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ANZAC DAY WE WILL REMEMBER THEM

CDF COMMENDATION FOR NEA DIRECTOR PEOPLE ARE THE KEY

ARMY NETBALLERS IN OCEANIA CHAMPIONSHIPS

FIRST WORLD WAR CENTENARY

THE JOURNEY TOWARDS INTERNATIONAL NETBALL

The Army News is published for the Regular and Territorial Force and civilian staff of the

New Zealand Army.

Editor: Judith MartinPhone: 021 240 8578

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COVER: Lieutenant Colonel Dave Thorsen and his wife Kim with their children Liam, Emilee and Connor

at an Anzac Day service in Wellington. Photo: SGT Sam Shepherd.

SMA.NET

Cognitive Fitness

At the Chief of Army’s Seminar recently a working group highlighted the worth of cognitive fitness.

Cognitive fitness is not a new concept, but what does it mean? As stated by Roderick Gilkey and Clint Kilts, cognitive fitness is “a state of optimised ability to reason, remember, learn, plan and adapt”. As an organisation which is people-focused, building a force which is cognitively fit takes strong leadership, promotes a strong learning culture and supports a strong focus on leader development. Our Army enables all of this.

Our Army’s core all arms skills include being able to move, shoot, communicate and medicate, to enable professional mastery as a soldier. These core skills are the basic skills all leaders train for, however there is a strong argument to enhance the cognitive fitness of our soldiers. Building the cognitive fitness of soldiers allows our people to think in different ways, look at alternative perspectives, think smart, build effective teams, adapt to handling stress, and be a better person and a leader within our communities.

Our Army is already becoming cognitively fit. Evidence of this is demonstrated by the number of soldiers taking up opportunities to further their education. Further education opportunities within Army are driving a continuous learning culture in self-development. In addition, Army has invested in developing the Land Professional Military Education Framework (LPME). The LPME has opportunities to highlight broadening career pathways to provide varied experiences to explore individual potential. Providing opportunities to grow the brain power of our soldiers is being supported by Army leadership, and soldiers are keen to take up these opportunities.

The importance of being active as a soldier in playing sport, regularly doing PT, and having fun all contribute to becoming

cognitively fit. Building individual time to allow for “play” is just as important as taking time to read, study and do mahi. Our brain is a complex part of the body but understanding how it functions in relation to learning will allow individual cognitive growth. As with actively training both sides of the brain, being balanced in training physically and having fun will impact on an individual’s cognitive abilities during a life time.

CONTENTSNEWS

Commitment, comradeship, and Neilroy McGregor 02

CDF award to NEA director 04

PEOPLECA: What service

really means 03

Repatriation under way 03Anzac Day throughout

the world 05

1(NZ) Brigade open day 13Sky Tower challenge 14

Fireys fight to the top 16

EXERCISESTropic Major 02

SPORTPowerlifting 20

Godzone Chapter 7 21Netball 22

MAY 2018

ISSUE 492

MILITARY MATES COME TOGETHER TO SUPPORT THEIR BROTHERStaff Sergeant Neilroy McGregor who was diagnosed with cancer recently while deployed to the Multinational Force and Observer (MFO) mission on the Sinai Peninsula will receive a welcome boost when the contingent returns home later this month.

He and his family will be presented with $15,000 raised by his military colleagues.

A well-known and popular member of the New Zealand Contingent, SSGT McGregor was immediately returned to New Zealand to undertake treatment. In the Sinai he was one of the two operations instructors within the Force Training Team.

The New Zealand contingent commander Lieutenant Colonel Justin Putze said as a result of SSGT McGregor’s role almost every member of the MFO had come in contact with him through the mission induction and training package.

“The news of his diagnosis and quick return home to New Zealand spread around the Force quickly, with many members routinely checking in on New Zealand Contingent members to see if there is an update on how Neilroy and his family were getting on.

“The New Zealand contingent, in conjunction with our Australian Defence Force colleagues combined to conduct a fund raising event in South Camp in Sharm El Shiekh with the intent of raising some funds to send home to support Neilroy and his family.”

The Australian contingent in particular was extremely keen to support the event and organised a quiz night to promote attendance. An Australian officer also played live music to ensure the atmosphere was high spirited. New Zealand and Australian contingent merchandise and Kiwiana items were also sold and auctioned off with all profits from sales being donated to the fund raiser. The highlight and main attraction of the night was the auctioning of NZ Navy LTCDR Jan Peterson’s beloved beard and shaving the heads of MAJ Szelagowski (USCON) and MR Duncan Rae (Chief of Support Officer).

Over the course of the night the Kiwi contingent raised $11,000USD ($15,000 NZD) for SSGT McGregor and his family. “The generosity of the MFO family to rally together and support one of their number was truly humbling and is a fantastic example of the family feel that the MFO has when you are posted to the mission,” said LTCOL Putze.

Keen motorcyclist and Patriots Club member SSGT Neilroy McGregor

ServiceWhen we join the military and become members of the Armed Forces we swear an oath of allegiance to our Sovereign that says in part “that I will faithfully serve... and obey all orders of the officers set over me”. Our lives change irrevocably as member of the Armed Forces, where we serve at Her Majesty’s pleasure. We are not employees and our relationship with the New Zealand Defence Force is a different relationship to that of an employee with any other organisation.

In many ways service is about obligation, expectation and sacrifice. During a military career of any duration we are expected to meet obligations to our commanders, our subordinates and indeed our service and our country. There is an expectation that we will make sacrifices, for the good of the Army and the Defence Force. I have lost count of how many long weekends, anniversaries and other important family occasions where service in the Army has meant that I am miles away from where my family is. Furthermore, at times not everything has gone according to my plans for my career or my own wishes during my service, we have had to move many times, sometimes at short notice and my personal life, my interests and my hobbies have been put on hold. I certainly don’t begrudge any of that because I view service as a privilege and I serve for the greater good of the Army.

I get the sense sometimes that there is a shift in understanding of the nature and the requirements of “service” in our Army. I feel that there are personnel who feel aggrieved by matters that are actually just part of that service, for example, a less desirable posting,

failure to be nominated for a course or an operational deployment, or being assigned a less attractive or arduous task. Some personnel appear to regard these decisions or requirements as personal, as being singled out and treated unfairly. I just wonder at those times if we have lost that spirit of service, because as an organisation that is built on a foundation of service, the greater good of the section, platoon, company, battalion and our Army must come before self.

The point I want to make is that I can’t have an Army that has bespoke arrangements for every serving member. It just does not work and it never will. We are soldiers in the service of our nation, not an employee of a large business and to serve is to sacrifice. That is just the nature of the role we have chosen. We should never forget that because what makes our Army and Defence Force great, is that our people have chosen and are willing to sacrifice their own wants and needs in the service of their country.

Of course we can and do make exceptions for people where possible, around meeting their specific individual needs and those of their families. There will also always be personnel who have genuinely been disadvantaged or wronged, and they of course have the right to complain and to have those complaints taken seriously and to be treated fairly.

It’s also worth remembering that along with the sacrifices Service can sometimes demand of us comes incredible opportunity. With Service comes the ability to undertake world-class training and education, to work alongside people who will become your mates for life,

and the opportunity to work within our own country and around the world to provide safety and security for people from all walks of life. Ours is a unique and privileged role – one which offers extraordinary opportunity.

The challenge I give to each of you is to really consider your life as a soldier. Remind yourself that while it is not always easy, service is not a burden, it is a choice, an honour and a privilege, one that not everyone can have.

Onward

Major General Peter KellyChief of Army

A Message From

CHIEF OF ARMY

The remains of three Service personnel who died and were buried overseas between 1955 and 1971 have been repatriated to New Zealand.Their families were there to welcome them home at a ramp ceremony at Ohakea Air Force Base last week.

Flight Lieutenant George Beban and Leading Aircraftman Ralph Scott both died of natural causes while serving in Fiji, in 1956 and 1960 and aged 40 and 28 respectively. Engineering Mechanic 1st Class Russell Moore was just 19 when he died in an accident in American Samoa in 1956.

RNZAF Group Captain Carl Nixon, who heads the team that has organised the return of the men said the ceremony marked a milestone in the mission to bring personnel home.

Planning is under way for the next tranche of repatriations, from Malaysia and Singapore, in August.

The remains of a total of 37 personnel will be brought back to New Zealand

REPATRIATION BEGINS

Soldiers from 5 Platoon, Bravo Company use Zodiacs to silently infiltrate Epi Island, Vanuatu during Exercise Tropic Major which is continuing throughout May. Army News will provide full coverage of the exercise in the June issue.

04 ARMYPEOPLE

By Judith Martin

The biggest challenge in developing a network enabled Army is communicating complexity in simple terms, says the former director of the Networked Enabled Army (NEA) Programme Chris Mortiboy.He has been awarded a Chief of Defence Force Commendation for his role as technical director for the NEA programme, developing the architecture for the Land Tactical Information Network. This is the foundation document for a major project under implantation over the next ten years.

The architecture is the first of its kind in the New Zealand Defence Force and will provide a model for the development of architecture for other related capabilities across the organisation.

It describes the C4ISR system in the technical terminology necessary for detailed systems design to proceed.

Mr Mortiboy, a former Army officer who is now Director of Architecture and Policy within the NZDF’s CIS branch, says the networked capability is complex but in reality no more complex than any other military capability.

“And that is the secret – we need to treat the network like any other military system, while recognising that change occurs in information technology at a much

faster cadence. At the heart of that is not losing sight of our people – although NEA has a large technological component it is the skill of our people that is key.”

The potential of a network enabled Army to enhance the force’s ability to command, inform, protect and sustain itself is significant. New Zealand’s work with NEA has been well received by British and US experts and representatives of the Australian Defence Force communications community have requested copies to help with the development of their own architecture. After presenting his work at the NZ Army Battlefield Digitisation Seminar last year, Mr Mortiboy was asked to present it at the prestigious Military Communications and Information Systems Seminar in Australia.

What got this former Sigs officer interested in battlefield digitisation?

“A large part of my uniformed career was focused on the development and application of information and communication services to support the operational environment. It started back in 2006 when I was appointed as engineering project officer for the NZ Army command and control battle-lab. This is where I worked closely with Signals, Infantry, Logistics and other Corps supported by the Defence Technology Agency and industry partners to develop many of the networked concepts and capabilities in use today.

While the subject is complex, he says at the heart of it is not losing sight of people.

“Although NEA has a large technological component it is the skill of our people that is key. I guess for me I am fortunate in that the work is both a profession and a passion. It is really about the potential that the networked capability affords the Army and indeed the broader Defence environment. The potential of NEA to enhance our ability to command, inform, protect and

sustain the force is significant. I also believe it is an area where we can excel as a nation – I call it the last bastion of the No 8 wire culture where we can leverage our relatively small size and Kiwi ingenuity to deliver disproportionate effects.

“I think the benefits will extend well beyond the land force. At its core is a significant increase in the Army’s ability to plan and execute operations at pace in a highly complex environment with our partners.”

COMPLEX TECHNOLOGY BUT PEOPLE ARE THE KEY

ARMYPEOPLE 05

ANZAC DAY | 2018

“When you go home, tell them of us and sayFor their tomorrows we gave our today.”

– John Maxwell Edmonds

Photo: SGT Sam Shepherd

06 ARMYPEOPLE

FIRST WORLD WAR CENTENARY

Chief of Defence Force LTGEN Tim Keating said in his speech at the dawn service at Pukeahu National War Memorial Park that Anzac Day services had become a tribute to the sacrifices made by all those who have served New Zealand in times of war: the First and Second World Wars and other conflicts including Korea, Malaya, Vietnam, Bosnia, East Timor and Afghanistan.

In 2018, the NZDF has men and women deployed across the globe who serve New Zealand with loyalty and honour, he said.

“It is important on this day that we remember the enormity of what we sometimes ask our service men and women to do, and endure, in the service of our nation,” he said.

NZDF personnel attended around 300 Anzac Day

events around New Zealand, from the top of the North Island to the bottom of the South.

Overseas, NZDF contingents were at Gallipoli and on the Western Front, while other deployed personnel also attended Anzac Day services around the world.

Commemorations on the Gallipoli peninsula included an overnight vigil and Anzac Day dawn service at the Anzac Commemorative Service, a Turkish service at Chunuk Bair, an Australian Service at Lone Pine, and the New Zealand Service at Chunuk Bair.

At the Chunuk Bair service the commemorative address was given by Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy. She spoke of members of the Canterbury Mounted Rifles Regiment, who returned in 1918 to tend to the graves of their fallen comrades.

“The New Zealand soldiers who returned in 1918 marvelled at how the Anzacs ever managed to hold on to their tiny beachhead and were moved by the evidence of loss and sacrifice that surrounded them,” Dame Patsy said.

Anzac Day services in Belgium included a joint Belgian, New Zealand and Australian dawn service at Buttes New British Cemetery, Zonnebeke, the Anzac Day Last Post Ceremony on the morning of Anzac Day at the Menin Gate at leper, the New Zealand National Commemoration at Messines Ridge (New Zealand) Memorial to the Missing, a New Zealand Anzac Day service at Comines-Warneton, and the Last Post Ceremony at 8pm at the Menin Gate.

ANZAC DAY | 2018Generations of New Zealanders came together across the country and overseas to remember the sacrifice made by all those who have served in times of conflict.

The Chief of Defence Force, Lieutenant General Tim Keating delivers his address at the Dawn Ceremony in Wellington.

ARMYPEOPLE 07

ANZAC DAY | 2018

Clockwise from top left, Chief of Army, Major General Peter Kelly; the commemoration in South Korea; WO1 Kerry Anderson, and WO Perry Smith, RNZN, at Kranji War Memorial, Singapore; a soldier stands guard by a commemorative display; Majors Matt and Mickayla Kerr with their youngest son Ben; wreaths are brought forward at the Pukeahu National War Memorial in Wellington.

08 ARMYPEOPLE

Seventeen services over 10 days kept the New Zealand Defence Force Anzac commemoration contingent in France and Belgium busy for this year’s commemorations.Major events included a service in 30 degree temperatures at the NZ Battlefield Memorial at Longueval, a poignant service to mark the contribution of the NZ Tunneling Company at Blenheim Quarry in Arras, a dawn service at Le Quesnoy attended by 500 people, Menin Gate, a dawn service at Buttes New British Cemetery and services at the Messines New Zealand Battlefield memorial and Berks Extension Cemetery at Comines-Warneton.

Lance Corporal Mitchell Roberts said it was a privilege to be able to represent New Zealand and being part of the services in the locations of where the fighting took place gave it special meaning.

“Seeing the peaceful countryside now it’s hard to believe the devastation that occurred. It is very humbling. Standing in these places where our soldiers were is very moving.”

Everywhere the NZ contingent went they touched the hearts and minds of local people with the way they paid their respects to the fallen and to the people who tend the graves of those who paid the ultimate sacrifice 100 years ago.

Our personnel also attended the interment of Captain H J T Walker, a New Zealander who served with the Royal Warwickshire Regiment whose remains were recently found alongside six other soldiers, and they laid floral tributes on the nine graves of New Zealand soldiers during an intimate service in Ruesnes Communal Cemetery.

NZDF will return to Le Quesnoy in November to mark 100 years since the battle that saw New Zealand forces liberate the town from German occupation.

FIRST WORLD WAR CENTENARY

ARMYPEOPLE 09

10 ARMYPEOPLE

By Richard Tyler

Twenty five years ago an Anzac Day dawn service was held at on a rocky outcrop protruding into the Indian Ocean at the southern end of Mogadishu Airport, Somalia. While this has not been the only Anzac Day commemorated in Somalia, it would have been the largest. The commemoration consisted of New Zealand Army and Air Force Personnel, Australian soldiers and sailors and Turkish soldiers. The RNZAF concluded the dawn service with a fly over in an Andover. Thus began an Anzac Day of legend.

Twenty-seven of the New Zealand Supply Detachment (NZ Sup Det) attached to the United Nations Mission to Somalia (UNOSOM) and a detachment from 42 Sqn (three Andovers and 55 personnel) attached to the Unified Task Force (UNITAF) of the American- led Operation Restore Hope were the New Zealand participants. Australian Service personnel from the Airport Movements Control and sailors from HMAS Tobruk made up the Aussie contingent.

The dawn service was followed by breakfast and refreshments at Taniwha Hill (the NZ Sup Det Camp).

A friendly sports morning of soccer, Touch Rugby and swimming was next and the Australians managed to find their Two Up Paddle. The main challenge began in the afternoon when intra service donkey races were held between the Anzac allies – three all and the last race was winner take all. Who won is lost in the mist of time but we were still allies.

At around 1600 the formal part of the day started with a Challenge and haka for the invited guests before a hangi at Taniwha Hill. The evening continued fading into a haze of hangi and socialising. A sailor from the Tobruk was telling all and sundry that because he was a Kiwi his CO said that he could stay the night on shore. When the shore patrol turned up the following day he was found sleeping under the Cenotaph.

While Anzac Day was a day to remember the mission to Somalia was not all beer, skittles and Two Up. Twenty-five Pakistani UN peacekeepers were killed in one day (at that time the most UN fatalities since the Korean War). The increased fighting led to the ‘Blackhawk Down’ incident in October 1993 and eventually the UN was required to withdraw from Somalia.

FIRST WORLD WAR CENTENARY

LOOKING BACKAnzac Day in Mogadishu, Somalia 25 April 1993

NZ wreath layers Duck Donaldson and an RNZAF member, Anzac Day 1993.

A donkey race later in the day.Members of the contingent

ARMYPEOPLE 11

AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND TROOPS REMEMBER FALLEN COLLEAGUES ON ANZAC DAY IN SOUTH SUDANAs the plaintive sounds of the Last Post rang out, Australian and New Zealand soldiers serving in war-torn South Sudan stood together in solidarity to remember their fallen colleagues.The troops gathered with fellow peacekeepers from around the world, serving with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, to commemorate the day that ANZAC and other Commonwealth forces landed on the shores of Gallipoli in Turkey. More than 130,000 Allied and Ottoman forces lost their lives in that military campaign.

“Here in the heart of Africa, we remember them and all those who followed them and in our own way seek to carry on that tradition of military service in a force for good,” said Colonel John Brennan from the Australian contingent.

The UN troops paid tribute to all soldiers who have made the ultimate sacrifice, losing their lives while defending values and freedoms in war, conflict and peace

operations around the world over the last century. “Not only do we honour those members of the

ANZACS who have fallen in battle, we are also sharing the sorrow of those who have mourned them, and all those who have been victims of armed conflict,” said Lieutenant Colonel Clark Flint.

Among those laying wreaths at the special service in the capital Juba, was the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the UN Mission in South Sudan, David Shearer – a New Zealander. He was joined by fellow Kiwi, Lieutenant Colonel Lisa Kelliher, Brigadier Mark Kenyon from the United Kingdom contingent and UNMISS representative Lieutenant Colonel Soren Rich.

Anzac Day was commemorated in Egypt with ceremonies in Cairo, South Camp and Forward Operating Base North. In each location NZDF and ADF military personnel came together to support each other in the celebration of the ANZAC spirit. In South Camp the Chief of Staff COL Joshua Wright represented the MFO and joined LTCOL Justin Putze and MAJ Mark Eastgate of the ADF in laying wreaths at the NZCON Woolshed, where a small but well supported Dawn Service was conducted.

The majority of MFO command teams came along to support this event, with Canada’s presence being particularly strong as a result of their Gallipoli connection through the Royal Newfoundland Regiment. In addition the Force Training Team currently in North Camp conducted a small ceremony alongside the ADF team posted there. Eight members of the New Zealand contingent in Cairo supported the Anzac Day ceremony alongside members of the ADF. “It was a very special day for all involved and the back drop of the Red Sea as well having all our coalition partners present made the dawn service a memory that we will all treasure,” said LTCOL Putze. Following the dawn service the tradition of Rum and Coffee was observed. Our PTI SGT Martin then ran a CrossFit Hero session, “Tama”, named after CPL Luke Tamatea who was killed in Afghanistan in an IED attack.

EGYPT COMMEMORATIONS

LTCOL Lisa Kelliher, head of UN Mission in South Sudan David Shearer and Captain Ioane Washburn.

Members of the New Zealand and Australians contingents marked Anzac Day throughout Egypt.

12 ARMYPEOPLE

By Charlene Williamson, Senior Communications Advisor (South), Defence Public Affairs

Making the pilgrimage to Gallipoli is on the dream list for many Kiwis; to see where it all happened is a once in a lifetime opportunity for many. Many Kiwis will, in some way, have a connection to the First World War, whether that be relatives who fought at Gallipoli or on the Western Front more than 100 years ago.

That wasn’t any different for the contingent of 36 who represented New Zealand and the New Zealand Defence Force at the 2018 commemorations this year in Turkey.

In December 1918, the Canterbury Mounted Rifles Regiment returned to the battlefields to honour and tend to the graves of New Zealanders who died in the 1915 campaign. During that time, they suffered 11 deaths — all but one from influenza.

Two of the 11 men who died in 1918, Lieutenant Arthur Pigou and Lance Corporal Joseph Fifield, had served in the 1915 campaign in Gallipoli.

They are buried at the Chanak Consular Cemetery in Canakkale, Turkey. The NZDF contingent honoured these men at a special wreath laying ceremony on 18 April.

Sergeant Rory Lorimer, who gave a reading at the service, has connections to the Canterbury Mounted Rifles.

His great-uncle, Trooper James Ramsay Lorimer, served in the Canterbury Mounted Rifles Regiment and was one of those to return to Gallipoli in 1918.

“I am very honoured and humbled not only to have gone to Gallipoli but to have honoured a relative, among the others of the regiment,” SGT Lorimer said.

During its time in Turkey the contingent was guided on an in-depth tour of the battlefields of the Gallipoli peninsula which included visiting historic places that defined parts of history for New Zealand.

Twelve Tree Copse, Beach Cemetery, Shrapnel Valley Cemetery, Ari Burnu, Lone Pine, Chunuk Bair and Hill 60 are just a few of the places visited, all of which have New Zealanders either buried or their names etched on the walls dedicated to the missing.

During this time members of the contingent who had connections were able to see where their relatives fought.

On a cool calm day in Gallipoli close to 1,500 people gathered at the Anzac Commemorative Site to remember the Anzacs who landed on the peninsula 103 years ago.

As dawn broke on the peninsula, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Dame Patsy Reddy, Governor General of New Zealand, delivered the commemorative address.

“Simply to survive at the Anzac beachhead a soldier needed an indomitable spirit, as well as a good measure of luck,” Dame Patsy said.

“Those that fought here on both sides displayed courage and a commitment to serving their country that is truly awe-inspiring.”

Chief of the New Zealand Army, Major General Peter Kelly, delivered the Call of Remembrance and spoke of the everlasting connection New Zealand and Australia have to Gallipoli.

“Those who survived this day 103 years ago never forgot their experiences here and the friends they lost on their first day of action. The 25th of April 1915 was seared into the memory of these men,” Major General Kelly said.

The Dawn Service ended with the Ode, Last Post, and Reveille. The Ode was, for the first time ever, at the Anzac Commemorative Site, read in Māori by Contingent Warrant Officer Dave Lark of the Royal New Zealand Air Force.

Later in the day at the New Zealand Memorial Service at Chunuk Bair close to 500 people attended the service.

While Chunuk Bair contains the named headstones of just eight New Zealanders, another 850 names are on the Memorial to the Missing, making it the largest New Zealand commemorative site in Gallipoli.

Again, Dame Patsy Reddy gave the commemorative address where she spoke about the members of the Canterbury Mounted Rifles who returned in 1918.

“The New Zealand soldiers who returned in 1918 marvelled at how the Anzacs ever managed to hold on to their tiny beachhead and were moved by the evidence of loss and sacrifice that surrounded them,” Dame Patsy said.

The service ended with the powerful NZDF haka He Taua by the contingent who received a standing ovation. They then performed the classic Māori song ‘Tutira Mai’ for the crowd.

Three exceptional NZDF employees had the honour of wearing the Nga Tapuwae kahu huruhuru while in Gallipoli.

Mr Mark Williamson, NZDF Civilian of the year 2017 wore it at the Chanak Consular Cemetery service; Contingent Commander LTCOL Olly Te Ua, wore it at the Dawn Service at the Anzac Commemorative Site and Ms Elaine Myers-Davies, New Zealand Services Director, wore it at the New Zealand Commemorative service at Chunuk Bair.

FIRST WORLD WAR CENTENARY

HONOURING NEW ZEALANDERS AT GALLIPOLIFROM THE CONTINGENTWhat was your most memorable experience and what will you treasure the most about your trip to Gallipoli?

Mr Matthew Buck, NZDF Historian

“Walking across the Daisy Patch, and watching the team do it right afterwards”

Signaller Caleb Butcher, Catafalque Guard

“Running up to Chunuk Bair, I will treasure the insight that it, and the whole trips experiences, have given me and the broadening of my perspective of what our forbearers went through”

Private Emily Eastgate, Catafalque Guard

“Sitting under a tree looking out over the Daisy Patch and suddenly being overwhelmed with emotion. If there’s one thing I’ve taken away it’s that no amount of mental preparation makes you ready for the plethora of emotions – regret, sadness, pride, thankfulness, that hit you when you realise exactly where you are and exactly what happened”

Sergeant Nadia Pou-Edwards, Site Liaison Officer

“Marching as an Anzac contingent for the Turkish memorial and thinking how much of an honour it is for the people of Turkey to let us be a part of their commemorative service”

ARMYPEOPLE 13

The capability day was designed to raise awareness and understanding of 1 (NZ) Bde and what it does.

More than 200 guests ranging from local mayors and local businesses, to civilian staff from NZDF portfolios and the Deputy Secretary Independent Review, Ministry of Defence, participated.

The day began with a welcome and overview brief of 1 (NZ) Bde from the Bde Commander, followed by a range of static displays from 16 Field Regiment, 1 Combat Support Regiment which incorporated the NEA project team, Defence Health organisation and 2 Combat Service Support Battalion (2 CSSB). Guests enjoyed a lunch cooked as part of a catering trade competition. The catering teams from 2CSSB and 3CSSB cooked the lunch on the tactical field kitchen which was part of the 2CSSB display, giving guests the opportunity to see their lunch during the cooking stages.

In the afternoon the buses were loaded and guests headed down to the lagoon for the 2 Engineer Regiment (2 ER) display, which consisted of a display that highlighted the capabilities Army engineers can deploy in a humanitarian aid and disaster response. Guests had the chance to wander around the sub unit displays before travelling to the combat arms display.

They arrived at the Helo tower where they were greeted by a section of soldiers rappelling. This was followed by a demonstration of close quarter battle techniques by physical training instructors. Next was the opportunity to visit a number of static displays which showcased a range of capabilities from Combat Support Coy including FSG, Reconnaissance and Surveillance and the military working dogs. They also had the opportunity to explore the QAMR light armoured vehicles. After a short walk to Parsons Range visitors observed a small shoot before seeing a number of the previous static displays linked together for the combat arms quick attack dynamic display, a highlight of the day for many.

Guests were invited to join the Commander and his command teams for a social function in the evening which gave everyone the chance to network and discuss the experiences of the day.

SEEING WHAT’S WHAT AT 1 (NZ) BRIGADE

1 (NZ) Bde at Linton Camp opened its doors to key internal and external agencies recently to showcase its capabilities.

Invited guests get to grips with 1(NZ) Brigade capabilities.

14 ARMYNEWS

By Suzi Phillips

A team of six from the Army won this year’s gruelling Tower de Force SkyTower Challenge, beating last year’s winners – the Navy team – in a close finish.Seven teams took part in the challenge, representing Army, Navy, Air Force, NZDF Veterans, Police, SkyCity, and St John’s. The Challenge aims to raise funds for the Auckland RSA’s Annual Poppy Day Appeal.

Teams were started at 15 minute intervals and timed for the course with the military skills challenge done first in front of a crowd of onlookers and supporters.

The military skills challenge is completed by three team members while the other three position themselves up the SkyTower for climbing the Tower mast and the abseil down.

“My role in the challenge was the military skills at the start of the event,” says team member Sergeant Suze Landers. “We had to do a rope climb each and then 10 jerry can shuttles with a 20kg jerry can in each hand, followed by 10 tyre flips (a large tyre weighted to 227.5kg) and finishing off with one more rope climb each.”

“One runner was sent up to level 44 to change over

to another teammate who completed a medical stand then ran the rest of the stairs to level 61, tagging the two mast climbers.”

The mast climb is a rigorous 91 metre climb from there to the very top of the SkyTower to retrieve the team flag in a canister (at 328 metres up).

The climbers then descend (almost as hard as going up) and run down stairs to Level 43 to tag two team members waiting to abseil down the lift shaft. At 180 metres, it’s the highest industrial abseil in the Southern Hemisphere.

Abseilers hand the flag canister to the last runner and all the team make their way down to assemble as a team in front of the flag-post, and stand to attention while the flag is raised to finish the challenge.

“For me the military skills like the rope climb’s never an issue, and when everyone is yelling support, it adds an element of pressure,“ says SGT Landers.

She says working as a team is important to getting the relay rotations through the course, and making sure each individual knows their role.

“I think we did really well, but there are still areas we could have improve on for next time,” she says. “It’s good to have the healthy competition with the other Services.”

All the teams assembled later in the evening for the prize-giving and results, announced by RNZN Commodore Jim Gilmour.

ARMY TOPS SKY TOWER CHALLENGE

The winning team with their shield.

Contestants and their supporters celebrate their win.

Warrant Officer of the Defence Force, WO1 Danny Broughton with Lizzy Leuchars, of Sky Tower.

ARMYNEWS 15

LEADERSHIP & MANAGEMENT QUALIFICATIONSKeen to gain a qualification that recognises your abilities as an effective manager?

– WORKPLACE ASSESSMENT– COMPLETE OVER 6 MONTHS– NO FEES

Defence Qualifications, NZDC invites applications from rank of SGT (and above) and Officers LT to CAPT to enrol in the NZ Certificate in Business (First Line Management) Level 4*.

This programme is based on what you are already doing in the workplace. It is designed to recognise your knowledge, skills and experience as an effective manager of staff and operations.

To enrol, you’ll need to have at least six months in a leadership role with staff reporting to you and the support of your 1-up manager.

We will be conducting qualification briefs at Burnham and Linton Camps in May – register to attend a brief on NZDCqualifications@nzdf.mil.nz.

*This qualification replaces the National Certificate in Business (First Line Management) Level 4. Graduates may continue on to the NZ Diploma in Business (Leadership & Management) Level 5 which is currently in development.

CAREER MANAGEMENT CONFERENCEThings are changing in career management. For what’s thought is the first time in NZDF career management history, all single Service career managers and career administrators will meet in Ohakea for a three-day conference in June. Building the foundation for an NZDF career management culture and working towards developing consistent career management practice will be the focus of this inaugural event.

Forming part of a significant career operating model change, the conference aligns with the People25 Strategy and the long-term goal of meaningful career, talent and performance management.

The Directorate of Career and Talent Management and Heads of Service career management have been charged with bringing this transformation to life; leading the development of processes, programmes and resources in career management, a new Intranet site and changes to policy.

In the long-term, system transformation will mean comprehensive professional support is available to all NZDF career managers – single services, tri-service and civilian, in the following areas: • training;

• practice development; and

• professional standards; and

• policy and technical processes;

Professional support is founded on the premise that the career manager role is at the centre of every NZDF capability decision. Career managers are the drivers and developers of the Force for NZ, and create the opportunity for meaningful career and talent management over and above the posting cycle.

With a greater focus on career practice, keep an eye out for the changes that will benefit your career, including long-term career development and reinforcement of skills and potential.

VOLUNTARY EDUCATION STUDY ASSISTANCE VESA funding applications for Semester 2, 2018 study will be accepted for processing after 04 May 2018.

What is it?

Voluntary Education Study Assistance (VESA) is a discretionary fund centrally managed by NZDC to provide financial assistance to members of the NZDF undertaking part-time study.

Who's eligible?

Regular Force and permanent civilian members of NZDF who are employed/served continuously for 52 weeks or more. NZDF Reserve Force members to check eligibility against DFO 3/2016.

What assistance can I receive?

VESA provides assistance with study costs up to a set maximum in any financial year. There are different limits for postgraduate and undergraduate study.

What can I study?

You can study a subject area that interests you, provided it’s on the New Zealand Qualification Framework (NZQF).

How do I apply?

Contact any Defence Learning Centre for advice on the application process. Alternatively, check eligibility, your obligations etc. by logging on to the ITD Learning Toolkit for more information in DFO 3/2016.

016 ARMYPEOPLE

The Army’s emergency responders smashed records in a very competitive display of action and grit at the UFBA National Combat Challenge in Wellington at the end of last month.Team manager Sergeant Daniel Klaassen said national and world records were broken, with the Army team displaying “courage, comradeship, commitment and integrity and pushing themselves to mental and physical limits to produce some amazing feats”.

“They interacted well with the other competitors and officials. I was approached throughout the weekend by a number of people including CEO FENZ who were impressed with the way our people conducted themselves and performed.”

The team began the competition with tandems and team relays. The female team dominated in their category and the male relay team seeded well, getting into the “elite eight”.

Sapper Aidan Grant and Sapper Petra Dye-Hutchinson blazed through the course in their Co-ed Tandem picking up 2nd place with a time of 1.50.72.

On Saturday the personal best times were demolished by nearly everyone in the individual category.

SPR Dye-Hutchinson was aiming for a sub-three

minute time to enter the elite “Lion’s Den” (Only 12 people have ever achieved this on New Zealand soil). Her previous time run at the North Island regional event was 3.00.60, only 0.6 seconds off. She smashed this time, running a 2.51.67 placing her for a short period of time as the second fastest female in New Zealand history before ending up in 4th place, less than 30 mins later. She became the 33rd person from New Zealand to enter the Lion’s Den.

SGT Klaassen presented SPR Dye-Hutchinson the Lion’s Den coin at the on track ceremony following her run. She will be officially inducted during a ceremony at the Scott Fire Fighter Combat Challenge World Championships in Sacramento.

SPR Aidan Grant ran a 1.47 on only his second time competing, and Corporal Tom Grant recorded a 1.41 (1 second short of Lion’s Den for the open male category) both runs being in the New Zealand’s top 10 fastest times.

SPR Dye-Hutchinson, SPR Grant and CPL Grant will join the New Zealand contingent at the World championships in October.

At lunch time during the competition weekend a relay was organised between the NZ Army female relay team and NZ Police. The women managed to break through and get a sub- 2 minute time. 1.59.17 (a New Zealand record and event goal for them — 16 seconds faster than the next best female team)

The NZ Army team placed first in the ‘Team Aggregate’ category with a combined run time of 5.39.69 (largely helped by the two Grants).

ARMY FIREYS FIGHT THEIR WAY TO THE TOP

Emergency responders show their stuff in the combat challenge.

ARMYNEWS 17

SEEK AND DESTROY: THE HISTORY OF 3 SQUADRON RNZAFBy Paul HarrisonPublished by Oratia Books, RRP $85

Reviewed by Judith MartinFormer RNZAF Squadron Leader and now historian Paul Harrison has an exquisite eye for detail.

In his latest production, Seek and Destroy, the History of 3 Squadron RNZAF, one gets the impression that even the most minor fact has been checked and rechecked. But that tenacity regarding getting things right detracts not a jot from this beautiful book which must have taken years of painstaking research to produce.

The RNZAF’s helicopters have, over the years, become as familiar to many within the Army as the ubiquitous Unimogs and their more modern replacements.

No. 3 Squadron has been the home of military helicopters from the Sioux and Iroquois to today’s NH90s and A109s. The squadron began life as a Territorial unit in Christchurch in 1930. Flying Hudsons and Venturas, it was the first RNZAF unit to engage the Japanese during World War II. After the war its pilots flew Tiger Moths, Harvards and Mustangs. The squadron was disbanded in the late 1950s only to reform in 1965 as a joint service squadron. It became a helicopter unit in 1972.

Too much technical aviation detail in a book could make for a boring read. This is far from the case in Seek and Destroy. While there is a lot of detail the author has gathered together personal stories and anecdotes which make the people involved as interesting and lively as the aircraft they flew and maintained.

Deployments and exercises are featured throughout the book, and there are many stories of how the squadron interacted with its Army colleagues. It is rich with photographs both historic and modern.

Seek and Destroy is not a book to be tucked away on a book shelf and forgotten. It is the sort of tome that can be picked up and put down at whim, and could grace the smartest coffee table. It is a conversation starter, a record of considerable merit, and a fitting tribute to the skilled men and women, past and present, of this vital squadron.

• Judith Martin is editor of Army News

GALLIPOLI TO THE SOMME: RECOLLECTIONS OF A NEW ZEALAND INFANTRYMANBy Alexander AitkenPublished byAuckland University Press, 2018. $39.99.

Reviewed by Glyn HarperNew Zealand, as with the other combatant nations of the First World War, has spent considerable time and effort commemorating significant events that occurred 100 year ago. However, one of the most critical and important battles of the war passed with barely a mention in New Zealand in 2016. This was surprising as the battle of the Somme – fought from July to November 1916 – was a watershed experience for New Zealand. Its first offensive operation on the Western Front resulted in the heaviest casualty list of any battle in New Zealand’s military history. It is therefore fitting that Auckland University Press has republished Alexander Aitken’s classic account of the battle Gallipoli to the Somme edited and introduced by Alex Calder.

Alexander Aitken was studying languages and mathematics at Otago University in 1914. In April 1915, probably in response to news of the Gallipoli landing, Aitken joined the New Zealand Expeditionary force. He sailed from New Zealand with the 6th Reinforcement and served with the 1st Otago Battalion during the last months of the Gallipoli campaign and then with this battalion in France. There on the Somme, during the battle of Morval at the end of September, Aitken was badly wounded, just one of nearly 8,000 New Zealand casualties suffered in September/October 1916. Aitken’s wounds were severe and he was invalided out of the NZEF in early 1917. Gallipoli to the Somme was first

written from memory between April – September 1917. Aitken revised it in 1930 and the manuscript was finally published in 1963.

The book was widely acclaimed on its release being recognised as a new classic in the literature of the First World War. No less a luminary than the historian A.J.P. Taylor singled it out as one of the best books of 1963 writing that it ‘eclipsed all others as a book both true and moving’. On the strength of this book Aitken was elected to the Royal Society of Literature.

Gallipoli to the Somme has not lost its power to influence and inspire others. In 2016, the Dunedin Symphony Orchestra performed and recorded ‘Gallipoli to the Somme’ based on Aitken’s book. The recently published The Anzac Violin, by Robyn Belton and Jennifer Beck, was also inspired by Aitken’s book and is currently on the bestseller list for children’s books.

Gallipoli to the Somme thoroughly deserves its reputation as a war classic. Readers will not find a better description of the New Zealand experience on the Somme. Nor will they find a better examination of what Aitken called ‘the gossamer thinness of the partition between life and death’ which was the lot of the New Zealand soldier of the First World War.

• Glyn Harper is Professor of War Studies at Massey University.

BOOK REVIEWS

GIVEAWAYArmy News has a copy of Gallipoli to the Somme to give away. To be in the draw please email armynews@nzdf.mil.nz with Gallipoli in the subject line, or send an envelope with your contact details on the back to: Army News, PO Box 39997, Wellington 5018

18 ARMYSPORT

TINY GRAHAM AND BRETT GRIEVE RECOGNISED IN NZDF SPORTS AWARDSBy Sharon Lundy

The Army has given Robert “Tiny” Graham the chance to combine his career with his love of rugby, first as a player and now as an administrator.Mr Graham is the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) Sports Official of the Year for his contribution to rugby and said the sport had been a constant during his 32-year military career.

“As a youngster you want to be a fireman or a soldier, and do your hobbies. We can do both – get a trade and do sports. You get the chance to represent your service and your country,” he said.

Mr Graham served as part of the regular force for 27 years before taking up a civilian role five years ago.

“I spent years putting my hand out (as a player) and now I’m putting my hand up (as an administrator),” he said.

“I had heaps of support while in uniform and playing, and I can now give back.”

Joining Mr Graham in receiving an award was Major Brett Grieve, who won the Outstanding Sports Achievement of the Year award for cycling. MAJ Grieve is

a cycling competitor, coach and mentor.“I’m a really competitive person, and (cycling) is a safe

way to be super competitive,” he said.MAJ Grieve has been with the Army for 20 years and

said receiving the award was a highlight.“It’s a huge honour to be recognised by the NZDF.”New Zealand Warriors contracted rugby league

player Cole Waaka took out the Individual Sports Person of the Year.

The Royal New Zealand Air Force Leading Aircraftman was Northcote Tigers’ leading try scorer in the 2017 season. He received the most consistent club and premier player awards and has this season been awarded a New Zealand Warriors contract.

LAC Waaka said it was humbling to be nominated for the award and a privilege to win, but that he could not do what he did without the support of the NZDF.

“I owe them everything. It’s really awesome to be able to play top-level sport while still doing my job”

LAC Waaka said he had two grandfathers in the Army but had chosen the Air Force as he wanted to “do his own thing”.

The NZDF rugby team, the Defence Blacks, took out the Sports Team of the Year award, while the NZDF Colour award was presented to Warrant Officer Brendon Johnson, for Services to Touch Rugby.

The awards are the pinnacle of sporting achievement in the NZDF for the 2017 year.

Chief of Defence Force Lieutenant General Tim Keating said physical fitness and teamwork were vital components of a successful military force and were part of the military lifestyle which attracted new recruits.

“Sport is an extension of maintaining our basic physical fitness; sport showcases both individual and team excellence and contributes to building teamwork and camaraderie,” LTGEN Keating said.

“Through sport we build bridges between defence and the local community.”

“It’s really awesome to be able to play top-level sport while still doing my job”

– LAC Cole Waaka

New Zealand Defence Force Sports Award recipients, from left, Leading Aircraftman Cole Waaka (Individual Sports Person of the Year), Robert “Tiny” Graham (Sports Official of the Year), Major Brett Grieve (Outstanding Sports Achievement of the Year) and Lieutenant Commander Simon Vissers (Manager of the Defence Blacks, the Sports Team of the Year).

ARMYSPORT 19

By Staff Sergeant B

Anzac Day 2018 Camp Taji, Iraq, like for most serving soldiers started out the same with rum and coffee, quickly named rum-less coffee due to being a dry operation.

We then headed to the dawn service. With a stunning scale replica of the Lone Pine memorial front and centre, epic speeches and a bag piper this coalition dawn service was one to remember. Next came the biggest battle Iraq has seen since the fall of ISIS – the first Camp Taji ANZAC Ripper Rugby League Test Match.

The idea stemmed from an experience Australian soldier Corporal Coxen had in Afghanistan. After discussing it with a fellow NZ soldier Private R the planning phase began. Communication lines were opened with NZRL and NRL organisations who graciously accepted our request to sponsor the game. Sponsorship came in the form of complete game jerseys, which on receipt were blind auctioned off to task group members. Two charities were picked to donate the money to for their support to the families of the fallen: New Zealand Fallen Heroes Trust and Legacy Australia. A total of $2373USD ($3376 NZD) and $2678USD ($3801 NZD) respectively was raised from the jerseys, as well as $268USD and $400USD from donation tins passed around. A great feat in itself before the first ball was kicked.

With the Kiwis coming out on top of a thrashing from the Taji Anzac cricket match a few months before, and the Australians reeling off the win of the NZDF vs ADF curtain raiser match not 24hrs earlier both sides had something to prove. From the kick off we knew things were on as the Australians took no time in reminding us that points win the game.

PTE L's leadership and game knowledge adapted our strategy to bring us back from a 0–14 deficit to a 12–14 half time score. With temperatures soaring to over 30 degrees the 20 minute halves seemed to go on forever. In traditional Anzac sporting spirit the banter was on point and, as most would expect, our invitational British referee copped his fair share. Consistency was the name of the game for the ref but his calls were the only thing staying consistent. As the second half started the Australians took a key injury and PTE Harmer was found dazed and confused on the ground from a knee elbow combination.

TAJI TACTICS SEE MONEY SPINNING ANZAC GAME, AND PLENTY OF CAMARADERIE

It was becoming apparent that as the ripper was leaving the game the bunts and tackles were sneaking in as MAJ B could attest. Before things got too carried away the final whistle blew, and due to the competitiveness of all involved no one really knew who won except for the large crowd of all nations that had gathered. Although the 30–22 score line showed the Kiwis as coming out on top, as clichéd as it may sound the real winners were the families that we will be able to be support.

A special thanks to all those who helped put the game together from the organising crew, to the NZRL and NRL, Camp Taji groundsmen and most of all to the supporters who donated throughout the day.

Lest We Forget.

20 ARMYSPORT

Powerlifter Brian Mills has qualified for the New Zealand National Championships to be held in Whangarei in August.Acting Lieutenant Colonel Mills is the Director of Land Engineering within Logistics Command Land at Trentham Camp.

He competes as a Masters 1 athlete (40–50 years old) and says that although he competes against the other competitors, he is primarily competing against himself, in that he is constantly trying to obtain new personal bests and lift more than he did the last time he lifted.

Powerlifting is a strength sport that includes three distinct lifts – squat, bench press and deadlift, following the referee's commands.

The objective is to lift a maximum weight for a single lift.“I competed in an amateur powerlifting competition in

Masterton in March and in the Central District Powerlifting Championships on 21 April in Hastings. I finished second in age (Masters 1) and weight class (93 kg).”

He achieved 150 kg on his first back squat, missed his second one at 160kg but got it on his 3rd attempt at the same weight.

On the bench press, he made 95, 100 and 105kg. On the deadlift, 210kg was his first attempt, missing 222.5kg on his last two attempts. Of note, he got this weight at his last competition four weeks ago and is planning to hit this and more at national competition.

“I got into powerlifting about six years ago mostly by chance. I had always wanted to squat, but had never learned the proper technique and would injure my back every time I tried it. I gave CrossFit a try, and received some good coaching on how to do a squat. I ended up stopping CrossFit, but sticking with squatting and heavy deadlifting, and then fell into powerlifting.

“I do strength training to stay in shape, and I compete to stay motivated to push myself. I have always been active in different sports, including fastball, broomball and running. I train by myself at home which consists of flexibility training for an hour daily, then four or five strength sessions of 45–90 minutes, and three runs every week.”

POWERLIFTING Pushing Yourself to the Limit

Acting LTCOL Brian Mills in action

ARMYSPORT 21

“Godzone Chapter 7, is raced through some of Fiordland’s most remote areas. It certainly lived up to what was described as the toughest Godzone yet; deep mud, river rapids, thick bush and steep terrain mixed in with 18-20 hour days and sleep deprivation keeping every team on their toes. Our team opted for the Pure event, the more difficult of the two options, and arrived on the start line with 73 other teams of four, ready to tackle the six to ten days carrying our own food and equipment.

Team No. 29, ‘Wet Regret’ was a slow starter as it turns out we had the smallest, and slowest pack raft of the race. The initial paddle across Lake Te Anau quickly taught us that the flatwater stages were going to be a real drag, and we would end up literally towing the small raft. Nevertheless we decided to focus on our strengths and limit our stops along the way, while utilising transitions efficiently. Unfortunately, we had to stop for a few minutes to medicate after I was attacked while walking over a wasp nest, resulting in stings all over my legs. Every wasp sighted after that point resulted in the team taking a

cautious and overly wide berth away from it! Day two brought our team down from the Mt Titiroa

tops to complete a 120m abseil near the North Borland Burn. We made the dark zone cut-off that evening, pack rafting the final 38km of the Waiau River in the setting sun. Day three was a faster paced 55km cycle, with a detour through the Waiau Cave, requiring a dedicated team member to swim a section in order to reach the checkpoint. We reached the next transition knowing that the real grunt stage was just ahead.

Stage three took us four days in total and involved over 150km of trekking and pack rafting. After navigating through tiger country bush, we traipsed through a knee deep mud fest for 40km until reaching the relatively civilised Humpridge trail. A few teams lost members due to injuries and trench foot on this section, and most teams began running low on food as no one had anticipated moving so slowly. Our team missed the timing at the end of this stage, pushing us onto the short course for the final stages.

The course continued to challenge us with some difficult forestry navigation on our mountain bikes and a final hike leg near the Milford track. Sighting the Red Bull finish line from across the lake provided a burst of energy for our team to kayak the final stretch to finish with a placing of 27th, in the top 40% of the race.

For anyone considering racing in Godzone in the future my advice would be to train hard in every pursuit and train your mind even harder. It was inspiring to meet some adventure racing heroes on the course and even Richie McCaw gave it a solid effort. I want to acknowledge the support provided by the Singapore Expedition fund and the encouragement of my team at the NZ Army Leadership Centre. My colleagues followed our team progress online via the live tracking feed, which provided constant entertainment and banter in the office trying to guess where we’d go next.

In the end, I was delivered exactly what I signed up for; an enduring and tough week of pushing and finding my limits deep in Fiordland.

AN ADVENTURE LIKE NO OTHERTen days and 500km of “adventure like no other” is how they sold it and it didn’t take much convincing for Army Leadership Centre instructor Lieutenant Anna Brooke to sign up for the experience.

22 ARMYSPORT

Day 54

Enter MAJ Gene Fenton: ‘Hey guys – NZ Army Netball have just been asked to provide some training games for the Oceania Champs’

Editor’s note: The Oceania Champs are a big deal. It is the qualifying tournament for Pacific Island National Netball Teams (Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Papua New Guinea and the Cook Islands), with the top two teams gaining automatic qualification into the 2019 Netball World Champs in the United Kingdom.

Day 44

A meeting of great netball minds, and a general consensus that this is an amazing opportunity, how can we make it work?

Day 37

Minutes drafted, budgets submitted.

Day 30

We get the official ‘thumbs up’ from DCA

Day 20

Slight panic…. can we field a team?

Day 16 – Day 5

A tiring process of getting the word out, gathering noms, organising the tour. Our ladies are busy, but we slowly get a team together.

Day five

We’re there. A couple of Navy players in support, and the NZ Army Netball team is good to go.

D Day

H-seven

Players concentrate at NZ Airports. The confirmed schedule –

D Day: vs Cook Islands at 1500 hrs. D+1: vs Papua New Guinea at 1500 hrs.

Jackie, the NZ Army Netball Coach, mentions ‘Samoa or Tonga might also want a game, what do you think? It was a resounding ‘YES’ and there we go – three international matches ahead of us.

H-three

The team is gathered at Highwire Gym, Papakura. We get a chance to discuss the key outcomes we want for the games. Four goals are formed:1. To provide a credible training opportunity for the

teams as part of their build up training; 2. To have fun;3. To not get injured for our season ahead, and4. To represent the NZ Army with pride.

H-1

We get a glimpse of the Cook Island National Netball Team. Gosh. They’re tall. They look fit. They look amazing.

H Hour

We’re into it. Army first centre pass. Army score, we’re up 1–0. We’re thinking maybe we’ll be OK. Quarter time score: 14–4 down. We’re not going to be OK. But some positive play. The team is more at ease with each other and the Cook Island National Netball Team appreciated having a chance to have some match play prior to their tournament.

Army POTG: Kim Maisey for her relentless defence. After a night of rest, Food Court and Krispy Kremes we

were back for more.

The next day

A 1000 hr game against Samoa had been organised in addition to our 1500 hr game against Papua New Guinea. Again, we get a glimpse of the Samoa National Netball Team. Golly Gosh. [insert Cook Island superlatives].

Game time. Army showed heart and improvement. On court combinations were working better, we produced some good passages of play and got 24 goals on the board. Samoa had slightly more.

Army POTG: Greenie for her consistent work in the shooting circle despite some lofty and zealous defence players.

1500 hrs. Final game vs Papua New Guinea. Well, they’re not super tall, just tall. And fast. Yes it was more of the same as we continued to provide the teams with some good training.

Army POTG: Freda Rehua for never giving up on defence, and Tracey Mouat for making it through the tournament. Many good things came out of this netball opportunity – • New Army Netball talent was found in PTE Carolyn

Smith (5/7) and LT Kim Martyn (2ER)

• Old friends were welcomed back to Army Netball (Jo!)

• We played three international netball matches.

• Another chance to play the sport we love for the organisation we love.

• A trophy! Albeit for participation, but a trophy all the same.

And many thanks must be made to –• DCA, COL Matt Weston, thank you for your support

and approval at short notice.

DIARY OF PREPARATION FOR AN INTERNATIONAL NETBALL FIXTURE‘If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity but you are not sure you can do it, say yes – then learn how to do it later!’ – Richard Branson

This is the predicament Army Netball found themselves in less than two months ago, so heeding the above advice, they started on the journey of getting some international netball under their belts.

NZ Army and Papua New Guinea at the conclusion of their training game.

Part of the training involved the national teams practising their pre-game national anthems and flag drill. PTE Savannah Grace (Capt) holds the flag for NZ Army.

ARMYSPORT 23

• COL Jim Bliss (Chair Army Sports) and COL Karyn Thompson (Army Netball Code Champion) for your endorsement of our request.

• Pirate, for your support as always.

• MAJ (Retd) Dave Hopkins, CEO of Highwire Community Trust. A guy that gives his heart and soul to his community. Dave served in the NZ Army and is a great friend of Army Netball.

• MRS Laureen Burnham (DSS Hokowhitu). Definitely our non-travelling reserve. Dealt with flights, PAYD, a few changes and processed everything at short notice with a smile.

• CSS Coy North (2 CSS Bn) and DSS Papakura. Thank you for all the logistical support during our stay in Auckland.

• Jackie Fenton (NZ Army Coach). As always, Jackie brings us all together and gets us on the court as a Unit.

• And finally, the Oceania NZ Army Netball Team.

– To our Navy-Army players, Greenie, Kalya and Maa. Thank you, we couldn’t have done it without your support and it was nice to be on the same team for once.

– To the Army ladies. Thank you for getting your noms in and making the trip up to Auckland in what is proving to be a busy year on many fronts.

• MAJ Gene Fenton. For all the coordination and getting the tour off the ground.

In summary – our score card is balanced. We achieved our goals without exception. There were many games of four quarters. The hard yards were done and we played for the full 60 minutes. And at the end of the day, netball was the winner.

In all seriousness, we came away feeling that we had provided benefit to each of the three teams that we played. They all had the opportunity to practise their

attacking and defensive combinations, and their match play as a good conclusion to their training camps. The enjoyment factor was high, and injuries were nil. We had the opportunity to play high quality netball, and participate in games we will likely never get the chance to again.

The outcome of the Oceania Games had Samoa and Fiji both qualify for the 2019 Netball World Champs, Samoa beating Fiji in the final game 54-43 to take the top qualifying position.

The Oceania Training Camp NZ Army Netball TeamCoach Mrs Jackie Fenton, 2 CSS Bn

Co-captain PTE Savannah Grace, 2 CSS Bn

Co-captain MAJ Tracey Mouat, AGS

Players LT Kim Martyn, 2ER

PTE Carolyn Smith, 5/7 Bn

SGT Freda Rehua, QAMR

SGT Joanne Fraser, JOHG

PTE Kim Maisey, NZDFMP

PTE Amber Parkinson, TAD

CPL Renee Marshall, 2 CSS Bn

A Sharnese Greenfield, RNZN

ASCS Kayla Tane, RNZN

A Omarama Sutcliffe, RNZN

Coming up…

Mixed and Women’s Regional Netball Tournament: 30 July – 3rd August (Linton)

Mixed and Women’s Services Netball Tournament: 27–31 August (Ohakea)

NZ Army and Samoa at the conclusion of their training game.

NZ Army netball players with Mrs Phyllis Latour, MBE, and namesake of the Phyllis Latour Doyle Gymnasium Sports and Recreation Centre of Highwire Charitable Trust

24 ARMYNEWS

Catafalque Guard member Private Emily Eastgate in Gallipoli. Photo: Corporal Maria Eves.