Crunchie train to visit Ohakune

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 10, Issue 484, 4 May 1993, Page 1

Crunchie train to visit Ohakune

Waimarino children will soon get the chance to take a ride on a steam train that's on a national tour raising money for children with life-threat-ening illnesses. On the tracks during May, the Cadbury Crunchie Train tour will travel through 59 towns around the country giving children rides in return for product wrappers handed in before boardihg. Cadbury Confectionery senior product manager Troy Morrison said the Crunchie Train tour will give children the chance to see how New Zealanders used to travel and at the same time help raise funds for the 'Make-A-Wish' Foundation. "We're very excited about taking the train on this national tour as we bring a piece of New

Zealand's past back to the present". "All that children have to do is bring along one Crunchie bar wrapper as their special 'boarding

Nostalgia aboimded in Waiouru last week when the Queen Elizabeth Army Memorial Museum received help from three retired signallers. The men volunteered to assist with the identification and cataloguing of the museum's signals equipment. "We've had lots of surprises," said W02 John Davis (retired). "There's all sorts of gear here. We've even identified Chinese equipment!"

The trio are all members of the New Zealand Signals Association Incorporated, an organisation formed to foster fellowship between retired and serving members of the Royal New Zealand Corps Of Signals. Staff at the museum gratefully accepted the association's offer of assistance to identify communications gear previously stored at Mangaroa. The three men travelled from Taupo,

Auckland and Christchurch to once again sample the 'delights' of Waiouru weather. "It's certainly stirred up the grey matter. We've found such a range of equipment, including German and Italian, from World War One and Two. We suspect we've even found a wireless made in a Prisoner of War camp," said Captain Neil Bygate (rtd). WOl Frank Pawley (rtd) is secretary for the association and he's been photographing any items, like the cigar case wireless, which the trio have been unsure of. "The photos will go into our newsletter. There's bound to be someone out there who knows the story on this one because we remember seeing it at the School of Signals when we were there," said Frank Pawley. "Most of this we'd seen before. A lot of it we used. The next phase is to set up some working stations. This is the valve era. Technicians are no longer trained in valve theory so

we'll probably be called on again for our experience." In five days the team catalogued over 200 items of equipment. and were unable to identify only five items Museum staff are enthusiastic about the value of such help and will be inviting the association's volunteers back again; firstly to complete the cataloguing (three containers have still to be opened) and

then to make up complete working systems. "With all the museum displays we try to have them actually running. These guys have been great. They used the stuff and they can often identify sets straight away. It has saved us a lot of work going through books," said Corporal Steve Vartha, assistant registrar for the museum.

Gold train

From page 1 pass'," he said. "In return, we'll take them for about a 10-minute trip through history and give 10 cents per wrapper to 'Make-A-Wish' - the national charity that makes wishes come true for children with life-threat-ening illnesses. Morrison said that the company developed the idea for the train tour after receiving calls from the public about the Crunchie advertisement

that features a steam train and a 'goldrush' theme. "The callers wanted to know where we got the train from and where they could go to take a ride with their families". "So we decided instead we'd take the train to them - and even though it's not the same train featured in the advertisement, it's similar". The Cadbury Crunchie Train tour will be in Ohakune at 4.15pm on Thursday 20 May.