Post by Dave Homewood on Feb 24, 2007 16:07:15 GMT 12
Yesterday's attack on the Gisborne Army recruitment centre got me thinking about other attacks made on our military, especially the RNZAF, in the past.
I've mentioned this before long ago, but I found this on the net at an Auckland University webpage:
www.auckland.ac.nz/uoa/aup/book/big-smoke1.cfm
It's referring to 20th of August 1969
"The Bower brothers blow up the Fox St RNZAF depot in Parnell as part of radical protests against involvement in Viet Nam. They are jailed for four and five years. 'Within twelve months there were thirteen bombing attacks on military bases and conservative establishments throughout the country. Two dynamite bombs for the Fox Street airforce base where gear used for and from Vietnam is often stored. A smoke bomb for the Wellington Security Service. A dynamite bomb for the Auckland Supreme Court. A firebomb for the Navy Recruiting Centre in Jean Batten Place. A dynamite bomb outside the Intercontinental during Agnew's visit. A dynamite bomb in the Domain during Anzac Day. A dynamite bomb (which failed to explode) for the army storehouse at Ardmore. A firebomb into the Army Recruiting Centre in Wakefield Street. A firebomb into the Auckland Rugby HQ during the All Black trials for South Africa. A brick and ball-bearing grenade for Truth. And last but not least a firebomb for [Van Russeyvelt]'s bedroom after an ideological split between radical groups.' Shadbolt, Bullshit & Jellybeans (1971)."
And on another page I found this:
www.nzepc.auckland.ac.nz/authors/brunton/brief/bourke.asp
The words are from Chris Bourke during an interview:
"I walked down Parnell Road, and I was down near the Hearst’s chocolate factory. There used to be that big grey wall and suddenly coming up Parnell Rise towards me were flashing lights. The police are coming up the hill and they all screech to a halt right beside me! I’m really jumpy by this point what’s going on? Hoping there’s nothing in my pockets, a primal fear; you’d get six months for having a few grams of marijuana in your pocket. That was quite a fearful thing, you felt (throat-cutting sound). So out of vans come guys behind torches, with dogs. The dogs are crawling all over me, I’m thrashed around to the wall, hands up against the wall, total top to bottom search. Orifices, cavities are searched, they’re yelling and screaming something at me I don’t recognise. Who knows how long that goes on for, with these (makes slobbering dog noises) licking. OOHH! And suddenly it all stops, they go away. And I had no idea where they came from, what they wanted, what on earth was going on. Suddenly the police had just descended on me out of nowhere. So I get home finally, I’m living in Adams Terrace, not much further from the Hearst chocolate factory, and they tell me that there was an explosion at the RNZAF base, a little camp thing there in Parnell, just a couple of corners around at the bottom of the hill. There’d been a dynamite explosion. It was tossed out as a torch that I guess in the fantasy of these guys was going to ignite the mass revolution. They’d finally had to meet the consequences of their own beliefs and their own theories. If it was a matter of authentic belief in the theory you had to go out and ignite the flame that would start the revolution."
When I was based at Auckland in 1989 my Flight Sergeant was Dac Meyer, and I recall him telling me of when he'd joined the RNZAF in 1969 they had no end of trouble with peace protesters assaulting them. RNZAF Woodbourne straddles a main highway (SH6) and the recruit schol (then GSTS) is on the opporsite side of the road from the main base where the Airman's Mess is. In those days they had to cross the road (later an underpass tunnel was built under the road for safety's sake).
Dac said as they'd be marched across the road to go to the Mess, etc, these hippies who'd camped out there would through rotten fruit at them, spit at them and on occassion hit them. The airmen were not allowed to retailate, and as Dac said he'd never joined up to go to Vietnam anyway, he wasn't for the war either.
This sort of action is rotten, blaming innocents. They'd obviously just joined so had never been to Vietnam. Most were not likely too either.
I recall being in Auckland in 1990 when the largest anti-Gulf War march through Queen Street was on. Some of the 'peace' people were very aggressive and a lot of them seemed like they were only there for a fight with the police. I was mystified why peace protesters get so violent. That protest had a nasty outcome for Whenuapai as an LAC female had walked in the march in uniform. On the Monday she was discharged from the RNZAF in disgrace. It was then it really sank in that we were all allowed an opinion but we were not allowed to express it in public. I was between two minds, though I am against war and hate the thought of it, i supported NZ's actions in sending RNZAF and army units, and I was also not unhappy that 75 Squadron was going - which did not eventuate as Labour was in...
Even if I was against the war - like i am with the current debacle that Bush and Blair are in - I would not go punch some poor serviceman or blow up his depot. What does that solve? It goes against the princles of peace in my opinion.
What do you think of these events? Do you know of other non-peaceful peace protests against the RNZAF?
Were certain high profile anti-war protesters who're now running the country involved in these bombings I wonder?
I've mentioned this before long ago, but I found this on the net at an Auckland University webpage:
www.auckland.ac.nz/uoa/aup/book/big-smoke1.cfm
It's referring to 20th of August 1969
"The Bower brothers blow up the Fox St RNZAF depot in Parnell as part of radical protests against involvement in Viet Nam. They are jailed for four and five years. 'Within twelve months there were thirteen bombing attacks on military bases and conservative establishments throughout the country. Two dynamite bombs for the Fox Street airforce base where gear used for and from Vietnam is often stored. A smoke bomb for the Wellington Security Service. A dynamite bomb for the Auckland Supreme Court. A firebomb for the Navy Recruiting Centre in Jean Batten Place. A dynamite bomb outside the Intercontinental during Agnew's visit. A dynamite bomb in the Domain during Anzac Day. A dynamite bomb (which failed to explode) for the army storehouse at Ardmore. A firebomb into the Army Recruiting Centre in Wakefield Street. A firebomb into the Auckland Rugby HQ during the All Black trials for South Africa. A brick and ball-bearing grenade for Truth. And last but not least a firebomb for [Van Russeyvelt]'s bedroom after an ideological split between radical groups.' Shadbolt, Bullshit & Jellybeans (1971)."
And on another page I found this:
www.nzepc.auckland.ac.nz/authors/brunton/brief/bourke.asp
The words are from Chris Bourke during an interview:
"I walked down Parnell Road, and I was down near the Hearst’s chocolate factory. There used to be that big grey wall and suddenly coming up Parnell Rise towards me were flashing lights. The police are coming up the hill and they all screech to a halt right beside me! I’m really jumpy by this point what’s going on? Hoping there’s nothing in my pockets, a primal fear; you’d get six months for having a few grams of marijuana in your pocket. That was quite a fearful thing, you felt (throat-cutting sound). So out of vans come guys behind torches, with dogs. The dogs are crawling all over me, I’m thrashed around to the wall, hands up against the wall, total top to bottom search. Orifices, cavities are searched, they’re yelling and screaming something at me I don’t recognise. Who knows how long that goes on for, with these (makes slobbering dog noises) licking. OOHH! And suddenly it all stops, they go away. And I had no idea where they came from, what they wanted, what on earth was going on. Suddenly the police had just descended on me out of nowhere. So I get home finally, I’m living in Adams Terrace, not much further from the Hearst chocolate factory, and they tell me that there was an explosion at the RNZAF base, a little camp thing there in Parnell, just a couple of corners around at the bottom of the hill. There’d been a dynamite explosion. It was tossed out as a torch that I guess in the fantasy of these guys was going to ignite the mass revolution. They’d finally had to meet the consequences of their own beliefs and their own theories. If it was a matter of authentic belief in the theory you had to go out and ignite the flame that would start the revolution."
When I was based at Auckland in 1989 my Flight Sergeant was Dac Meyer, and I recall him telling me of when he'd joined the RNZAF in 1969 they had no end of trouble with peace protesters assaulting them. RNZAF Woodbourne straddles a main highway (SH6) and the recruit schol (then GSTS) is on the opporsite side of the road from the main base where the Airman's Mess is. In those days they had to cross the road (later an underpass tunnel was built under the road for safety's sake).
Dac said as they'd be marched across the road to go to the Mess, etc, these hippies who'd camped out there would through rotten fruit at them, spit at them and on occassion hit them. The airmen were not allowed to retailate, and as Dac said he'd never joined up to go to Vietnam anyway, he wasn't for the war either.
This sort of action is rotten, blaming innocents. They'd obviously just joined so had never been to Vietnam. Most were not likely too either.
I recall being in Auckland in 1990 when the largest anti-Gulf War march through Queen Street was on. Some of the 'peace' people were very aggressive and a lot of them seemed like they were only there for a fight with the police. I was mystified why peace protesters get so violent. That protest had a nasty outcome for Whenuapai as an LAC female had walked in the march in uniform. On the Monday she was discharged from the RNZAF in disgrace. It was then it really sank in that we were all allowed an opinion but we were not allowed to express it in public. I was between two minds, though I am against war and hate the thought of it, i supported NZ's actions in sending RNZAF and army units, and I was also not unhappy that 75 Squadron was going - which did not eventuate as Labour was in...
Even if I was against the war - like i am with the current debacle that Bush and Blair are in - I would not go punch some poor serviceman or blow up his depot. What does that solve? It goes against the princles of peace in my opinion.
What do you think of these events? Do you know of other non-peaceful peace protests against the RNZAF?
Were certain high profile anti-war protesters who're now running the country involved in these bombings I wonder?
