt
is backed with a poppy-themed fabric. Mrs McGregor,
the governance adviser with the Office of Strategic
Management, has a military background. She was
formerly in the Air Force, her husband is in the Army.
One of her grandfathers served in World War Two and is
buried in Egypt.
She has made a large number of quilts before,
many of them patchwork. Many of them have also had
special themes.
More ED dogs graduate
An Explosive Detection Dogs (EDD) handler’s course
graduated recently.
The graduation was the culmination of an eleven week
training package, and was the third EDD handler’s course
held by the NZ Army. The Commanding Officer, 2 Engr
Regt LTCOL Paul Hayward presented SPRs Thomas Hynes
and Aidan Cornwall with their pass certificates and EDD
Tactical Recognition Flashes.
SPRs Hynes and Cornwall volunteered along with a
number of other soldiers to attend a pre-course handler
selection process. This was designed to give the
instructors the opportunity to evaluate each individual
in order to access their potential suitability to work with
EDDs and to reduce the potential risk of not completing
the course.
The EDD course has seen SPR Hynes and Cornwall being
teamed up with EDD Chuck (big) and Yardley respectively.
EDD Yardley was one of the dogs which deployed
successfully on CRIB 21.
The teams have trained at a number of NZ Defence and
civilian venues including Trentham, Waiouru, Ohakea,
Linton and Massey University. For the first time the course
was able to have input by 3 Sqn, Ohakea concerning
winching and helicopter safety.
In addition Massey University, Centre for Service and
Working Dogs Health held the second Canine 1st Aid Cse.
This training package has been developed at the request
of the Military Working Dog Capability Manager (MWD
Cap Mgr) – Army and the NZ Police Dog Training Centre to
provide a whole of government approach to emergency
veterinary care.
The course was also open to members of the RNZAF
MWD Section Whenuapai and the manager for the
Department of Corrections Canine programme was
also invited to attend as an observer. This was to see
if there was any synergy in their emergency veterinary
care requirement or the development of a standalone
veterinary package.
The students were surprised on the diversity and the
depth of the syllabus which included subjects such as
welfare (Five Freedoms), husbandry, documentation, care
of equipment, control, safety, continuation training, types
and patterns of search, to name a few.
All students as well as the current EDD handlers CPL
Benjamin Langman and LCPL Liam Harris and their dogs
underwent practical assessment by the Practice Manager
(training) of the NZ Police Dog Training Centre, as part of
an external validation and yearly licensing process. Each
of the EDD teams had to conduct a number of practical
searches ensuring a safe and controlled handling style
was used and that they could read the indication of their
respective dog when it had located a target scent. All
teams reached an operational standard.
CPL Langman is now preparing the section to cement
their hard won skills on Exercise Arras, a 2 Field Squadron
combat engineering exercise.
Sapper Cornwall and EDD Yardley at work.
armyPEOPLE11
issue 461 | APRIL 2015
2CSSB win again
It was two in a row recently for
chef Private Amber-Lee Nui when
her team from 2 Combat Service
Support Battalion won the 2015 Roy
Smith Memorial trophy competition.
From left, LCPL Te Ture, PTE Hungerford-Morgan,
PTE Chambers, PTE Foster, and PTE Nui.
Her team won last year too, but that win didn’t lessen the
nerves she said she felt in this year’s cooking competition.
“I got to the competition and thought, “I’m so nervous, this
doesn’t feel real.”
But real it was, and she, alongside Privates Kiwi Chambers,
Joseph Hungerford-Morgan and Milesha Foster, and Lance
Corporal Kowai te Ture took out the winning honours with their
expertly prepared dishes and service. They were coached by
Corporal Sarah-Jane Matthews and LCPL Lace Adlam.
Other winners at the competition were:
Quizzine Cup (theory quiz) – 3CSSB
Harvey Bourne Trophy (cold kitchen work) – 2CSSB
Murray Ross Trophy (hot kitchen work) – WRSC
Dave Murray Cup (Stewarding) – 2CSSB
Fretwell Downing Trophy (Navy v highest score from Army in
previous year [2CSSB won in 2014]) – Army (2CSSB)
PTE Foster also received award for best 2nd year Steward and
PTE Nui, best 2nd year Chef. Both PTEs Nui and Foster were
selected to represent NZDF at the national competition in
Auckland in July.
The Operational Trophy (which is not part of the Roy Smith
Memorial trophy results) will be competed for during RNZALR
week, 27–31 July in Linton.
COLIN PAKAI—commitment Be heard!
A Waiouru Camp identity Colin Pakai (above) has just completed
42 years service to the Army and Waiouru community.
Colin joined the Waiouru Ministry of Works as a storeman
in 1973. Since then he has worked for Serco (twice), PAE,
Transfield and Spotless. His service to Waiouru has been
continuous and throughout this time he has been supported
by his partner Adrienne.
When Colin first started he moved from the store to road
maintenance – a job he thoroughly enjoyed, shaping and
maintaining the training area roads – in an era before the
Army engineers took over the task. He and his mates loved
their cook ups on a upturned shovel – with fresh water
cress on the side.
Colin has a license for almost every type of wheeled and
tracked bulldozer and digger and can still climb on every
type of plant and operate them. One of his most treasured
memories is clearing the Waiouru roads of snow in the
early morning with Jess, his daughter clinging on to the
back of his seat.
According to his friends and colleagues he is a legend in
the FM maintenance community. He knows instinctively
where almost every drain, sewer and pipe is underground
in Waiouru which has saved thousands of dollars digging
up the ground in the wrong place. He is remembered best
standing at the bottom of a deep hole, grinning and getting
on with the job.
Colin has lived with an after hour mobile, as a supervisor
for the last 24 years. It has been his normal routine to get
10 to 20 calls every weekend for emergencies, normally
late at night or in the early morning.
He has worked on the tools and as a 24hr a day
supervisor on call, and he and his small team have kept
Waiouru operating, day and night.
“One of the things I have enjoyed the most is watching
young staff start and develop through the trades from young
apprentices to fully qualified tradesmen. I believe in giving
people a chance and that most people have potential.”
Almost all the uniformed Army begin their career in
Waiouru – he has met most of our Officers and SNCO over
the last 42 years.
The HR Service Centre (HRSC) is conducting a short
questionnaire to hear the opinions of NZDF personnel
who have contacted the centre in the last twelve
months. A representative sample of personnel will be
selected to participate. If you receive a copy of the
questionnaire, either in paper form or as an online link,
you are strongly encouraged to complete it. The HRSC
needs your feedback to drive continuous improvement
and ensure that they can best deliver what YOU need.
It’s your chance to be heard – take it.
Recognition for
voluntary work
Ian Moray-Smith (right) receives his award from
Brent Impey, Chairman of NZRU
Ian Moray-Smith is about to start his 48th year of
service in the NZDF, and he’s still volunteering his skills
outside of work.
Mr Moray-Smith’s tireless efforts to help others
were rewarded recently when the Wellington Rugby
Sevens named him their Volunteer of the Year. His day
job is activity coordinator, ceremonial and support for
Army General Staff. At the Sevens where he has been
helping out for 14 years, he is the VIP liaison officer
and assistant operations officer at the Wellington hotel
where the teams stay.
Mr Moray-Smith said he was delighted to receive the
award. “It’s a fantastic opportunity to mix, meet and
socialise with so many people from around the world
every year. It’s also good to help provide daily service
to the other 35 sevens liaison officers.
Charitable organisations that benefit from his
organisations skills include the Wellington City Mission,
the Upper Hutt Food Bank, and the Upper Hutt RSA.
12armyPEOPLE
issue 461 | APRIL 2015
First World war centenary
Fighting a war a world away
Corporal Launcelot Pearson
Chances are young soldier Corporal Launcelot Robert Pearson never for a moment thought his
great granddaughter would end up supervising the training of New Zealand’s Army officers.
The Otago man was a rabbiter and shepherd when he and his mates signed up for a war on the
other side of the world. World War One saw him fight first in Messines where he was wounded
but return to the front to fight again.
The action during ‘The Great Advance’ in France was
significant to this man, and would end up affecting him for
the rest of his life. When the French village Le Quesnoy was
liberated he was in the advance group into Mormal Forest.
A pillbox he and other men were resting in was hit by a
shell and he was gassed. Such was the effect of the toxic
gas he would remain a sickness beneficiary for the rest of
his life. But that was only one side of the man: he became a
devoted husband and loving father, a skilled gardener and
prolific woodworker.
These days he’d possibly look with awe and pride at his
great grand daughter Lieutenant Colonel Kate Lee who is
Commandant of the Army’s Officer Cadet School. A veteran
who has deployed to the Middle East and East Timor, LTCOL
Lee says her great grandfather’s service was brought alive
for her when she read historian Jock Vennell’s book The
Forgotten General. “My great grandfather didn’t talk to his
immediate family about his experiences, but he did mention
some aspects of it, and that fell into place when I read
more about Le Quesnoy.” LTCOL Lee’s mother, Beryl Lee of
Dunedin, is Launcelot’s grand daughter, and a keen history
enthusiast. This is her story:
22082 Cpl Launcelot Robert Pearson
Arras and Ypres, Messines and Passchendaele, Polygon
Wood and Beaudignies are place names I have grown
up with. So too are the names of Richard Travis, James
Hargest and Archibald Baxter. As a child, I would listen to
my grandfather’s anecdotes of marching into towns with
exotic-sounding names, of his being the regimental boxing
champion and the games of ‘two-up’ that were played as
troops waited to see action. I now realise his stories revealed
little beyond life behind the lines.
I spent a lot of time at my grandparents’ house. I loved
looking at the sitting room wall where two large picture
Corporal Launcelot Pearson
LTCOL Kate Lee
armyPEOPLE13
issue 461 | APRIL 2015
CPL Launcelot Pearson’s son KL Pearson
He was advised not
to smoke, drink or
marry but deciding
this was not the way
he wanted to live his
life, he dispensed
with all the advice.
Soldiers at Trentham Camp
frames took pride of place. His WW1 War Service certificate
and medals were displayed in one and the other featured
a portrait that was taken during the Otago Regiments 16th
Reinforcement’s final leave. It also included a postcard that
has held my imagination ever since – a soldier sleeping under
a tree with The Angel of Mons keeping watch over him. These
two frames and his well-thumbed copy of A E Byrne’s Official
History of the Otago Regiment, were a few visible reminders
of his war service.
Launcelot Robert Pearson was born in Clyde, Central Otago
in 1896. He worked as a rabbiter and then a shepherd on Mt
Pisa Station before moving to Hillside Workshops in Dunedin.
It was from here that in October 1915, he and several of his
friends signed up for the Otago and Southland Quota of
the 16th Reinforcements. His name features in the Otago
Daily Times in March 1916 as having passed his medical
examination and in The Otago Witness as a member of the
group that departed for Trentham on May 10. On this day
well-wishers lined Dunedin’s streets but the crowd was even
larger on August 23rd when the men left the railway station
for Port Chalmers and ultimately for Europe.
Pte Pearson sailed on the HMNZS 63 Navua and, after
landing at Albany, Cape Town, and Sierra Leone finally
marched into Sling Camp in late October. From here he
proceeded to join the 1st Otago Infantry Battalion in Rouen.
My grandfather’s first significant engagement was in the
battle for Messines in June 1917. His casualty file indicates
that he was wounded on 7th June and his records show that
he was promoted to corporal when he returned to the field a
few days later.
Although Passchendaele was often mentioned, I cannot
confirm that Cpl Pearson was in the field for the New Zealand
involvement at Gravenstafel . I suspect he was at Étaples as
it appears he was hospitalised there several times, both for
illness and injury.
The action during ‘The Great Advance’ was what was to
have an enduring effect on my grandfather’s life. With the
German surrender of Le Quesnoy, he was in the advance
group into Mormal Forest. A number of men were resting
in a pill box when it was hit by a shell. My grandfather was
standing in the door frame and fell outwards and was pulled
to safety when gas was observed drifting towards him. It was
this incident, one of the last of the war that left him badly
gassed and a sickness beneficiary for his entire life.
Cpl Pearson was taken to Brockenhurst, UK and in 1919 he
returned to the Public Hospital in Dunedin where he was not
expected to survive. He was advised not to smoke, drink
or marry but deciding this was not the way he wanted to
live his life, he dispensed with all the advice. Over the next
seven years, long periods were spent in the sanatorium
at Clyde Hospital where he was treated in the same way
as those who had contagious tuberculosis. Patients slept
in beds open to the elements and family members were
subjected to regular testing.
With a wife and growing family, Pearson set up a home
in Dunedin. I have strong memories of his large workshop
where he used the woodcraft skills he learned through the
Returned Servicemen’s Rehabilitation League, to make buzzy
bees, clacking ducks, hobby horses and other children’s toys
as well as wooden mutes for brass bands.
Reminders of the war years were never far away. The prolific
vegetable garden that fed many families for nearly 40 years,
was kept fertile by a composting system that could teach
modern gardeners a thing or two. My grandfather sectioned
off his garden and using one area at a time, he dug neat
trenches into which my grandmother put her food scraps.
In order to keep her feet dry and not tread down the soil,
duck-boards were set over the garden.
But, what I remember most about my grandfather is his loud,
hacking cough. It was his life-long companion and, I imagine,
a harder task master than any of us ever understood.
If I am the grand-daughter of a WW1 veteran, I am also
the daughter, wife and mother of family members who
have served in the New Zealand Army. In 1943, my father
was called up as an 18 year old, but WW2 ended as he was
due to go overseas. Likewise, during the Vietnam War, my
husband’s birth date was drawn in the ballot but neither
did he leave our shores, with the conflict ending before
a conscripted force was sent. Finally, skip to 2015, one
hundred years after my grandfather volunteered, and I am
mother to a daughter who is currently serving in the NZDF.
14armyPEOPLE
issue 461 | APRIL 2015
LTCOL Whakahoehoe is welcomed with a challenge.
A new CO for 2/1
A new face is at the helm of 2nd/1st Battalion — Lieutenant Colonel Eugene Whakahoehoe.
LTCOL Whakahoehoe receives the Brigade Command Trophy from Warrant Officer Class One Clive Douglas.
armyPEOPLE15
issue 461 | APRIL 2015
The powhiri featured warriors from throughout the
Pacific, as well as New Zealand.
March 13 2015 saw the battalion take a pause during a busy
platoon training period to conduct the Battalion Commanding
Officer’s handover parade. Having completed his term as
Commanding Officer(CO) for 2nd/1st Battalion in November
2015 Lieutenant Colonel Peter Hall was posted to the United
Nations Security Council in New York . He handed acting
command of the battalion to the Second–In-Command Major
Jonathon Fiu who has successfully steered the battalion
through the final stages of 2014 and early stages of 2015.
The parade was a spectacular occasion. Following the
march-on of the Battalion Colours the LTCOL Whakahoehoe,
MNZM was welcomed on parade by a fierce display of
the mixed warrior cultures found within the ranks of the
battalion. This concluded in a powerful haka by the full
battalion. On completion of the parade inspection by LTCOL
Whakahoehoe the Battalion Colours were then entrusted
LTCOL Whakahoehoe with WO1 TK Taramai.
to him in a handover from the Honorary Colonel of 2nd/1st
Battalion Major General Maurice Dodson MC, CBE.
Chief of Army, Major General A.D Gawn MBE then welcomed
the new Commanding Officer and his family before thanking
the battalion for both its contribution to NZDF operations
in recent years and commitment to maintaining a high level
of readiness. He concluded in issuing a challenge for the
battalion to maintain its efforts for 2015.
On completion of the formal handover parade the battalion
marched off to later return for the new Commanding Officer’s
opening address. The RNZIR Regimental Colonel, Colonel
John Howard MNZM and 1(NZ)Bde Formation Sergeant
Major, Warrant Officer Class One Clive Douglas, remained
after the handover parade to present a number of awards to
members of the battalion. This included the presentation
of the Brigade Command Trophy to the new Commanding
Officer for the battalion’s efforts in 2014 and the awarding
of the Infantry Bayonet for 25 years of service in the RNZIR
to Major Timmi Tuatini. The new Commanding Officer then
addressed the battalion for the first time thanking them for
a moving welcome to the unit and congratulating all
members on its past successes before looking towards
new challenges for 2015.
New Year, New Leadership, New Opportunities –
Kura Takahi Puni ‘We are Ready’.
RNZIR Regimental Colonel, Colonel John Howard
presents an Infantry Bayonet for 25 years in the RNZIR
to Major Timmi Tuatini
16armyPEOPLE
issue 461 | APRIL 2015
Kiwi soldiers’ fine effort at US
By SSGT Kelly Carter (team manager)
All three NZ Army athletes
delivered performances to
be proud of in their chosen
sports at the US Marine Corps
Paralympic trials recently.
CPL Matty Ball was one of only nine athletes who entered the
‘Ultimate Champion’ and brought home a gold medal in the
Discus and a Bronze in the shot-put.
The first three days were spent training on all chosen
sports followed by five days of competition. The schedules
were gruelling with very limited rest. As a PTI who plans
events I was blown away at how the organisers synchronised
the 400 athletes’ different event schedules along with
coordinating transport elements to and from venues which
were at least 15 minutes apart. Logistically it did not matter
that a large portion of athletes were amputees, every aspect
was catered for.
This year’s trials saw Camp Pendleton host 200 active
marines, 50 veterans and 100 allies (Australia, France, UK,
Columbia, Georgia, Germany, Netherlands and New Zealand).
SSGT Bari “Baz” Henry, SGT Matt Vangioni and CPL Ball were
our NZ Army Representatives.
The trials consist of eight sports (archery, shooting, track,
field, swimming, cycling, seated volleyball, wheel chair
basketball, active recovery techniques, swimming and
track relays. Athletes must choose 3 sports or enter the
‘Ultimate Champion’ pentathlon (all sports except archery).
Quality equipment is provided at every sport along with high
performance, world renowned coaches.
CPL Matty Ball throws the discus
The New Zealand team – SGT Matt Vangioni, SSGT Baz Henry, and CPL Matty Ball.
NZ Army Results:
1st Discus Open
CPL Matty Ball
7th Discus Standing Other
SGT Matt Vangioni
4th Discus Seated Open
SSGT Baz Henry
3rd Shot-out Open
CPL Matty Ball
7th Shot-put Standing Other
SGT Matt Vangioni
4th Shot-put Seated Open
SSGT Baz Henry
11th Archery Recurve Bow
SGT Matt Vangioni
55th Archery Compound Bow
SSGT Baz Henry
DNF (puncture) Cycling
CPL Matty Ball
13th 50m Freestyle
CPL Matty Ball
Outside top 8 Indoor
Shooting Seated Air Rifle
CPL Matty Ball
4th Wheel Chair Basketball Allies team
SSGT Baz Henry/
SGT Matt Vangioni
The experience is one of a lifetime and an opportunity for
networking between nations from the lowest rank to the
highest as many VIPs visit throughout. It’s a chance to
experience a camp that is 120,000+ in population, unlimited
resources, live amongst the professional Marine culture,
where units start their day with PT at 0600, and where
“oorah” acknowledges every word spoken! You will be
treated with the utmost respect from civilians who thank you
for your service wherever you go, make cupcakes for their
soldiers at every opportunity and volunteer their support for
the military in whatever way they can.
If you get the chance to go as a support person or team
manager you, like I did, will put life into perspective as you
witness tears of heartache from caregivers and share smiles
as athletes achieve.
It’s likely you will see the Hope and Care Centre, a dedicated
rehab facility. Imagine a small camp dedicated to the WII
with its own covered running track, climbing wall, gym, pool,
rehab machines including an underwater treadmill, office
space for padres, psychs, and other therapists, family rooms,
a café, barracks to cater for disability and caregivers, a mess
and much more. Everyone works together on a three phase
approach: stabilisation, rehabilitation and reintegration.
It truly is a relationship rather than a process. I found it
interesting to talk with our rehab PTI equivalents who, termed
athletic therapists, are highly dedicated, qualified civilians
helping marines “stay in the fight”.
In summary this event is largely unknown to NZ soldiers
however we wish to change this. A large part of it relies on the
invitation from the US Marines and often it comes late leaving
limited time for planning and preparation. Due to the event
being such a success and the fact that our Kiwi soldiers are
held in such high regard its continuation is almost inevitable
so start training in preparation for the call up…
Do you think this could be you?
Make contact with your nearest rehabilitation PTI or CAPT
Rebecca Maddaford for more information. There is a strict
screening process for eligibility however you don’t know
unless you ask.
armyPEOPLE17
issue 461 | APRIL 2015
Marine Corp Paralympic trials
SGT Vangioni competes in the wheelchair basketball
CPL Ball leads the Kiwi contingent
Thousands of conflict injuries sustained in a short period of time prompted the Marines
to look after their own by creating a Wounded Warrior Regiment in 2007 consisting of
Wounded Warrior Battalion West in Camp Pendleton, California and Wounded Warrior
Battalion East in Camp Le Jeune, North Carolina.
Their mission: To provide leadership and enable non-medical care to combat and
non-combat wounded, ill and injured (WII) marines and family members in order to
maximise recovery and a return to duty or transition to civilian life.
Each year the regiment hosts Paralympic trials to provide an opportunity for all WII
Marines to further rehab their minds, bodies and spirits through competition and
camaraderie. For some it’s about a milestone for personal athletic goals, for others it’s
an opportunity to experience new activities and connect with fellow wounded warriors.
It’s a chance for people to come together and focus on abilities not disabilities.
18armyTRAINING
issue 461 | APRIL 2015
Soldiers and sailors
work together for MHOV loading trials
By Lance Corporals Jason Ward and Laurence Andrew, 10Tpt
Coy, 2CSS Bn.
Every variant of the new MHOV fleet was tested recently on
board the NZDF’s largest vessel, the HMNZS CANTERBURY
(CAN) recently.
Personal from 2 CSS Bn and 2 Engr Regt deployed to
Devonport Naval base in Auckland to conduct the Medium
Heavy Operational Vehicle (MHOV) trials on CANTERBURY.
The trial included every variant of the new MHOV fleet
being represented in both its armoured and non armoured
configuration, as well as Engr Plant (966D and JCB 4CX) and
even some MHOV variants that have not yet introduced into
service such as the HX77 and Heavy Equipment Transporter
(HET). Also tested was a demonstration Heavy Recovery
Vehicle (HRV) more commonly referred to as the BISON
participate in the trial.
The trial was to determine if the MHOV family of vehicles
could be loaded and unloaded using the ship’s crane, side
door, stern ramp, landing Craft Medium (LCM) and if the
vehicles’ ancillary equipment could be used on-board the
ship. It also afforded the opportunity to evaluate some Drum
Fabric Collapsible ( DFC) being moved, stored and re- filled on
board ship.
After travelling the eight hour trip to Auckland and spending
the night on board the CAN, we woke at around 0600 to a
high pitched whistle sound and a loud voice projecting over
the ships intercom, “Wakey Wakey Wakey”. This was our cue
to get up, get ready and go to breakfast.
After a brief on the day’s activities, we swapped our berets
for a hard hats, donned high-visibility vests and prepared our
trucks for loading. Due to the strict loading times necessitated
by the tide changes we started loading our vehicles on CAN
through the flight deck soft hatch using the ship’s 60 tonne
crane. Although this way of loading is more complicated and
takes a lot longer, it was an awesome experience for all of us
as we had never loaded any vehicles onto the ship like this
before. We had to try different techniques of attaching the
trucks and plant vehicles safely to the crane as there were a
various range of weights and sizes.
Significant co-ordination was needed between the crane
operator and the Ships Army Loading Team (SALT). After
a quick lunch break we were back into loading the rest of
the trucks; this time through the ship’s side door. With all
vehicles on board we began rearranging them IOT fit with the
following days LCM loading priority.
Wednesday and Thursday were the LCM trials; we started
with safety rehearsals for the drivers, and once we were well
prepared, we started the loading of the smaller HX60 variants
and slowly moved onto the heavier HX58’s, Engr Plant,
HX77’s and the armoured variants. It was great working with
the SALT and Navy operators, watching all of the elements
come together. Some serious calculations were consistently
being made by the ship’s engineering officers regarding the
increasing vehicle weights, water displacement and ballast
needed to keep the LCM ops progressing smoothly. It was a
lengthy process with very precise manoeuvring required.
Over the following two days all trial activities were
successfully completed and information compiled. It was a
great learning experience for everyone involved and we also
had a few VIP visitors come down and see how the trials were
going. They were very impressed with what we had achieved.
The vehicles were later offloaded via the side ramp and
prepared for the following day’s road drive.
Main learning points:
• CAN loading trials were considered a success
with excellent inter-service cooperation being
demonstrated with valuable information gathered
that can be built upon as NZDF comes to terms
with Logistics Over The Shore (LOTS) operations.
• Both services’ personnel received some excellent
training and experience with vehicle operations
utilising CAN.
• All variants of MHOV can be transported aboard
CAN.
• HX60, HX 58 and HX 77 can be loaded onto and
moved by CAN LCM.
• Bulk water vehicles can be refilled utilising CAN
internal systems.
• Additional trials concentrating on LCM operations
at higher sea levels and ship to shore transfer need
to be conducted.
armyTRAINING19
issue 461 | APRIL 2015
Sea Sparrow Demolition
By Lt Tom Buhr
The Defence Munition Management Group (DMMG)
disposed of an unserviceable Sea Sparrow Guided Missile
recently. The demolition occurred in Zone 1 of the Waiouru
Military Training Area, and was the first time in 20 years
that this particular Navy Surface to Air Missile (SAM)
has been disposed off in a controlled demolition. It was
also the first time DMMG staff had to dispose of a guided
weapon in its storage canister.
The planning and procedure required support from
multiple Navy and Army units. On the day of the
demolition, a disposal pit was prepared to lay the six
metre missile into. 2nd Combat Services Support Battalion
provided an MHOV to transport the missile deep into Zone
1 and a 1089 Recovery Vehicle to offload the missile into
the demolition pit. The missile canister was prepared with
explosive demolition stores, Hayrick and Beehive. These
stores were placed precisely on the canister over where
the warhead and rocket motor were located.
The demolition was successful and provided a fantastic
explosion as seen in the photograph. It was observed by
the Navy Weapon Technicians and Weapon Engineers,
and DMMG HQ staff. The demolition helped the NZDF
confirm a viable procedure for future disposals of
unserviceable guided missiles.
The canister is eased into place.
20armyPEOPLE
issue 461 | APRIL 2015
‘Forewarned is Forearmed’
New Zealand Intelligence Corps Concentration 2015
By Second Lieutenant Jonathan Greig
The New Zealand Intelligence Corps (NZIC) is one of the New
Zealand Army’s youngest Corps with arguably the greatest
potential for growth.
With 2015 marking the establishment of the Chief of
Defence Intelligence (CDI), and the ongoing Joint Intelligence
Project, the Corps is better placed than ever to grow and fulfil
its given role. The development of the intelligence function
within the NZDF has also seen the status of the intelligence
trade develop along with it. Intelligence is now viewed as a
highly desirable trade within the NZ Army with motivated,
experienced personnel from a variety of backgrounds, both
through direct entry and Corps change. Postings from even
the most junior ranks in the NZIC have an almost unparalleled
level of variety and opportunities to deploy.
In celebration of the Corps’ development and to
commemorate its establishment 28 years ago, the NZIC
gathered in Linton Military Camp over the ‘Ides of March’ to
hold its annual Corps concentration. The date is symbolic to
the Intelligence Corps as it serves as a warning to those who
ignore timely and accurate intelligence. The great Roman ruler
Julius Caesar did so, ignoring the warning from an adviser of
impending danger. He was subsequently assassinated on
15 March, 44 BC – The Ides of March.
This week-long event provided an important opportunity
for the geographically separated subunits of the Corps to
socialise, synchronise efforts, and celebrate the NZIC’s
achievements over the previous year. The week’s events
included a series of subunit briefs broken up by sports and a
team building exercise with social events in the evenings.
This year’s concentration saw the departure of Colonel
Andrew Renton-Green as the Colonel Commandant of the
NZIC. He has served honourably for eight years in the role and
his service and dedication to the Corps is greatly appreciated
and will not be forgotten.
2015 also marked the first NZIC Women’s forum. This was
the first time such an event has been held by a Corps within
the NZ Army, and was is in line with the Chief of Defence
Force’s intent to have a strong and inclusive workforce.
Lieutenant Colonel Louisa O’Brien, NZIC and Programme
Officer for the Defence Excellence – More Military Women
across NZDF commented:
“Intelligence is definitely an area where women can
contribute significantly to the NZDF. Not only are women
good Intelligence operators and officers but they also often
bring a different thought process which makes analysis and
collaborative debate on intelligence outcomes more rigorous
and potentially more relevant to decision makers.
“Women can bring an opportunity for greater cross-cultural
competency and awareness when working in mixed culture
environments, on deployments and in situations where
various cultural elements prevent the integration of men and
women in conversation, discussion or decision making”.
The week was considered to be a great success. For those
personnel considering a career in the NZIC please contact:
Army.Wai.Lotc.Smis.SchoolSergeantMajor@nzdf.mil.nz>
armyPEOPLE21
issue 461 | APRIL 2015
Book review
Elusive Peace: A Kiwi peacekeeper in Angola
By John McLeod
Reviewed by Lieutenant Colonel Vern Bennett.
Every military deployment experience is unique based
upon the job that you do, the things that you see and the
people that you work with. This is particularly true for
those who deploy as United Nations Military Observers
(UNMOs) as they do not have the support of a formed
national military contingent and can experience great
degrees of professional and cultural isolation both during
and after the deployment. It is his experiences as an
UNMO in Angola and upon return to New Zealand that John
McLeod writes of in Elusive Peace – taking a complex story
but telling it in a simple, frank and compelling manner.
John’s tale begins simply enough – the anticipation
of deployment, the frustrations of UN bureaucracy, and
the desire to get stuck in and do the job. However, his
deployment stopped being ordinary when one of his
teamsite’s patrols was ambushed and he was confronted
with the death and wounding of people under his
command. The aftermath of this ambush forms a central
part of the book as John immediately works to resolve
the situation and then deals with the personal and
professional consequences that result. However, rather
than having the opportunity to consolidate the situation,
John was soon after appointed to a position of greater
responsibility as a Regional Commander. He then led UN
operations in a region of Angola where a nominal peace
was merely the prelude to further conflict and he was
required to deal with poverty, death and frustration on a
continual basis. These events had a great effect on John
and he struggled to reintegrate himself when he returned
home, slowly coming to realise and accept that he was
affected by PTSD.
John McLeod has a clear writing style and the text is
well supported by photographs and graphics. It is a very
readable book and tells his story on three levels: what
he did as a New Zealand peacekeeper; the command and
leadership challenges that he faced; and the candour
with which he describes the personal cost to his mental
health and sense of wellbeing. John wrote the book to help
understand what he went through and the psychological
struggles that he came to face – but underpinning this
is a quiet sense of accomplishment in what he, as a New
Zealand Army Officer, was able to achieve. It is a tale
that will be of interest to those who want to develop their
understanding of command and leadership, to learn
more about the reality of peacekeeping missions, and to
appreciate that there is a way through the psychological
stress of deployed service. John is not alone in serving
overseas but he is one of the few who has told his story.
LTCOL Bennett is an Army officer who served in Angola in
1997. He has recently returned from service as an UNMO
in the Middle East.
Royal New Zealand Dental Corps
Centennial Celebrations
NZBATT 2 reunion
NZBATT2 will be holding a 15 year
reunion on Friday 24 July 2015 in
Burnham Camp
100th Centennial
celebrations
for past and
present members
5–8 November 2015
Wellington
The programme will involve:
• registration at 1500hrs
• a memorial service at 1630hrs in the
Camp Chapel
• a photo at 1730hrs
• dinner in the WO's and SNCO's Mess
at 1830hrs.
All NZBATT2, NCE, NSE, 3 Sqn, Sector West and
HQ personnel who were involved in preparing and
supporting NZBATT2 are invited. Partners are also
invited to attend. Those wishing to attend please
email kirsten.rapana@nzdf.mil.nz
Please register by 15 September 2015
E: RNZDC100anniv@gmail.com
facebook.com/RoyalNewZealandDentalCorps
For further information contact:
WO2 Ross Heald
E: ROSS.HEALD@nzdf.mil.nz
P: 027 682 1814
22armyPEOPLE
issue 461 | APRIL 2015
HMNZS CANTERBURY’S
MEDICAL FACILITY
TESTED AND EVALUATED
By Captain Matthew Savage
A truly joint defence facility which is owned by the Navy
but staffed by the Army was tested and evaluated recently.
The facility is the “hospital”, also known as the
Maritime Role Two Enhanced (MR2E) on board HMNZS
CANTERBURY(CAN). It is a life and limb saving surgical
capability which is staffed by the Army and managed in
partnership by 2nd Health Support Battalion (2 HSB) and
CAN. The NZDF has two surgical platforms, the MR2E
and a land based tented facility which is also currently
under redevelopment and scheduled to be introduced into
service from July.
The recent exercise aimed to test the facility’s ability to
adequately provide surgical support to NZDF operations.
This was done through simulating casualties that were
then treated and held by the facility for up to six hours
before being evacuated to the next level of care.
The MR2E provides advanced resuscitation including
a laboratory, blood bank and X-rays as well as surgery,
People and simulation mannequins were used to make the tests as real as possible.
intensive care and post surgical high and medium
dependency care, all supported by logistic and
command elements. The capability is scalable to achieve
the appropriate level of support to the activity that is
taking place.
Around 40 2 HSB staff including RF/TF and civilian
specialists as well as the crew of CAN participated in the
exercise which used people and simulation mannequins
to create situations that were as realistic as possible
without actually performing the invasive procedures
required of advanced medical care.
The operational test and evaluation achieved
satisfactory results and it is expected that the MR2E will
become available to support NZDF operations in the near
future. The next scheduled simulation exercise will occur
as part of Exercise Southern Katipo 2015 when 2 HSB will
provide simulated surgical support to operations from
both land and maritime platforms at different points of
the exercise.
armyPEOPLE23
issue 461 | APRIL 2015
Team
event
to Army
in golf
champs
Army won the team event in the Inter-Service Golf
Championships held recently.
Other results are:
Ajax Plate (Teams net competition) Winner:RNZN
IGA Cup(Individual net competition)
Winner:
LT P. KAIWAI, RNZN
Runner-up: CPO G. BISHELL, RNZN
Service Championship
Winner: Runner-up: LT P. KAIWAI, RNZN
SSGT A. Orlowski, NZ ARMY
Carter Cup (Teams matchplay competition) Inter service
Golf 2015
Winner:NZ Army
Runner-up: RNZAF
Most improved player: LT P. Kaiwai, RNZN
Manager’s Champion: WO1 T. Amorangi, NZ Army
NZ Army hockey 2015 Sports
awards
winners
REGION POINTS OF CONTACT
LCPL MATTEO JONES, SGT EMMA GEANGE - AUCKLAND
CAPT LAURA NORTH - WAIOURU
REGION POINTS OF CONTACT
REGION
POINTS
OF CONTACT
SGT CRAIG CULVER
, LT
NIKKI
HOULAHAN
– LINTON
LCPL MATTEO JONES, SGT EMMA GEANGE - AUCKLAND
LCPL MATTEO JONES, SGT EMMA GEANGE - AUCKLAND
)
)
CAPT LAURA
NORTH - WAIOURU
SSGT ABE POURAUCAPT
, CAPT
EMILY
HUMEWELLINGTON
LAURA NORTH
- WAIOURU
SGT CRAIG
CULVER , LT NIKKI HOULAHAN – LINTON
SGT CRAIG CULVER , LT NIKKI HOULAHAN
– LINTON
CPL ELI BLACKMORE - BURNHAM
ABE
POURAU , CAPT EMILY HUME- WELLINGTON
SSGT ABE POURAU , CAPT EMILY SSGT
HUMEWELLINGTON
CPL ELI BLACKMORE - BURNHAM
CPL ELI BLACKMORE - BURNHAM
Rugby League player Private Crystal Murray won the
Outstanding Sports Achievement of the Year and the
Supreme Award at the Army Sports Awards last week.
Rugby and rugby league player PTE Krystal Mayes won
the Individual Sports Person of the Year Award
Corporal Jackie Tuala and Major Scott MacGibbon
were both presented with NZ Army Colours by the
Chief of Army, Major General Dave Gawn, for their
outstanding contribution to NZ Army netball and
cricket respectively
PTE Samantha Rowe accepted the Team of the Year
award on behalf of Army netball.
The NZ Army Sports Chairman's Innovation award
was presented to Warrant Officer Class One Greg
Mildon for his outstanding work and innovation
towards the successful sustainment of NZ Army Touch.
Ms Bernice Robertson (Softball) was named
NZ Army Administrator of the Year, and LCPL K.
Gajadhar(hockey) won the Young Sports Person of the
Year award.
Army News will provide more coverage of the awards
in the May issue.
24armyPEOPLE
issue 461 | APRIL 2015
Tussocks, rocks, rivers and rough
Tussock Buster 2015
More than 1300 trail bike riders took part in TUSSOCK
BUSTER 2015, the annual fund raising trail ride in the Waiouru
Military Training Area (WMTA) recently.
The trail bike riders experienced the usual family friendly
atmosphere present at the Waiouru Sports grounds, with
more than 1000 people camping on Friday and Saturday
nights. The Waiouru community did a fantastic job of
providing hot food and drinks to those riders who needed
refuelling, as well as roving security patrols, and a brigade of
cleaners to keep the grounds and ablutions spick and span.
TUSSOCK BUSTER is run by the OFFLIMITS Charitable Trust,
which uses profit from the event to fund grants to individual
New Zealand Defence Force sportsmen and women.
The OFFLIMITS ‘Helpers Corps’ was critical for the safe
running of the event. The large team of helpers, both military
and civilian, engaged in diverse roles ranging from manning
the OFFLIMITS Command Post, to briefing participants on the
unique safety requirements required for riding in the WMTA.
They also manned check points throughout the Training Area,
attended to medical events, organised helicopter recovery
of broken bikes and riders, swept the tracks and dewatered
many drowned bikes, as well as refuelling thousands of
bikes, and placing and removing all the signage used to guide
bike riders on the seven different loop tracks laid out over
250km of tank and vehicle tracks around the WMTA.
TUSSOCK BUSTER is OFFLIMITS’ prime fund raising event
each year. It also allows the Waiouru Community to raise
significant funds through the provision of services to
TUSSOCK BUSTER, as well as running their very successful
food stall, which was busy from 6am to 9pm. The bike riders
gave the food the big tick of approval for quality and quantity
at a good price. The huge logistic task of camp set up and
pack up is assisted by a well organised team of Waiouru
volunteers led by Mr David Hill.
Every year planning for TUSSOCK BUSTER begins with
OFFLIMITS booking zones at the WMTF Zone booking
conference, then undertaking zone deconfliction with units
where required. Airspace is booked for the inevitable helo
armyPEOPLE25
issue 461 | APRIL 2015
What is OFFLIMITS?
recovery operations. This support is invaluable as a broken
bike may take two to three hours to recover by track and road,
whereas the helicopter handles the same recovery in four
minutes. The same goes for dealing with injured riders.
Refuelling over a thousand motorbikes several times over
in the WMTA takes a lot of safety planning, trained fuel
handlers and certified equipment. Managing the movements
of so many riders on many different trails over 250 km
of tracks requires a switched-on Command Post, good
communications and accurate incident management. All bike
and quad mounted marshals are equipped with radios and
can communicate on the move. Liaison with Range Control
and WMTF occurs right from the initial planning stages and all
through the event weekend, ending up with Zone clearance
on the Monday after the event. It’s all like a military exercise,
except the participants and many of the helpers are civilians.
Recent changes in Occupational Safety and Health
legislation required Adventure Activity Operators such as
OFFLIMITS to undergo a Safety Audit to ensure its Safety
Management Systems and SOP’s conform to the latest
WorkSafe Standards. The certification process was a
comprehensive and expensive undertaking, and enables
OFFLIMITS to continue conducting fundraising activities for
trail bikes, quads and side x sides, and 4 Wheel Drives in
compliance with current OSH legislation.
So if you enjoy off-road riding, like supporting your fellow
military personnel and enjoy getting back into the Waiouru
Military Training Area when not covered in cam paint and
speaking in sign language, carrying a 30kg pack and
webbing, drop a line to info@offlimits.co.nz. OFFLIMITS
would love to hear from you.
The trail ride has reached iconic status amongst the trail
bike riding fraternity, with a few riders having attended every
event held in the WMTA since 2006. A look at the multitude
of Face book and YouTube comments shows that riders who
attend the event rave about it being the best in New Zealand,
both in terms of the riding experience, the scenery and the
professional way the event is conducted. OFFLIMITS is pretty
sure it runs the largest motorsport event (by participant
numbers) in New Zealand.
OFFLIMITS wish to thank the Commander of LTDG, Colonel
Jim Bliss, and the Commandant of WMTF, Major Pat Hibbs,
as well as all the other staff at Waiouru for their support in
making TUSSOCK BUSTER 2015 such a success.
For many military personnel, the term OFFLIMITS
conjures up the vision of hundreds of screaming
motorcycles tearing around the Training Area at
Waiouru. But just what is OFFLIMITS? And what
does it do?
In early 2006, a handful of enthusiastic enduro
riders in the Linton Multisports Club learned that
the Olympics off-road motorcycle riding, the ISDE,
was to be held in NZ for the first time, in September
2006. With four other militaries sending teams to
New Zealand they figured the NZ Army needed to show
the other military teams what the NZ Army riders were
capable of. And so began the process of fund raising
to support the not inconsiderable personal costs
of competing at the highest level of enduro riding.
Unsurprisingly the fundraising activity was a trail
bike ride in the then ATG Training Area. Three NZ Army
riders participated in the 2006 ISDE: A.J. Vogt, M.D.
Ross and R. Kernohan, earning two Bronze medals and
a Silver respectively.
After the ISDE in 2006, the Linton Multisports club
continued with fundraising trail bike rides in the
Training Area along similar lines of that first event.
The profits generated funded myriad sporting
activities. Driven on by their energetic president,
WO1 (now rtd) Mike Ross, aka Rosco, the fund raising
became very successful. There was concern within the
NZDF legal fraternity however regarding the potential
for liability should an incident occur, and it be seen
that the organiser of the event was a military club.
An arms-length separation was required between the
organising body and the military.
As a result in November, 2011, The Offlimits Trust
came into being. The charitable trust has three
trustees: two retired military personnel and one
civilian. The Trust ‘purpose’ stretches to three
paragraphs and seven sub paragraphs, but in essence
it is to support the sports, health and wellbeing of
members of the New Zealand Defence Force.
Profits generated are generally distributed in the
form of grants. Previous recipients of grants have
been individual members of the NZDF wishing to
compete at world level sporting activities and military
clubs (most recently the WASC). A grant has recently
been identified to support this season’s Army Rugby
Academy team for a winter tour.
If you or your team have an event, a project or a
competition you believe is worthy of OFFLIMITS’
support, then forward your business case to:
info@offlimits.co.nz . Your business case needs to
identify: who/what you are, what you have achieved
to date, what your goals for a grant are, your financial
plan (in outline) and what visibility you will be able to
provide the OFFLIMITS brand.
The current trustees are:
Simon Reynolds. Chairman, retired military officer
and now farmer Warrick Funnell, Secretary/Treasurer,
retired financial businessman and now entrepreneur,
and Mike Ross, event manager, retired Warrant Officer
and now project manager/builder.
For more information please go to: www.offlimits.co.nz
26armyPEOPLE
issue 461 | APRIL 2015
Inter Service rugby 2015
The Army won the 2015 Inter Service Rugby
Tournament held recently at Woodbourne.
Air Force hosted the tournament and managed to arrange fine
weather as well as Landsdowne Park in Blenheim which was
in excellent condition. These factors combined to allow an
attractive brand of rugby to be played throughout the week
resulting in three very hard fought and entertaining contests.
Army played Air in the first game on Tues. With Chief of Army
and Chief of Air Force in attendance vying for bragging rights
the pressure was on starting with two fierce Hakas. With a
moderate wind at their backs in the first half it was essential
Army put some points on the board and after the game being
locked at three all for some time two tries before half time to
CAPT Huks Tichborne and LCPL Keelan Poi had Army in front
17–3 at the break.
Into the wind it was a case of ball in hand rugby which saw
several break outs and chances but not all were taken in for
points. Air were in the game with 20 to go but a fine team try
to SPR Logan Broughton saw Army pull clear and the radar
like boot from PTE Barney Te Kani (5 from 5) allowed Army to
end up the victors 27–6 and needing just one more win to get
their hands back on the King George V Cup.
This was the third consecutive game Army had not
conceded a try at the Inter Service tournament. There wasn’t
much time to celebrate however and recovery would be key
in combating a very physical Navy team on Wednesday. Man
of the Match for Army was flanker SPR Reece White who was
ably supported by big games from PTE Sammy Prosser at
hooker and SPR Tainui Woodmass at lock while all the backs
linked well on attack and defence.
Playing back to back games Army would need to dig deep
to beat the two time champions Navy. Once again the wind
would be a factor and Army managed to win the toss and
play into the wind while the legs were still fresh. Navy were
fired up and got out to an early 8–3 lead before the ability
of the Army team to move the ball quickly through the hands
and support each other saw two tries before half time to
PTE Caesar Filipo and a 15–8 halftime lead.
Turning around with the wind at their backs Army camped
in the Navy half for the first 10 minutes of the half and with
conditions difficult for kicking more tries would be needed
to hold off Navy. SPR Ra Broughton quick tapped a penalty
and showed great speed in running through and around
Navy players from 15 metres out to score under the posts.
At 22–8 and playing well Army looked like they might get
more tries and put Navy away but a determined Navy stuck
to the task and started to wear down a tiring Army team. Navy
were relentless on attack and Army’s mistakes meant the
wind wasn’t being used effectively. With three minutes to go
Navy scored their third try after a long period on the Army line
and the conversion from a handy position looked set to draw
the game and put the tournament on a knife edge. However
the wind again played a part and the kick hit the post,
then the cross bar, then the ground, missing, to everyone’s
amazement. Given this lifeline the Army team swarmed
the kick off and secured the ball, keeping possession and
coming close to scoring before being awarded a penalty.
PTE Barney Te Kani was again successful as time expired and
the final score was 25–20 to Army. Man of the Match for Army
was again a flanker, hard hitting SGT Charlie Togia, who was
also named player of the tournament, although it took all 23
players fighting to a standstill to win a classic services Army
v Navy match.
Air won a see-saw battle with Navy on the final day and it was
evident just how hard Navy hard tried on the Wednesday as
they struggled to dominate their opponents. Air were fresher
after a day off and this may have been the difference in the
14–7 victory meaning Navy were awarded the wooden spoon.
A big thank you to the Air Force team for running a very
successful week and of course the Army management for all
their hard work in preparing the team.
armyPEOPLE27
issue 461 | APRIL 2015
issue 461 | APRIL 2015
FALLEN HEROES
FIGHT NIGHT
A night to be remembered
28 May 2015
Linton Military Camp
Back Cover Caption