Top Army couple note Waiouru's changes

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 13, Issue 620, 23 January 1996, Page 5

Top Army couple note Waiouru's

changes

By

Michele

Monaghan

The Army Training Group in Waiouru had a change of command recently with Colonel Ray Seymour, MBE, taking over from Colonel Roger Mortlock, OBE. Col Seymour has been posted to Waiouru on several occasions and he and his wife Belle shared some of their memories with the Bulletin for its readers. "Housing was so difficult to get in those days ( 1 970). The closest we could get was Utiku. That was before the deviation was through. I think we were one of the first to go through the deviation," said Mrs Seymour. The Seymours possibly made more history when they were the first family to own a colour television set in the camp ( 1 974). "It was good — we had no problems getting baby-sitters," Col Seymour laughed. A vividmemoryisChristmasDay 1975. A heavy hailstorm justified lots of film footage to give the illusion of a white Christmas. But on Boxing day 1975, it really did snow! Of course there was no film left. The eruption of Mount Ngauruhoe on 20February 1 975 and the instant ash cloud added to the couples memories. "It was thick. Abou't half an inch in very quick time," Col Seymour said. An earthquake in the 70's is also remembered vividly. "There were waves rolling along Weir Terrace." The camp housing has changed.

"In the eariy seventies the houses weren' t insulated and we were invited to insulate our own. The Ministry of Works, as they were in those days, dropped off the required amount of 'Batts' and you did it yourself," Colonel Seymour said simply. Another home fix-it job involved getting a new single laundry sink to replace the old double concrete one. The MoW delivered the stainless steel sink complete with PVC piping and hemp rope for 'user' installation. The sink went in fine, but Col Seymour still has half a bag of plastic piping left over from the plumbing job. With the old open fires winters in W aiouru could be vicious. The winter of '75 proved particularly so with a winter' s worth of wood being burnt in two weeks, the Seymours remember. "It was nothing to wake up to ice in the insides of the windows," Mrs Seymour said "I don't know what it's like now, but we used to (have to) go to Taumarunui to get wood. It was just about a two day job to get there and load it by hand," Col Seymour added. Coal was delivered by the wagon load and people were given 12 hours to unload their wagons and fill up their coal bins. Col Seymour and his wife will have plenty of wood this winter, but may find it a little tough as they have just returned from three years in Malaysia where Col Seymour was the defence advisor. The move into their new house on their return perhaps provides another story. The Seymours' wall cabinet has been into at ^ Turn to Page 6

Waiouru commander couple

From Page 5 least three different army houses with no problem at all. Now, with the nice house that comes along with the job of commander, the cabinet is in the garage. No amount of figuring or worming could get the cabinet inside. The Seymours have given up trying and are now taking offers. Married for 25 years, the couple have two adult sons, the youngest of whom was born in Raetihi . He was supposed to be delivered at the Waiouru Maternity Annexe, but a note on the dpor said the midwife wasn't available. Colonel Seymour enjoys jogging and cricket and is a cricket umpire. He doesn't like golf or skiing and said that in his 14 years in Waiouru he' s been up the mountain twice — once for a beer at the Chateau and once to throw snowballs when the boys were young. Mrs Seymour plays golf, enjoys cooking, getting into shape at the gym, swimming and aqua aerobics. Whi le Col Seymour tends to the job of ensuring the smooth running of the Army Training Group, Mrs Seymour will be studying in courses on travel and small business by correspondence.