RE-UNION HELD

Waikato Times, Volume 124, Issue 20832, 16 June 1939, Page 8

RE-UNION HELD

TE AWAMUTU R.S.A. ATTITUDE TOWARD DEFENCE TRAINING OF YOUNG MEN (Special to Times) TE AWAMUTU, Friday Ex-servicemen assembled in Awamutu Town Hall on Wednesday night for the 21st annual re-union sponsored by the Te Awamutu Returned Soldiers Association. Mr C. O. Edmonds, president of the Te Awamutu branch, was in the chair and had with him as guests of honour Colonel C. Pierce, of l’aterangi, c9nd Colonel Frazerhurst, of Tauranga. The Deputy-Mayor, Mr J. C. Montefiore, the M.P. for Waitomo, Mr W. J. Broadfoot, representatives of other branches, three members of the nursing service, and many others were given places of honour at the head table. A letter from the Military Secretary to the Governor-General, Lord Galway, was read to the gathering, regret being expressed that llis Excellency was unable to attend because of another engagement. Apologies were received from Mr W. S. Goosman, M.P., Mr B. J. Jacobs, Colonel Barrowclough and Mr N. McAlister. The toast “Departed Comrades” was given in silence after the Last Post and Reveille had been sounded. The roll was called, and it was interesting to note that there were representatives of the forces not only oi New Zealand hut also of Australia and Great Britain. Proposing the toast of the New Zealand Returned Soldiers’ Association, the Rev. Martin Sullivan said it could he sincerely and honestly said lhat the Association had fulfilled its trust, and thousands of men would remember with deep gratitude the assistance given. What, he asked, was it that bound the returned men together; what was it that induced them to assemble at re-unions? It was, above all, the recollection of the time spent together in their great adventure. It was that great unseen bond of friendship which held the men together and held them all over New Zealand. It was that bond which was responsible for the fact that the best response to the appeal for recuits came from the older men. The reason was that they sought, perhaps unconsciously, to recapture something of the past. When the New Zealand Returned Soldiers Association was honoured, every digger on the face of the earth was honoured, whether in Germany, France, Belgium or any other country, and in them was the nucleus of a world-wide league of nations. Growing Membership The response was in the hands of Colonel Frazerhurst, who said that after hearing such an expression of llie feelings of the younger men, he had no fear for the future. People were inclined to run down the young men, but he would remind them that if the younger generation was apathetic, the older men were to blame. The spirit of comradeship lived and he noticed an increase in the fraternal feeling and also in the membership of the Association. Te Awamutu had received a star for its increase in membership. Every member of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force alive to-day was a “returned soldier,” and there were still 80.000. In the early thirties membership had fallen to 6000, hut to-day the total was 31,000, hut there was a long way to go yet. There were two classes of men who did not join, the first comprising those who were doing well and required no help and the other class of men who honestly could not afford the subscription. They too were returned soldiers and should not he turned away from any functions just because of their circumstances. Attitude to Defenco At the last Dominion conference the question of defence was considered. The policy of the association was that the matter was above party politics, and if it felt that any government was not doing its duty, use could he made of the ballot box. The Returned Soldiers Association was behind any government which would do its duty, and although no one wanted war, the returned men would stake everything to protect the country's rights. The Government had asked the young men to enrol in the Territorial Army and the older men to join the National Reserve. The association was anxious to know how many men had answered the call, and he suggested that where possible, returned soldiers hand the cards to their secretary, who would pass them on after he had noted the number of volunteers, and in so doing, would find out how many were not members of the association. Training of the young men was necessary if we expected them to go away and return victorious. Unless men learned to look after themselves, they were in for trouble. The returned soldiers were not war-mon-gers, hut they did want their sons and tiie young men to be trained to look after themselves and to do that they must be trained. If it was left till the last, it would be too late.

The toast “The Armed Forces of the Crown,” was proposed by Mr Gate, of Hamilton, and responded to by Major Gibbons.

Entertainment of a high standard was provided by Messrs Garland, James, R. Harris, Richardson, Reid, Hay and Budge and an orchestra which legated the gathering with some lively war-time music.