LONG JOURNEY TO ENLIST

Southland Times, Issue 23932, 26 September 1939, Page 2

LONG JOURNEY TO ENLIST

3000 MILES TRAVELLED IN

FORTNIGHT

“Three thousand miles for a scrap.” That was the way in which Mr Denis Ring described a trip from central Queensland to join the special force at Christchurch, when interviewed by The Press. Mr Ring claims the record for trips made to Christchurch by recruits enlisting in the special force. On a vast Australian sheep run, 850 miles inland from the Queensland coast, Mr Ring heard, by radio, late on the evening of September 3, of the entry of Great Britain into the war with Germany, and at 9.30 next morning, having disposed of his stock-in-trade as a musterer, he set off on horseback on a 3000-mile trip to enlist in his home town at Christchuich. During the last fortnight Mr Ring engaged almost every means of transport to reach Christchurch in the shortest possible time. A trip of 12 miles by horse brought him to the tiny inland town of Emmett. As no train was expected for a week, Mr Ring quitted his horse and, by walking, wool wagon, motor trucks and taxi, he finally reached Longreach, where he entrained on the 1500-mile journey to Sydney. There was a delay of two days for a boat at Sydney, but the Tasman was finally crossed. Except for the break in Sydney, Mr Ring made direct connections in transport and he arrived at Christchurch on Tuesday morning, enlisted, and was passed by the medical authorities on Wednesday, a fortnight after leaving Queensland. Purely patriotic motives and a desire to serve with his home forces moved Mr Ring to make his long trip, and he had an interesting tale to tell of his adventures. “The tempeiature was 93 degrees in the shade and beer cost 4/6 a bottle when I left Emmett,” said Mr Ring when relating the variety of conditions through which he passed. The most' striking comparison was between the red sand deserts of Queensland, where heavy rain has not fallen for 12 years, and the rich green pastures of Canterbury. He considers that transport in New Zealand is well up to the standard in Australia. Mr Ring is 24 years old, and he is the son of Mr Claude Ring, of St. Albans. He was educated at St. Andrew’s College and spent some years on back-country stations in New Zealand before he went to Australia last autumn.