LONG JOURNEYS WELL JUSTIFIED, SAY INFANTRYMEN

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22657, 7 June 1948, Page 4

LONG JOURNEYS WELL JUSTIFIED, SAY INFANTRYMEN

Friendships forged on the various battlefields by infantrymen of 25 (N.Z.) Battalion, 2 N.Z. Division, stood the test during the week-end when lan, } ‘numbers from Wellington, Taranaki i and Hawke’s Bay made long journeys to attend the national reunion of the battalion association conducted at the A Pcho-o-Rawiri meeting house. & An attendance of about 250. approxi- • mately half of them district members, was presided over by the retiring national president, Mr H G Burton. The new president, Mr. J. L. Friar, was introduced to the gathering during the evening

Starting to arrive on Friday evening, the visitors were quickly taken in hand bv district members of the association. All went through the contact centre established at the R.S.A. rooms to be . given their instructions concerning Oil- 4 lets and the week-end programme , Yesterday afternoon two buses took the visitors on a round trip through Makauri. Waerenga-a-hika. Kaitaratahi and the Lavenham road tc MuriwaL where the party was entertained at afternoon tea. Long Trip LengtJiened The week-end was not without its amusing incidents, two of which may be recorded. A car from Auckland was misdirected at Opotiki. one of the A A. signs at a road junction having been turned about to point down the costal route. The driver was dismayed, when, after leaving one finger post “Gisborne 90 miles” well behind, th e next one gave the distance to Gisborne as 145 miles The level of petrol in the tank would not cope with the additional mileage and had to be replenished. The Aucklanders arrived at the reunion at 9.30 p m A Wairoa visitor, well known in the battalion made a special effort to come to Gisborne to meet up with his “cobbers.” He arrived at midday on Saturdav and met some of them The Wairoa man decided to take a rest later in the afternoon and did not wake until shortly before breakfast on Sunday morning. A welcome was extended to the visitors at the reunion by the chairman of the Gisborne sub-branch of the association, Mr. C. G. Lucas, and later a further welcome was extended by the president of the R.S.A., Mr. J. Leggat, o n behalf of all the returned ■ men o£ the district.

“Spirit Lives Strongly” In proposing the toast to "The Battalion,” Mr. Leggat said it was evident by the large number of visitors that the spirit of the battalion lived strongly, despite the fact that there was nothing glamorous in its name. The two figures "25” meant much to the infantrymen who had passed through its ranks.

Replying, Mr. Burton paid a tribute to the earliest commander of the unit, Major-General A. S. Wilder, D. 5.0., from whom an apology for absence had been received. He concluded by saying: ‘Every battalion of the division was a top-notcher, but ours was second: to none ”

Other toasts honoured were: —“Ths King”, proposed by Mr. Lucas; “Kindred Units,” proposed bv Mr. R. Morrison and responded to by Mr. J. Dymock; “Absent Friends,” Padre J. G. B. Talbot. The “Last Post” and “Reveille” were sounded by Mr. C. Prentice. Entertainment was provided by Mr. H. Dover, with an item of magic, and Messrs. Nolan Redstone and J. Prentice were at the piano and violin respectively.