KAWHIA SOUTH NEWS

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4819, 4 August 1939, Page 2

KAWHIA SOUTH NEWS

TERRITORIALS AND R.S.A. JOINT FUNCTION HELD. On the 22nd ult. the first draft of the local Territorial Army recruits, 33 in number, left for their initial training at Ngaruawahia. They were young men of splendid type. On their return on the 29th the local branch of the R.S.A. invited the

new Territorials to join them at their regular meeting in a "smoko." A full attendance of both R.S.A. members and Territorials resulted, a very pleasant evening being spent, Mr. Miln, president of the R.S.A., taking the chair.

The toast of "The Territorials" was in the capable hands of Mr. E. Mosley, who stated that the occasion marked the birth of the 4th Waikato Regiment at Te Anga, a regiment that had won and established as precedents a splendid war honours list on Gallipoli and in France, and counselled the members to always remember this when they wore the uniform. Mr. Moseley proposed that this combined meeting of R.S.A. and Territorials be an annual event. This was adopted. Mr. B. Matthews ably responded.

In replying to the toast of 'The

R.5.A.," proposed by Private Matth ews, Mr. Milne said that the wai

veteran's enthusiasm for recruiting arose not from any belligerent motives but from a realisation of the necessity for defending our Empire and democracy (which, when the worst was said against it, was still the finest place in the world in which to live), against aggressors, who, if victorious, would reduce us to vassalage and serfdom, incomprehensible to us in our present state.

Other toasts were duly honoured and numerous musical and elocutionary items rendered.

It was decided thta in the holding of an annual ball for each respectively, that both would render mutual support at the functions.