WHAT IS THE LEGION OF FRONTIERSMEN?

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 13, Issue 58, 28 February 1949, Page 4

WHAT IS THE LEGION OF FRONTIERSMEN?

Since the recent man hunt which \ followed the shooting tragedy at Poroporo many have wondered about the organisation that played such a big part in it—the Legion of Frontiersmen. What are they? Who are they and why do they exist? Inquiries amongst local citizens revealed a surprising ignorance, so the Beacon chatted with one of the Legion’s ardent supporters and he supplied the answers. What are the Frontiersmen? They are a voluntary, self-gov-erning, self-supporting body, a great patriotic society with no political creed but that of Empire. They are banded together as brotherhood of men, who have striven for, and know the Empire, from having seen themselves. Today there are Frontiersmen in all parts of the world, not militant war seekers, but men who are ready to stand for the Empire, should the necessity arise. With that aim, their desire is to be organised ancf prepared, and to. strive as far as time and circumstances permit, to keep fit and ready for any emergency. “God Guard Thee” the motto of ’ that great Frontiersman, General Gordon, of Khartoum, xhey have adopted as their own. What Do They Do? They aim to maintain an efficient * organisation, available on call during any emergency. It is worthy of note that 20 minutes after being notified, the first party of Frontiersmen, armed and equipped, reported for duty, following the recent shooting tragedy at Poroporo. The Whakatane Squadron has 12 members sworn in as Fire Police to assist when required at fires, and the full 30 odd members’ services are freely availed of by local bodies for traffic control, and other emergency duties. Conference and reunion of the Legion of Frontiersmen is to be held this year at Whakatane, on June 4. There will be about two hundred Frontiersmen from all parts of New Zealand gathered in the town for the King’s Birthday week-end.