R.S.A. REUNION

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 66, 9 November 1931, Page 4

R.S.A. REUNION

ANNUAI7 DlMNER "bldfeER'^'' i GA^HiR TO -KENE^ friendshTp^ Mfcf b'6N6uR COMRADES "LARGE NUMBER PRESENT Ab&ut 150 dX-service mei? gathered at the. Geyser Hotel on Friday eveifi fig for the.fifth ar^qual, re-uftitfrt dinnpr;held bjy .thp ^otoru©; • Returnqd ' , Soidiers' ,4.ssociai^op.; iThe ey^niqg Wa's presided , over hy. MajqX P* Knight, "jvhq \n .the ..QOiiirse-of ;a shoyt addresS bef ope prop;osing, thq toast to "absept. comrqdes/' ap»lqgigedri tfor , ;tne absence of the presi^eptf-.Majqr ; •R. I., Dansey, -vyho is.ycry, bqsy jn Weil^ngfo'u on the' pfoblem qf h'atiye unempfoyment ifle^dfoMvuriable ,fo attend tne reunipm . . , Majqr DapseSv however, . senf his gr eetings and gdo^ .w^hes^o^e dlggers. . . The eyehing open.ed witK, a selectiorr by the Diggersy drch'estfa/ who; uhdef the.capuble leadefshi^ bf ilK' H. 3: Heafey", gave kri qislcdjlerit r'errderin'g. 6£ "i^ii^g (Eileirfiergf ! 'ahd folldwbd* this •vt'ith afi ehcdrehum5- « b'er. , , t v E Mad'bt Khiglrt said tfia't lt ^ahgfalr1 , ijfymg.tb see sq htamy di^erd presenf: : Th!e assbcidtioii heb'ded sfui)Joft,' h'b added, and as many there' whre hot 1 i rbem'b'efs- he ho'pe'd- that they Would ! all ioih up: He" then ^elcome'd the" i [ visitors. ■ • The"1 first toast of the evening.was ' t6 the King", pfopose'd- b'f th'e" chaifrhari, and all hfdsehf hbri'bufe'd it viith enthusiasm. i . In prbpbsihg the toast t6 "Absdht Gomrades," Major Knight made spec- i j ial reference to , Major W. I. Sumher ! Who . had been an , active member bf , .the.association ahd had.endeared him- i i self tq all;. "Thcrej are sever arl! who « i have answered .the last dalLsince. ,our s ilast reunion,-".he Said, "and I- call on ; J you all to dfink- a- toast ih their hoir- ' • ohr." i : Brave'ry of Mid^sh'fp'meii ! . The' neit toast' Was' that of "The j [Royal Na'vyV whfcli waS pfb^osed hy ; Mr. Pat Ll'byd, a fofmef .staff ser- | geant-maibr in Bqtqfua." Mr. Lfdy'd1 \ said that although the; soldief exe- ' : ment predominated all must apprec'iate the v'alue" of the havy ahd the part it took in the Great W[ar. He r'ef err ed to sbme of the deeds of the j fnavy during the war, especially the ; ' bravery of the . young t midshipmen ; d'uring the lapding at Gallipoli, , i Mr. R. H. Reed, in reply, said that ,the navy was noted fo£ its silence— j ^b. long as it was , well , treated; he i a'dded with a , smjle. He then out- ; lined- sonie of his own experjences j in the navy, mentioning the Wowihg j ,up* of the battle^hip .Yahguqrd, at . Scapa* Flow, and how little the. pqblic | [had heard of the happenin'g: . This,,- « | he said, was an* example of ^he sil- ; • ence of the navy, which did great j :things ahd suffered great hardships,-. j but . the outer world knqw littlq oi j /their life. He thanked Mr. Lloyd f or • (his words and the diggers for their > maghihcenf rbspohse tb; tjie toqsf . „ ; . Bfoposi'n'g th'b'toahf bf "Tfre Army?" ' ;Df. H. Bbrtfaih Said. that in fhese jtiihcs bf gea'cA societies.; b'eace hh'ioh's ' ; ahd sihiilar ohgahisafions, th'e atti- • ; tude of the' b'e'ople" tov/aVd the* Ai riiy • had chaiige'd' ffom whaf it Was1 a feW 5 , ye'ats'' ago: Eoihe ef-en- exfiresdfed1 the ; '* olpihioft' that' there Was nbw i^o rieed . for ari' a*rriiy. TH'ese forgot its fu'ric- | tioris. - if the'y 1'6'ok'ed , back" oh wh'rit the' : arriiy hds bebri1 to, ffie riatibh , th'ei/ ; would chari'gfe their VieWs: Pebf)lte ;; were thh" sani'e a§ fh'ey ha'd ever bbi'bri1 ; ah'd th'ey wbuld ri'bWdr chari'^e .Ibng as human feelin^ b^i^ted. fridi'viduals. cb veted' thirigs; ari'd' a h'ati'oh c'ov- ' eted a couritry arid' that Was the' rOhson,, they hatf tb have ah' army. The afmy, Dr:. Beftrarii said',' Wa's first organised for defence but was later used fbf offeri'ce. "Nbw Zealand covets no man's country, but that is qot' tq say thrit riO" ohe'.wbqid' li^e NeW EeaMrid1, ari'd' it is for this reasori thaf we hhv'e" th be pfepared to* prof ecrt it agriihst iftva'dels5. The' likelih'oqd *6f an'bthbr ,Waf riever passe's", sb if We Whfttl'e db'Wri our afpiy Wb' ar'e orily addirig tb' bur own' dariger. Thesb' brbthefhqO'ds' ate.ari t'osh. "VV'e" Will1 nb't' iriiix. by iriaVfiagV with th'e c'oldurbd ridtibris ahd5 WitHo'ut' iritermafrikge,; flius foiWirig' a cb'mm'bri rarie/ thefe can ri'evbr 6'e A griararifee of pefbetUal- pbWcb. , , Captain Shrirhi' sbbfetrir'y bf the Auckland' bfaribh' oi thri N.Z'.RVS.A., } replied' ori Behalf bf the afriiy." I ll rifri ari' irifkritrym'ariV" Idid Mr. C. Mitchell',1 wh'eri bhb'rihsihg^he thhst' to thd Royal Air Fofce',' "ahd t ahi5 I suf e bfh'efs' corild spealc ori1 th'd sub[ject fai* b'ettbr thari* 1." He' tAefit 3 briefly oritlihed. the effecti'veribsir bf t a'er oplaries dUririg^ the w'at iri; Sabirigf 'the riieh ori th'b gforirid. He rilsb ; spoke" bf the' great braVery of th5e ?aifitteft' who facdd5 uritoid darigers, *often" alorib ari'd unsuppofted/ JcribWi ing full w'ell that oriV slih' Worild1 m'eah' ja1 terrible death. They were wofthiy' of the toast- he propOs'edV h'fr' cdriclu'ded; . , , Repiyirig on- beHalf bf thfe". Ro'yal Air For.ce, Maj'or J. H'.- HefrOld,- sup- ; plemented Ca'htain Sharp's fbriidrks jby telling of the great riisks" tdkeri:by air men: Wahderful wdrlc bf Dbctors j "if riee'ds ri'o" Wprdd of miri'e1 tb1 tell"' *of th'b W'oriderful woYkf dbrie' hy ttie"' Imedicar ari'd ririfsiri^ staff^/' said ,Mf\ rWis'ey Vice-phesTde'rit of Hib Aricklarid'' SR.S'.A:,' WKeri a tohst iri theil? h'orio'rif. He told" bf th'e' great good' they ditf arid' afe"' stilt doirig^ . jftfiJ'- cbricltldeci, -vfith th'e rerii'afk that/Ml it ri'oVhe'bri1 Ifofthririi, ribfha^ps' iifty7 rief" beftf/ bf thbsfe" rif es'e'iit' would' rievriF hdvb1 af-; tferided this1 feuriibh (rip$laii£e() . An ariritbpfiate' ?£§[ $ -Wds' inari'e' h^' Dr. g*. H. Hdy/ whb' todd bbmfe' hdmbribiis' stbfi'ed bf fhb! xribdicaf Mir- ! vice" duririg tli'd wa?. Thd fohsf to th'b" vi^i6)ris Wris' rifbpos'ed' by Mf.' S'.' L.: Pdtefsori rind' f.bplfed' t'o' by Mr. T.: M. EbherJiS;, wh'd japologised for the ribsence bf Mr. d.' ' Bqddle, pr'eside'nt bf the Rbt'aYy Cliih JwhoSb place' h'e ha'd taken iri" his' ab- ' s'en'cei Replibs1 were' alSo' mhd'b 6y Mr? A.- Rv Ryder arid' Mr'. Seatori' (Matar rriafa) Betw,eeh- the- toast ifbttiS' were' ren-' dered- hy' some" pf .th'e' diggers" pr ei-' ! qent,-. , these' inclridirig- gbrfgsV "The' ; Deathless* Army," and ."Boys bf ihe* 1 Gld- Brigade;" by Mr.' J.- H: Thomhri; Huiriororis items;' selected; by Mf W.* (A.- Hurrih;- sbhgs; sel'ectedV by Mf. 3. | J.vBUchari r aritt- & xylbj^hbifb sblS'/ hy iMr.- D.* McLenribn: . GbriairiMitj? s6riTg5d Were also sung including riiariY of the old War-time favourites, and the

erithusiastic way in whichT they wefb jrbndered add'fed greatly tb' thd" briJoyirient- of th'e- everifrig.A toast tb' thd arti'sts' was prbpbM'- \ ed by Dr; W.- S'.' Wallis fbr tKeir" ash l sistaifbe' d'uring th'b' eyemrig4 arid; wri's 'r'eplied" td by Mr. J.* H:' HeallS^y WKp- ' asstifbd the"" diggfers' the aftists' wbre orily' thb' pfaed tb assist- With' thb ' programmeV t , A- fbhst to th'b arfists' Wa's"' rirb^bg51 prd jjbsed' fy Mri. J; D. Paiht'6fi| who • a'ddb'd' that Miv 6'dlbraith douid hWe 'sridVe*drid effbft' to' iriake the'.evbriirig *sric1f ari1 outgtandiri^ slfbbess.; He • cpririfbd With thl§' tbasf-' th'e rihfrid of ;Mrs. Galbraith. I • ffrr Gall^aiGf s'ribrikirig di'sd foi • h[i#' Wif e,: tKaftlbld fflSr. Painfbii' fof Kis j'kin'diy reriiarks dridwa^ gfadthafthiE ^everiirig Kad- bfeeri" a' jfteabririt ohb > dCheers)V « - . • - ( TKb sirigiiig bf the Natibnhl' JSSP them brought the evening to a close