OLD COMRADES

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 252, 21 July 1938, Page 7

OLD COMRADES

Wellington Section Of N.Z.

Permanent Force

There was an attendance oi: 22 members at the third annual meeting New Zealand Permanent Force Old Comrades’ Association last night.

The president, Mr. J. Spence, stated that the financial membership now stood at 182, with 10 honorary members. The committee had again been unsuccessful in its efforts to procure a grant from the permanent force reward fund toward the benevolent fund of the association.

Captain 11. C. Peterson said that the reward fund had been mainly made up of fines imposed upon members of the armed constabulary, and be understood the fund now stood at somewhere about £2OOO. The armed constabulary had contributed to the fund for years, and it now appeared that the original members were going to get nothing from it. “I was once fined 5/-, and I also had a few beers at the canteen," he added.

The president said that the fund was now nearer £3OOO titan £2OOO, but the Minister had stated that the Government was going to provide for everyone, and the contributing members would get nothing from the fund. The Honours Board. The honours board, which contained the names of 14 members of the association, was unveiled by Major G. B. Parkinson, officer commanding the N.Z.R.F.A., who said it might be asked why the association should have an honours board. The answer to this was that as citizens they had a duty to the State, and those who became members of the permanent froce took on added duties. The regiment was nearly 100 years old, having been formed in 1846, and he thought it was time that the spirit of extra devotion to the State might be extended by enlarging membership to the newer generation. Election of Officers. The election of officers resulted :■ —- President, Mr. J. Spence (re-elected) ; vice-presidents, Colonels J. E. Ilume and H. E. Pilkington, Major F. G. Hume, Captains H. C. Petersen and O. P. McGuigan, Messrs. J. Gentles, G. Law, J. A. McGrath, 11. J. Poole, G. Balfour, D. J. O’Neill, M. J. Kyne, J. Cameron, C. Grey, W. 11. McAnerin, M. Redican, J. Siddells, G. Winter, W. J. Anderson, C. 11. Gallagher; lion, secretary and treasurer, Mr. A. Thomson (re-elected) ; assistant secretary and treasurer, Mr. T. Asher (re-elected) ; executive committee, Messrs. M. Hyland, S. Cockroft, E. A. Tomkiqs, J. A. Head, R. 11. Cook, C. A. Radcliffe. T. Inch. J. J. Power, T. B. Nisbet, J. Leslie. L. Inkster, T. Callingham ; auditor, Mr. F. Bond (re-elected). The arranging of the date and place of the sixth reunion was left to the executive.