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Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 12, 2006 11:45:08 GMT 12
From here... www.wanganuichronicle.co.nz/localnews/storydisplay.cfm?storyid=3675465&thesection=localnews&thesubsection=&thesecondsubsection=Ohakea Airforce Base to receive Freedom of the City09.03.2006 The Wanganui District Council will confer the Freedom of the City on the Royal New Zealand Airforce Base Ohakea at a public ceremony next Wednesday. Cr Don McGregor and Mayoress Leonie Brookhammer will represent the mayor and council at the ceremony to be held on the War Memorial Hall forecourt, at 11am. The RNZAF guard from Ohakea will be formed up in ceremonial parade formation on the forecourt or, if the weather is very wet, inside the Memorial Hall. Cr McGregor will inspect the parade and present the Charter granting the Freedom of the City to the Ohakea Base Commander. There will be an exchange of plaques between the council and air base and then the Queen’s Colour will be formally paraded. “At this time there will be an flypast which will hopefully include one of the Iroquois helicopters which did such sterling work during the civil defence emergency of February 2004,” Cr McGregor said. “We are delighted to be conferring the Freedom of the City on Ohakea. This was an honour previously held by No 75 Squadron RNZAF which is now disbanded. “The Freedom of the City recognises the long and honourable traditions of the RNZAF at Ohakea and their close association with the people of Wanganui. The charter will allow a guard from RNZAF Base Ohakea to parade in Wanganui and march through the streets with ‘bayonets fixed, colours flying, swords drawn, drums beating and bands playing’ on ceremonial occasions. He said such a charter was a centuries-old tradition and signified a high degree of trust, friendship and confidence between a military unit and the city conferring the honour. “This will be an important and historic occasion for Wanganui and I would hope for a good turnout of people to view this event. Everyone is invited to watch the parade on the Memorial Hall forecourt and the subsequent march up the Avenue led by the Band of the Royal New Zealand Air Force. It would be wonderful if schools could allow some of their pupils to attend,” Cr McGregor said. The ceremony and march past will be completed by 12 noon. |
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Post by phil on Mar 12, 2006 20:02:05 GMT 12
More bloody parades....!
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Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 12, 2006 20:25:12 GMT 12
In my time in the RNZAF I only ever had to be on one Charter Parade, through Christchurch. I thought the same thing as you at first, yet another bloody parade...
But once on the parade I realised just how amazing it was to see the city centre stop and clap and cheer for the Air Force boys and girls marching through. The mayor's speech in Cathedral Square wasn't even too long or boring either, so all in all it was definately one of the best parades I was forced to do, and I would have voilunteered to do it again too. It was really neat to see how well supported we were by the community. I wonder if the RNZAF gets such support in other cities, as we got then in the greatest city on earth.
Of course Wanganui is banning patches in the city centre so all the rank badges will have to be unpicked! hehe
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Post by phil on Mar 13, 2006 7:31:06 GMT 12
I photographed the Charter Parade through Blenheim a couple of years ago, not much support there. At least no one threw eggs at them, which had happened in previous years apparently.
I don't know what Blenheim's problem is, after all the air force is probably the single biggest employer in the region.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 13, 2006 8:35:03 GMT 12
I'd say it used to be. Not much Air Force there now. The base is largely civilianised. All of 1RD is contracted to SAFE now I'm told. Only the basic training school (whatever they call it now) and engineering school (another new fangled title) are there really, plus ancilliaries to maintain them. I'd think the biggest regional employer now is the wine industry, there are much more vineyards now than when I lived there in 1989.
My old F/Sgt told me of his basic training during the Vietnam era, and how hippies waited for them to cross the road each day to throw rotten eggs and fruit, and spit and assault these new recruits. Disgusting, especially for people supposedly trying to make a statement about peace. The RNZAF recruits were not joining up specifically to go to Vietnam. There were apparently also anti RNZAF demonstrations in 1988 over Waihopai, after the RNZAF were called out to break up a violent protest at the site. We were warned when we first arrived at GSTS that there were these protestors still in town and be warned. That was in the first weeks of 1989. Probably the same hippies grown up...
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Post by corsair67 on Mar 13, 2006 9:11:59 GMT 12
...or their filthy, feral offspring! ;D
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Post by phil on Mar 13, 2006 13:01:00 GMT 12
I think WB has more living on pers than any other base, it is has a lot of trainees there. I was there for two weeks just a few weeks ago and there are a lot of people there. High disposable income too since they no longer pay for quarters while on course, and those going back on senior courses don't pay for meals either.
The wine industry probably employs more people, but the Air force would still be the biggest single employer there.
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Post by phil82 on Mar 13, 2006 14:25:50 GMT 12
In the RAF, and the RNZAF [they were still doing it when I arrived at Wigram in 1963 to attend a Recruit course they told me in London I wouldn't have to do!], they used to train all recruits on dealing with the great unwashed. It was called "Reading The Riot Act", and as I recall involved a squad of recruits equipped with rifles and a banner saying "Disperse..or else". I think there might have been a coil of barbed wire or two. The scheme was that you would confront the demonstration, and tell them they were an illegal assembly and to disperse. If they didn't, the front rank with the rifles would kneel and be given a suitable target, such as one of the instigators urging the rabble on, and would be given an order such as "Target, Man in Welcome to Cambridge T-shirt, Aim, Fire". The rabble would then disperse, taking the dead guy with them, [probably for the t-shirt!]. I don't know when this training stopped, but it would be probably considered most un-PC today.
I remember Tim Shadbolt,[ yes, that one!], taking part in a protest during the 1981 Springbok Tour [he appeared at every protest, no matter what it was about], and shortly after he was filmed assaulting a cop, one of the cop's mates delivered a well-aimed kick to Tim's goolies and he went down, screaming at the camera, 'he kicked me in the balls and I wasn't doing anything".
Bollicks Tim, you were!
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Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 19, 2006 13:52:44 GMT 12
www.wanganuichronicle.co.nz/localnews/storydisplay.cfm?storyid=3676450&thesection=localnews&thesubsection=&thesecondsubsection=Centuries-old tradition revived 16.03.2006 By IAIN HYNDMAN (Wanganui Chronicle) IN ancient times freedom of the city was a rare, but massive honour and centuries later in Wanganui little has changed. In an official ceremony in the River City yesterday, Cr Don McGregor, representing Wanganui District Council Mayor Michael Laws, bestowed that honour on officers and airmen from the Royal New Zealand Air Force base at Ohakea. During the ceremony on the forecourt of the War Memorial Hall, Cr McGregor explained just how much of an honour freedom of the city was for armed forces in ancient times. “In ancient times armed forces were not often welcome inside city walls. Soldiers in those days were often hard drinkers, stole anything that wasn’t nailed down and molested the women. So to be granted the freedom of the city was a great honour indeed,” Cr McGregor said. Today’s environment was very different with armed forces populated with men and women of far greater integrity. Yesterday’s freedom of the city ceremony recognised the long and honourable traditions of the RNZAF at Ohakea and its close association with the people of Wanganui. Before its disbandment the charter was held by No 75 Squadron, the squadron for which Wanganui school teacher and Victoria Cross winner, Sergeant James “Jimmy” Ward flew during World War Two. Granting such a charter was a centuries-old tradition and signified a high degree of trust, friendship and confidence between a military unit and the city conferring the honour. “Wanganui’s association with airmen started 90 years ago when young men paid their own way to England to fly during World War One. In more recent times we’ve had a close association with 75 Squadron and even more recently 3 Squadron. 3 Squadron helicopters were used to help rescue and assist people affected by the 2004 floods in the district,” Cr McGregor said. When receiving the honour, Ohakea base commander, Wing Commander Johan Bosch said while the past and present had been talked about, he looked to the future. “To be granted the freedom of the city is an honour and I’m privileged to accept the charter. Over the next decade Ohakea is to be the primary operations center for the RNZAF. With your contribution and ours, we can achieve anything,” he said. Following the official ceremony airmen and women from Ohakea marched through the streets of Wanganui with bayonets fixed, drums beating and colours flying.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 19, 2006 13:54:10 GMT 12
Also www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0603/S00118.htmOhakea Granted Freedom of the City Wednesday, 15 March 2006, 3:53 pm Press Release: New Zealand Defence Force 15 March 2006 Ohakea Granted Freedom of the City One hundred and twenty Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) personnel were on show in Wanganui today, when RNZAF Base Ohakea was presented the Freedom of the City. Freedom of the City recognises the long and honourable traditions of the RNZAF at Ohakea and its close association with the people of Wanganui. The Charter granting Freedom of the City was presented to Base Commander, Wing Commander Johan Bosch, by Wanganui Councillor Don McGregor. Granting such a charter is a centuries-old tradition and signifies a high degree of trust, friendship and confidence between a military unit and the city conferring the honour. Following the presentation the Charter and Queens Colour was paraded through the streets of Wanganui, led by the Base Ohakea Band, it included a challenge by the New Zealand Police and a fly past by the RNZAF. ENDS |
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Post by zknsj on Apr 7, 2006 19:35:41 GMT 12
why dont we get them to march on wellington, with bayonets fixed........
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Post by phil on Apr 7, 2006 21:14:13 GMT 12
why dont we get them to march on wellington, with bayonets fixed........ Perhaps you missed the fact the the Air force works for the Govt. |
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