TRAINING ENDED

Marlborough Express, Volume LXXVI, Issue 240, 12 October 1942, Page 4

TRAINING ENDED

P ASSIN G - OUT OF W.A.A.C.S. CEREMONIAL PARADE. Attractive and businesslike in their battledress and caps, women trainees at the School of Artillery showed how ceremonial drill should be done when a special parade was held at Wellington to mark the passing out of the first qualified trainees from the ranks of the W.A.A.C. in New Zealand. The function was attended by the Governor -General (Sir Cyril Newall) and Lady Newall, and the Prime Minister (Mr Fraser). and Mrs Fraser, and others present included the Minister for Defence (Mr Jones), the Hon. Adam Hamilton, member of the War Cahinet, the Mayor (Mr Hislop), and Mrs Hislop, LieutenantGeneral E. Puttick and Mrs Puttick, and the Commandant of the W.A.A.C. (Mrs V. Jowett) .

The girls — their average age is m the early twenties — paraded in three detachments, 130 strong, under the command of Cq,ptain H. Oram, thejr instructor. Of these 27 passed out, after six weeks' intensive training in radio location work. They will be posted to units all over the Dominion, and will act as instructors. The parade ground work of this command was a credit to them. Precision, smartness, and splendid bearing marked every movement, from the simple routine during inspectioii to the march past in review order. After the march past the official party inspected the girls at work on the radio location apparatus, and subsequently the whole parade was addressed by his Excellency and the Prime Minister. A CREDIT TO THE ARMY. His Excellency congratulated them on their soldierly bearing and their parade ground work. They were, he said, a credit to the New Zealand Army. He reminded those who were passing out that they would go all over .New Zealand as ambassadors of the W.A.A.C. in their particular class of work. They must set a high

standard, and it would be for those who followed them to achieve that standard. "Yqur work is closely akin to that of your sisters in England," said his Excellency. "Those sisters of yours in the Old Country — I am thinking of those attached to my own arm of the forces — put up a magnificent show. Y have seen them in aerodromes that had been bombed to pieces, working . at their instruments and setting a fine example. It was their work that was one of the, predominating fac,tors in the defence of Britain. I have no doubt you will maintain that standard." Mr Fraser added his congratulaticns to those of his Excellency. He said he wished to underline what his Excellency , had said about their responsibilities, and he , wa.s confident they would make a great contribution to the defence of the country.