Melbourne moves to Rotorua

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 4, Issue 27, 2 December 1986, Page 4

Melbourne moves to Rotorua

Sonny Melbourne, affectionately known as "Padre" by the population of Waiouru Military Camp, is leaving his position as sole minister to the camp and is also leaving the clergy to manage a motel in Rotorua. Mr Melbourne has been the army chaplain at the ATG for the last five years and has been a minister for 25 years. He has had the complex task of serving some 2,500 soldiers for the last three years while the positions for two other ministers remained unfilled ... there should be three Regular Force chaplains at Waiouru. The transition from army chaplain to manager of a motel involves some major changes. Mr Melbourne told the Bulletin that his new job will involve weeding gardens, mowing lawns and doing general maintenance

but he is adamant that he will be leaving such chores as making beds to his wife. Mr Melbourne said he is grateful for his time spent in the army and added that it has been "a marvellous experience." "The army gave me the opportunity to do what 1 was trained to do — to serve the needs of the people, without having any financial worries." "The work has been refreshing — every day was a new day with new people. It is rewarding to work with an individual to help them find what they are searching for." His knowledge of Maoritanga was invaluable in the army's multi-cultural society, where about 50% of the population is Maori. Mr Melbourne found himself acting as chaplain, an advisor for the marae committee as well as the military advisor, a host to visitors to the

camp and deeply involved with the local Kohanga Reo. He also held one-day-a-week Maori cultural classes which were well attended by both cultures. The Maori cultural course is run by the Wanganui Regional Community College and is attended by all ranks — from colonels to cooks, according to Mr Melbourne. "The army is making the effort to make soldiers — particularly officers — aware of the Maori culture which is most important," he said. Mr Melbourne is hopeful that his replacement will continue with the classes from where he left off. Something he found difficult to adjust to during his stay was the "mobile population" of Waiouru — about 33% of the entire population each year move on to stations in Singapore and other army bases around New

Zealand. He also discovered some of the stress that soldiers with young families operate under. He often found himself in a counSelling role with young married couples who found the stress of the situation sometimes unbearable. Mr Melbourne said that he found he had to alter his thinking slightly to accommodate the attitudes of young men and women in the army and the part that their religion played in their everyday life. He was particularly interested in the younger army personneland involved himself with the problems of the young recruits.