R.S.A. REUNION

Taranaki Daily News, 15 April 1935, Page 11

R.S.A. REUNION

GATHERING AT WAITARA WORK DONE BY ASSOCIATION. GROWTH OF WAITARA BRANCH. That the camaraderie which was such a. feature among the members of the New Zealand troops at the Great War is not diminishing'with the advance of lime was shown again on Saturday evening when the Waitara branch of the Returned Soldiers’ Association held its annual re-union in the Clifton hall. Over 70 attended and a pleasant evening was spent in song ad story punctuated by a short toast list which occupied the early part of the evening. Mr. Ivor Pritchard, president, occupied the chair and seated at the head table were representatives of the New Plymouth, Urenui and Inglewood branches and of the South African Veterans’ As- « sociation and the Queen Alexandra Mounted Rifles. The roll call by Corporal E. J. Carr disclosed that at the gathering there were representatives of 22 units that had participated in the war. “Absent Comrades” was proposed by Mr. A. Chadwick, who said that all fully appreciated what had been ~done by the men who had gone during the “big stunt” and since. It was fitting that their memory should be honoured year by year with all reverence, as all cherished private memories of their mates, The Returned Soldiers’ Association was proposed by the chairman, who said that for the past 14 or 15 years the Returned Soldiers’ Association had consistently fought in the interests of the returned soldiers and moreover had fought in such a way as to earn the respect of all. It was now sponsoring a Bill to give relief for the “burnt out” soldier. In 191819 soldiers were anxious to get back into civilian life and many of them now found difficulty in proving that diseases which had since developed were directly due to the war. It had been hoped that the' Hon. S. G. Smith would have been

present so that his assistance might have been sought, but he had been unable to attend owing to pressure ' of Cabinet .duties. The men at the head of the Returned Soldiers’ Association were men of ability and it was the duty of every returned soldier to join up and put his weight behind them. He congratulated the Urenui branch on its strong position in having 36 financial members. The Waitara branch was now making a definite forward move, for though it was defunct a few years ago, it now had 42 financial members and the committee would not rest until every returned soldier of Waitara had joined up. ‘ . MEANING OF ASSOCIATION. ' Mr. B. L. Twomey, in responding, said that everyone present knew quite well what the Returned Soldiers’ Association really meant and what it had done. He congratulated the Waitara branch on its activities and on the splendid gathering that evening which helped to foster the right spirit. He was .pleased to hear that the Waitara branch was aiming at 100 per cent membership, as that was wanted right throughout the Dominion. Each year it was going to be harder for , the returned soldiers and with weight of membership, they would have a great:er chance of obtaining justice. As a member of the executive of the New Plymouth branch he had had an opportunity of realising what a wonderful organisation the Returned Soldiers’ Association was. • The Army, Navy and Air Force was proposed by Mr. W. R. Johns. Twelve months ago, he said, everyone was talking peace and disarmaments, but during the past few weeks the aspect had changed and it looked as though the race for armaments had started again He was pleased to note that conscription was not necessary in New Zealand. Since compulsory training had been abolished oh the ground of economy and training was carried out on the voluntary system they had reason to be proud of the efficiency. He felt that if the occasion ever -arose, the territorials would prove quite the eaual or what their brothers and fathers had been. The British army had proved itself the finest in the world, while the colonial troops and the army generally realised the great debt that* it owed to the senior service, the navy, which, living up to its name as the silent service, did all that was required during the war. Britons had been watching with some concern the gradual: decline of British naval power, but Britain- had made an honest attempt’to lead the world in disarmament However, that could be carried too far arid Britain was now realising the danger and building new large ships. It had been said that the next war would be fought in the air, and he considered an effective air force would be invaluable as a means of defence for New Zealand. It was pleasing, therefore, to see that the Government was building up an air force. Though in its youth, the Air Force had built up great traditions during the war. COMPARISON WITH 1914. " Captain E. R. Harford said the various branches would appreciate having been toasted by men who had served in the Great War. Conditions at the present time were almost identical with those that existed in 1914, immediately prior to the outbreak of war. The great value of the Navy and Army was recognised in the problem of defending such a wide scattered Empire. The Royal Air Force also carried a great share of the responsibility of defence. Prior to the great war the Germans had been schooling their army for years and had striven hard to outdo the British Navy. Britain on the other hand raised her army mainly from the territorial force, of men taken hastily from civilian life. It might be wondered, therefore, why the German army did not have a clear , cut fall to victory. It was because the British Army and its colonial troops possessed a spirit of camaraderie and an inherent British love of sport, which the German army did not. If there were to be another war he thWght it would be found that exactly the same spirit existed. JThe men would be there when asked for.” “The Local Committee” was proposed by Mr. W. T. Joll, who stressed the fact that as the result of its enthusiasm and hard work it had revived the local branch, which had been allowed to become moribund, until now it was a very live organisation. He reviewed its various activities and expressed the hope that the present committee and particularly the secretary, Captain Wood, would remain in office for a long time. ■ Captain Wood thanked all who had assisted so freely particularly in the -gatherings that the branch had recently held. Thanks were also due to the women, evidence of whose assistance was shown by the tables that evening. Owing to the capable assistance of the chairman and the committee his duties were very light. He spoke appreciatively of the popularity of the New Zealand solider in Great Britain.” Other toasts were the Entertainers (Mr. W. Scott, Urenui—-Mr. W. J. Smith, Ingle.wood) and the Press (Mr. W. L. Wright—Daily News representative). At intervals during the evening an enjoyable programme was given, those contributing being Messrs R. Todd, W. J. Smith, D. McKeamey, J. Johnston and D. Read (songs), R. Day, E. J. Carr (elocutionary) and J. Mandsley (tap dancing). All were encored.' Mr. J. R. G. Sutherland played the accompaniments.