RSA stalwarts farewelled

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 12, Issue 577, 14 March 1995, Page 13

RSA stalwarts farewelled

The Ohakune braneh of the New Zealand Returned Services Association held its Annual General Meeting in the Ohakune Club on Saturday 1 1 March. Long-serving member and president of the Ohakune branch for the past 24-years, Ces Allerby, retired when another senior member, Gordon McNie, agreed to take over the reins as a 'Caretaker President' until a new constitution is drawn up to allow for the position of president to be occupied by other than a Returned Service member. All Returned Service members (those who served in the armed forces in a war zone during hostilities) in the Ohakune branch arenowin

their 70' s and 80' s and in order to elect a president from the younger ranks of Service members (those who served in the forces in New Zealand such as the territorials, compulsory military intake etc during the post- war years) a change in the RSA constitution will be necessary. A special meeting to draw up a new constitution to facilitate this change will be held as soon as practical. At its AGM last Saturday the following appointments

were made: Acting president Gordon McNie; Patron Ces Allerby; Committee members Dennis Beytagh, Des Evans, Glen Ennis, Noel Richardson, Ross Saywell, Pat Whale; Secretary Noeline Churton. Following the aftemoon AGM a social evening and dinner was held for RSA members and their partners in the upstairs lounge of the Ohakune Club. The 3-course meal was provided by Lil Shanks. During the evening two new Service members were presented with their badges. They were Bruce Thompson and Ben Goddard. A third member Graham Dixon was unable to be present due to illness. Also during the evening ex-president Ces Allerby and his wife Ethel were presented with a large framed photograph of Ohakune and Mt Ruapehu (taken by Errol Vincent) to adorn their new home in Turangi. The engraved plaque read: 'To Ces Allerby in recognition of his services to the Ohakune RSA.'