Shipping News Cadets end annual camp on island

Press, 17 January 1979, Page 18

Shipping News Cadets end annual camp on island

,i A total of 61 Sea Cadets i (from many South Island re- 1 (gions will end their annual i (camp on Ripapa Island in 1 (Lyttelton Harbour today, : j after 10 days of naval train- i ing. The cadets slept in ham- t mocks, studied seamanship, (< boating, and sailing, and(< went on 24-hour survival li exercises. (< The camp, under the corn-; mand of Captain M. M. 1 Coleman, was conducted on i traditional naval lines: the;; boys kept 24-hour watches,(l manned radio commun-j ications, and maintained; equipment. Three cooks from the] Navy, a plumber and fire-’’ control officer from theji (army, and medical assistance were provided as part;, of the regular forces’ contri-l; bution to the camp. The camp was inspected , on Monday by the Commandant of Cadet Forces ini (New Zealand (Wing Corn-) mander M. H. Bond), the] president of the Navy] ■ League of New Zealand (Mr| E. H. Edginton, of Welling-' i ton), and the president of I ■ the Canterbury branch; ; (Commander R. F. Sand- ( I erson). The Navy League adminis-l ters the Sea Cadets, and| .(officers from the various I (units in Christchurch also] the camp. Annual camps have been! held on the island for about I I 20 years. The old Jervois (underground fortress provid-( es most of the living fac-‘ jilities. I] Many problems associated i with makeshift housing,; (training, and feeding of the! (cadets were overshadowed (by the enthusiasm and dedi-( (cation of the divisional j (officers. i( The cadets have had; feverything an old fortress; 1 has to offer — thanks to the 1 economic decline of a scrapj metal merchant. | He was given the right!

many years ago to dismantle the old eight-inch and sixinch guns for scrap metal, but their weight scuttled the project. A 13-tonne gun barrel was left beside a gun pit. A request was received more recently from a Canadian war museum to buy the other eight-inch gun, which is still intact, but this was declined. It is hoped that Ripapa Island can be preserved as it is, and thus continue to be an ideal venue for training Sea Cadets. r;t $ « ARRIVALS Ngahere (5.20 a.m.), 4548, Tauranga, Capt. B. E. Avery (U.S.S.). Hermina (6.15 a.m.), 889'i. Japan, Capt. Kuan Yee (P and O). Union Lyttelton (6.45 a.m.), 4500, Wellington, Capt. A. Dodds (U.S.S.). DEPARTURES Nil. EXPECTED ARRIVALS Holmdaie, Chatham Islands, today. August Moon, Wellington, , January 19. (Wellington Star, Suva, January 19. i Union Hobart, Dunedin, i January 20. Discovery Bay, Wellington, January 20. i Josef Wybicki, Tauranga, ■ January 20. PROJECTED DEPARIURES I Coastal Trader, Auckland, today. Ngahere, Bluff, January 18. (Hermina, Auckland, January 19. (Wellington Star, Wellington, January 19. (Union Hobart, Wellington, ( January 20. VESSELS IN PORT (Hermina. Cashin Quay No. | 1. Coastal Ranger, No. 2 West. (Coastal Trader, No. 4 East. Ngahere, No. 7 West. (Milburn Courier, dry dock.