Army women to hold reunion

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32958, 3 July 1972, Page 7

Army women to hold reunion

About 300 former and serving members of the New Zealand Women’s Royal Army Corps will, gather in Christchurch for a reunion at Labour Day week-end.

The service that began as a group of women volunteers, led “into action” in the Middle East by Barbara, Lady Freyberg in 1941, will celebrate its thirtieth anniversary.

Former members of the corps have become scattered throughout New Zealand and overseas. The Christchurch branch of the ExN.Z.W.R.A.C.S. Association is organising the reunion and has had word of a former W.R.A.C. from Canada who plans to attend, and one from Norfolk Island. A full schedule of activities has been planned for the week-end. On Friday, October 20, there will be an informal evening gathering at the cafeteria in the Government Life Building which Christchurch members plan to decorate for the occasion. A “Mums’ Army” — as the association has called it — will visit Burnham Military Camp. The former servicewomen will take part in some of the activities of serving members, and compare present training and work with earlier days. A formal reunion dinner will be held at the Winter Garden on Saturday evening, and the Anglican Bishop of Christchurch (the Rt. Rev. W. A. Pyatt) will conduct a ser-

vice at the Christchurch Cathedral on Sunday morning. This will be followed by a luncheon.

! So far the response to the reunion has been excellent, say the organisers. Mrs Audrey Beddie, president of the 165-strong Christchurch branch, is the executive officer organising the reunion. The chairman of the reunion committee, Miss Margaret Knights, is a vice-president of the association and Colonel Commandant of the corps.

Now retired, she serves in an honorary capacity. Miss Knights spent two and a half years serving overseas in the Middle East, Italy, and England. After World War II she became director of the corps, and was demobilised in 1962. As a liaison officer between the service and civilians she is still on the active list.

The service had its beginnings in 1941 when Barbara, Lady Freyberg, took 30 young women to the Middle East where they served as welfare officers and ran canteens for servicemen.

The year after the corps — then the New Zealand Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps — was formed, the group moved to Italy. Lady Freyberg went into uniform so that she could accompany them. The patron of the association, she has sent her best wishes for the reunion. The reunion is open to all former serving members, not just members of the association, and those interested may send inquiries to P.O. Box 27033, Shirley, Christchurch.