Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 7, 2006 20:37:35 GMT 12
In my research I have noted that through different eras of the Air Force I've looked at many people have the same surnames - often unusual ones. This got me thinking - is the Air Force something passed from generation to generation?
It started me thinking, and with such things in my head as the recent big news of the Warrior Gene 'scandal', and Government's dedication to preservation and conservation of birds, trees, Maori language, etc, I decieded to do some research.
The time has come to make the public more aware that a very special sub-species is under grave danger of extinction, the Government is doing nothing about conservation for its habitat or future.
History
The human sub-species was discovered around 1909 by one well known researcher Sir Henry Wigram, who recognised the subtle differences between the normal human and this genetically different group. He dubbed them Flyers, but later their sub-species name would change to Air Force.
Wigram's research and appeals for funding and nurturing the special breed of men and women went on for several years, yet his calls fell upon deaf ears. No-one was remotely interested in conservation in those days. So Sir Henry set up a sanctuary himself at Sockburn where he gathered many of these Flyers through WWI, and was able to study them and realise their benefits.
Eventually others began to see his point of view. In 1919 an emminent authority, Colonel Bettingdon, visited from England where similar sub-species had been thriving, and he hoped to advise the New Zealand Government on the future conservation needs. However, like Wigram, he was ignored.
This went on for years, till in 1928 at last a second santuary was set up to preserve the sub-species, now dubbed Air Force, at the coastal and secluded Hobsonville. The numbers slowly began to grow and the habitat was made suitable for the sub-species to thrive.
In 1937 another world expert arrived to check progress. He was Sir Ralph Cochrane, who's research in Britain was well known. He immediately recommended an expansion of the captive breeding programme and also the habitation environments for the Air Force.
This time the Government listened Land was purchased at Whenuapai, Woodbourne and Ohakea and suitable work began to establish the right environment for the Air Force.
In 1938 a new experimental programme was begun where the Government allocated certain territories to the Air Force sub-species with the invitation for any unkown members of the species to gather to defend that territory. This was the setting up of the Territorial Air Force. Hundreds of previously unknown Air Force gathered at Wigram, Hobsonville and Rongotai over the next year and the authorities realised they'd really started something, and there really were many more members of the sub-species out there than they thought.
So, in late 1939 a huge expansion plan began and suddenly new habitats were springing up all over New Zealand - which they dubbed stations. Each of these new stations, and there were many dozens of them, attracted literally hundreds of Air Force men and women. By 1945 there had been over 50, 000 Air Force members recognised under the programme. It had been so successful there were offshore captive breeding programmes also dotted around Air Force stations in the Pacific and Europe. Others of our Air Force sub-species were allowed to mix with Air Froce of other nations to study results, and this was found to always be beneficial to those other foreign stations.
However, a change in policy saw a devastating blow hit the now thriving species. Funding was removed for the upkeep of all but a handful of the stations. As there was no longer the environment for them to live, most Air Force were forced back into general society with devastating effects. Without their own special environment, and without others of the species arounfd them, co-habitation with civilians (the scientific name for the riff raff that is general society), it was found the civilian held the dominant gene and were able to break the will of the Air Force releasees. Most Air Force quickly began to assymilate to civilian life, leaving their own culture and traits behind.
Only a handful of the original Air Force remained in captivity for future study - but it seemed that even after the disaserous mixing of civilians with the Air Force strain virtually wiped out most of the Air Force race, certain things remained. Though outwardly accting as civilians, most ex-Air Force would be found in a bar reminiscing about their Air Force Station days, and how they missed it. They would also gather every year on April 25th to remember those who had not made it through to the postwar release.
And the gene remained even with interbreeding, and even though it is recessive, every now and then there is an Air Force boy or girl born into a civilian family.
Of course most Air Force couples have Air Force children too, though some have had throwbacks who have been purely civilian.
How To Recognise The Air Force
There are several factors first noted by the early researchers such as Wigram and Bettingdon, that make the Air Force sub-species stand out genetically from the rest of the civilian population. Here are some of the more common ones.
- Hair - the length of the hair of Air Force memebrs does not grow any longer than what is tidy. They also have very little facial hair, though some older males and some female Mess staff have moustaches.
- Fitness - the general physical fitness of the Air Force is better than the civilian population, though not as high as similar sub-species with the Army and the Navy genes.
- High IQ - tests show all Air Force members have a much higher acerage IQ than the civilian population
- Clothing - the Air Force has a distinct dress, as do any other cultures. The Dutch have clogs, the French berets, the Air Force have their smart blue uniforms, unlike any other found in the civilian population.
- Language - the Air Force has its own language, this is undisputed. Most non-air force will recognise most of it but there is a huge raft of worda and phonetics that only Air Force know the meaning of. This in itself is worth preservation - there has been many millions of dollars spent over many years to preserve and promote Maori (to little avail I might add) yet this is a neglected language that is much more easily learned and fast dying out.
- Habitat. A fully encouraged Air Force person will settle on what used to be called a Station but is now more PC to call a Base. This is a well designed, safe and pleasant environment that is totally self-contained and without any of the crime or mayhem of the civilian towns. They are also always well ket and tidy, and the citizens who live there, the Air Force, are always friendly, polite, intelligent, and smart when seen walking around the Base in formation or singlely.
These Bases are under extreme threat from lack of willingness from successive Governments to help preserve this habitat. Over the years they have been whittled down to just four locations, two of which are currently in danger of being overun and built on by the more dominant civilian population. What is the Department of Conservation doing? Nothing. What is the Ministry of Defence doing? Nothing. No - it is Government's own Ministry of Housing that is to eradicate the species from the upper north island. Those Air Force currently living in that safe habitat will be either relocated to the overcrowded Ohakea Base sanctuary or be released into the wild, to live in oppression again by the civil powers.
You Can Help
Why do we stand by and let this happen? We could not save the Dinosaurs. We could not save the Moas. But we still can save the Air Force. There must be a way, before its too late.
So if you care, if you want to save this rare and endangered species which is scientifically proven to be smarter, braver, friendlier and tidier than your nextdoor neighbour, you can help now.
Please post a cheque made out to
Conservation And Saving History (or C.A.S.H.) to me now.
Minimum, $20
;D ;D
It started me thinking, and with such things in my head as the recent big news of the Warrior Gene 'scandal', and Government's dedication to preservation and conservation of birds, trees, Maori language, etc, I decieded to do some research.
The time has come to make the public more aware that a very special sub-species is under grave danger of extinction, the Government is doing nothing about conservation for its habitat or future.
History
The human sub-species was discovered around 1909 by one well known researcher Sir Henry Wigram, who recognised the subtle differences between the normal human and this genetically different group. He dubbed them Flyers, but later their sub-species name would change to Air Force.
Wigram's research and appeals for funding and nurturing the special breed of men and women went on for several years, yet his calls fell upon deaf ears. No-one was remotely interested in conservation in those days. So Sir Henry set up a sanctuary himself at Sockburn where he gathered many of these Flyers through WWI, and was able to study them and realise their benefits.
Eventually others began to see his point of view. In 1919 an emminent authority, Colonel Bettingdon, visited from England where similar sub-species had been thriving, and he hoped to advise the New Zealand Government on the future conservation needs. However, like Wigram, he was ignored.
This went on for years, till in 1928 at last a second santuary was set up to preserve the sub-species, now dubbed Air Force, at the coastal and secluded Hobsonville. The numbers slowly began to grow and the habitat was made suitable for the sub-species to thrive.
In 1937 another world expert arrived to check progress. He was Sir Ralph Cochrane, who's research in Britain was well known. He immediately recommended an expansion of the captive breeding programme and also the habitation environments for the Air Force.
This time the Government listened Land was purchased at Whenuapai, Woodbourne and Ohakea and suitable work began to establish the right environment for the Air Force.
In 1938 a new experimental programme was begun where the Government allocated certain territories to the Air Force sub-species with the invitation for any unkown members of the species to gather to defend that territory. This was the setting up of the Territorial Air Force. Hundreds of previously unknown Air Force gathered at Wigram, Hobsonville and Rongotai over the next year and the authorities realised they'd really started something, and there really were many more members of the sub-species out there than they thought.
So, in late 1939 a huge expansion plan began and suddenly new habitats were springing up all over New Zealand - which they dubbed stations. Each of these new stations, and there were many dozens of them, attracted literally hundreds of Air Force men and women. By 1945 there had been over 50, 000 Air Force members recognised under the programme. It had been so successful there were offshore captive breeding programmes also dotted around Air Force stations in the Pacific and Europe. Others of our Air Force sub-species were allowed to mix with Air Froce of other nations to study results, and this was found to always be beneficial to those other foreign stations.
However, a change in policy saw a devastating blow hit the now thriving species. Funding was removed for the upkeep of all but a handful of the stations. As there was no longer the environment for them to live, most Air Force were forced back into general society with devastating effects. Without their own special environment, and without others of the species arounfd them, co-habitation with civilians (the scientific name for the riff raff that is general society), it was found the civilian held the dominant gene and were able to break the will of the Air Force releasees. Most Air Force quickly began to assymilate to civilian life, leaving their own culture and traits behind.
Only a handful of the original Air Force remained in captivity for future study - but it seemed that even after the disaserous mixing of civilians with the Air Force strain virtually wiped out most of the Air Force race, certain things remained. Though outwardly accting as civilians, most ex-Air Force would be found in a bar reminiscing about their Air Force Station days, and how they missed it. They would also gather every year on April 25th to remember those who had not made it through to the postwar release.
And the gene remained even with interbreeding, and even though it is recessive, every now and then there is an Air Force boy or girl born into a civilian family.
Of course most Air Force couples have Air Force children too, though some have had throwbacks who have been purely civilian.
How To Recognise The Air Force
There are several factors first noted by the early researchers such as Wigram and Bettingdon, that make the Air Force sub-species stand out genetically from the rest of the civilian population. Here are some of the more common ones.
- Hair - the length of the hair of Air Force memebrs does not grow any longer than what is tidy. They also have very little facial hair, though some older males and some female Mess staff have moustaches.
- Fitness - the general physical fitness of the Air Force is better than the civilian population, though not as high as similar sub-species with the Army and the Navy genes.
- High IQ - tests show all Air Force members have a much higher acerage IQ than the civilian population
- Clothing - the Air Force has a distinct dress, as do any other cultures. The Dutch have clogs, the French berets, the Air Force have their smart blue uniforms, unlike any other found in the civilian population.
- Language - the Air Force has its own language, this is undisputed. Most non-air force will recognise most of it but there is a huge raft of worda and phonetics that only Air Force know the meaning of. This in itself is worth preservation - there has been many millions of dollars spent over many years to preserve and promote Maori (to little avail I might add) yet this is a neglected language that is much more easily learned and fast dying out.
- Habitat. A fully encouraged Air Force person will settle on what used to be called a Station but is now more PC to call a Base. This is a well designed, safe and pleasant environment that is totally self-contained and without any of the crime or mayhem of the civilian towns. They are also always well ket and tidy, and the citizens who live there, the Air Force, are always friendly, polite, intelligent, and smart when seen walking around the Base in formation or singlely.
These Bases are under extreme threat from lack of willingness from successive Governments to help preserve this habitat. Over the years they have been whittled down to just four locations, two of which are currently in danger of being overun and built on by the more dominant civilian population. What is the Department of Conservation doing? Nothing. What is the Ministry of Defence doing? Nothing. No - it is Government's own Ministry of Housing that is to eradicate the species from the upper north island. Those Air Force currently living in that safe habitat will be either relocated to the overcrowded Ohakea Base sanctuary or be released into the wild, to live in oppression again by the civil powers.
You Can Help
Why do we stand by and let this happen? We could not save the Dinosaurs. We could not save the Moas. But we still can save the Air Force. There must be a way, before its too late.
So if you care, if you want to save this rare and endangered species which is scientifically proven to be smarter, braver, friendlier and tidier than your nextdoor neighbour, you can help now.
Please post a cheque made out to
Conservation And Saving History (or C.A.S.H.) to me now.
Minimum, $20
;D ;D
