Post by ngatimozart on Aug 16, 2013 13:16:54 GMT 12
All of us who have had the privilige to serve in the Armed Forces had to undertake a recruit or basic training course. What would be interesting is peoples stories of their introduction to service live. This thread has been sparked by comments I read recently on a Facebook page about RNZN Basic Common Training today, which is what all their new recruits do. Apparently if a recruit is feeling not up do doing a particular task or evolution they can take a pink card and have a rest and / or go to the Timeout room. Choke, mutter, mutter, mutter, swear. It most definitely was not like that when I did my Airman Recruit Course at GSTS, RNZAF Base Wigram in 1974 and my RNZNVR Basic Common Training at HMNZS Tamaki in 1990. On either course if I'd tried a trick like that, I'd have got a kick up the jacksy and that would've been the least of my worries.
I joined the RNZAF on 30th June 1974 at Wigram as a Clk PA u/t. I had travelled up from Gore the day before, by train at the age of 17 years and 8 months. I'd managed to have a few tinnies on the train, to make the journey go quicker, but not to many as they charged like a wounded bull for their beer. So around 6.30pm I was on the platform at the Christchurch train station (now demolished) cold and wondering what was next. There was a GSI Cpl there so they bundled us into a bus and took us to Wigram and put us into barracks for the night. They were reasonably polite and the next day No 91 Airman Recruit Course was attested and all politeness disappeared. My dad and uncles had given me some advice and warning of what to expect and I had been to boarding school, but that still didn't diminsh the shock and confusion that one went through at the start. Being young and coming from a rural area I thought I could swear, but after the first two days at GSTS I realised that I was a mere babe compared to the GSIs. Today I can only recall the names of three GSIs: Cpl Piggy McKay, Sgt Ian Martin, and WO1 Terry Wereta. About the same time I was also wondering what hell I had got myself into.
Then there was this marching lark and usually at the double everywhere with a Cpl GSI yelling and swearing and all the usual things GSIs like to do. We went to the clothing store for clothing issue which took up most of the day and one had to sign for aforementioned official RNZAF stores. Some of the clothing made sense to us at first glance, some didn't. Here I feel a bit hard done by. We were supposed to be issued a Housewife , Qty 1, but we weren't and when I went into the Navy got didled out of one there too
No time for normal life it was 0600 wakeup, showers, make bedpacks, clean barracks, breakfast, inspection, drill, PT, drill, inspection, classes, drill, lunch somewhere in between, drill etc., right through to lights out at 2200. Everything done at the double. If one person stuffed up the who group got the punishment. If someone farted everybody got punished. Pressups were a favourite. Or running around with rifles held above your head. The discipline wasn't harsh - harder than the rest of the RNZAF though and at start we all fingers and thumbs and wrong footed. But after a while things would start to click and marching in step became easier. To be continued.
I joined the RNZAF on 30th June 1974 at Wigram as a Clk PA u/t. I had travelled up from Gore the day before, by train at the age of 17 years and 8 months. I'd managed to have a few tinnies on the train, to make the journey go quicker, but not to many as they charged like a wounded bull for their beer. So around 6.30pm I was on the platform at the Christchurch train station (now demolished) cold and wondering what was next. There was a GSI Cpl there so they bundled us into a bus and took us to Wigram and put us into barracks for the night. They were reasonably polite and the next day No 91 Airman Recruit Course was attested and all politeness disappeared. My dad and uncles had given me some advice and warning of what to expect and I had been to boarding school, but that still didn't diminsh the shock and confusion that one went through at the start. Being young and coming from a rural area I thought I could swear, but after the first two days at GSTS I realised that I was a mere babe compared to the GSIs. Today I can only recall the names of three GSIs: Cpl Piggy McKay, Sgt Ian Martin, and WO1 Terry Wereta. About the same time I was also wondering what hell I had got myself into.
Then there was this marching lark and usually at the double everywhere with a Cpl GSI yelling and swearing and all the usual things GSIs like to do. We went to the clothing store for clothing issue which took up most of the day and one had to sign for aforementioned official RNZAF stores. Some of the clothing made sense to us at first glance, some didn't. Here I feel a bit hard done by. We were supposed to be issued a Housewife , Qty 1, but we weren't and when I went into the Navy got didled out of one there too
No time for normal life it was 0600 wakeup, showers, make bedpacks, clean barracks, breakfast, inspection, drill, PT, drill, inspection, classes, drill, lunch somewhere in between, drill etc., right through to lights out at 2200. Everything done at the double. If one person stuffed up the who group got the punishment. If someone farted everybody got punished. Pressups were a favourite. Or running around with rifles held above your head. The discipline wasn't harsh - harder than the rest of the RNZAF though and at start we all fingers and thumbs and wrong footed. But after a while things would start to click and marching in step became easier. To be continued.
