NAVALESE BITS & BYTES
The 1st of June and supposedly the first day of Winter although with the weather we have been having I think it has allready started. As usual I am late with this script and our editor, Dennis, will not be happy. I always have good intentions of getting this article to 'Press' early but it never seems to evenuate.
It has been a quiet month one way and another but one thing of interest for a lot of us is that an official announcement in relation to a 'New Zealand Defence Medal' will be made on 15th of June.
After this announcement there will be a questionaire on the NZDF website and it will be important that this is completed by those who qualify and that it is sent back to NZDF. This survey/questionaire will also be available through local RSA's for those who do not have electronic access.
A key element of this counsultation is the maintainance of the NZ Honours system and not creating medals which are not properly deserved and thereby denigrating all existing medals, and the situation where a medal can be awarded for putting on a uniform.
The instruction was given last month to the Herald at Arms to design the medal(s), ribbons and clasps and once this is done and agreed upon the process from the Prime Minister to the Governor General and on to the Queen is quite fast.
It is expected that this medal will be ready for award/distribution in September of this year.
In relation to medals, Winston Churchill quoted in the House of Commons on 22nd August 1944.
"A medal glitters, but casts no shadow. The task of drawing up regulations for such awards is one which does not admit of a perfect solution. It is not possible to satisfy everyone without running the risk of satisfying nobody. All that is possible is to give the greatest satisfaction to the greatest number and to hurt the feelings of the fewest".
My grateful thanks to Jim Blackburn for forwarding that information to us. This will hopefully alleviate some of the dissatisfacton expressed in relation to medallic recognition by some of our shipmates who were in the wrong place at the wrong time especially those who served on the FESR and othe naval theaters of operation. 'Stand by your beds!!!!!'.
Later this year, probably late October early November, we hope to reinstigate the Papanui RSA golf tournament. To date I have got about 40 names so we can probably go ahead with that number. There will obviously be more information available when times/dates are confirmed. If you are interested and would like to participate in this prestigious, world renowned (Well?
) tournament please see me. The more the merrier.
Of interest is that there is a Defence Review taking place on various dates commencing 30th April this year and culminating on the 26th Feb 2010 with the Defence White Paper to be released on 30th March 2010. It will be interesting to see what transpires service wise in these recessional times.
Thats all for this month folks
See you at the 'Leaner'
Stay warm
Ron Mayell
President Papanui Branch RNZNA
1st June 2009
HMNZS WELLINGTON: 1988 A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF
For HMNZS Wellington 1988 began with a maintenance period in January. She went to Napier on 11th February to pick up junior officers for training. By 18th February she was in Lyttelton to collect Dept of Conservation officers and equipment, then spent two weeks in the Campbell and Auckland Islands, exchanging DOC personnel and equipment. She reached Dunedin on 26th February, then went to Wellington where she used her sonar to search for a sunken Korean trawler in Cook Straight. She was in Auckland by 8th March for further maintenance, followed by gunnery trials in the Hauraki Gulf.
This was followed by a trip to Nuku'alofa to load stores and a passenger for Raoul Island. While in Tonga she hosted a function for the New Zealand High Commission. By 11th April she was on her way to Apia, picking up the Governor General for a trip to Tokelau.
On 19th April she began an underwater survey of the harbour entrance at Vava'u, Tonga, followed by civil aid work in Samoa. She returned to Auckland vai Raoul Island in May, and underwent further maintenacne before heading on 7th June for Surabaya and exercises with the Indonesian Navy.
By 26th June she was in Singapore, where she met RAN ships and took part in Exercise Starship with Austrailian, Malyasian, Singaporean and British forces. She moved on in August to Exercise Tasmanex with Australian and Canadian forces, before again returning to Auckland for maintenance. By late September she was on the way to Sydney with 'Waikato' and 'Endeavour' for the Australian Bicentennial Naval Salute.
Exercises with the visiting ships followed and she went with a Royal Netherlands Navy task group to Wellington, where her crew provided a parade guard for the Italian president before the ship finally returned to Auckland.
It was a busy year but not untypical of any New Zealand frigate at any time in the late twentieth century.
"Here endeth the Lesson"
