The Regular Force Cadet Association

 

 

Les Pye                      dimpy@xtra.co.nz

The belated Last Post notification for Roy Swann (Miles Coy) circa 2000 brought to mind an incident on our third day in Trentham July 1948.   Both in No 1 Platoon we had been issued with Battle Dress and told to get them pressed.   Prior to my enlistment I had been employed as a presser in a small factory on Ponsonby Road, Auckland so had the drop on my compatriots.   My knife like creases stood out like a sore thumb so when I saw Roy struggling, did the decent thing and offered to do his BD trousers for him.   Sgt Dick Cairns stopped activities for a couple of minutes to make an announcement then we returned to our tasks.   In those days there were no steam irons with thermostats and pressing involved a damp cloth placed over the area required and the hot iron applied.   This was done for Roy’s trousers, but the iron then had an upsurge in temperature and on application to the area, hissed, not only on the cloth but also the scorched outline of the iron on the trousers.   Showing the problem to Dick he despatched both of us to the RQMS, WOII Lou Pointon and advised (tongue in cheek) that a serious sin had been committed to the King’s uniform. An unsmiling Lou carried out an inspection, mumbling words about inept procedures, looking both of us in the eye, smiled and fitted Roy with a new pair, adding that this was a one time only action.  Even Dick had a knowing smile to the otherwise fixation we were coming to grips with.

 

 

Bob Edwards 

Miles Coy 1948-1949
S.D Construction Sqdn 1949 - 1954
S.D Construction Sqdn 1959 - 1965

Leaving Roxburgh District High School in 1947 and tractor driving on farms and working for a roading contractor on his Crushing Plant, the future was not looking bright for a young lad starting out in life,  fortunately a notice was in the Otago Daily Times advertising for young men to join the Regular Army and become a leader in the Army of tomorrow.

A trip to Dunedin and a medical examination led to an acceptance and duly catching the bus from Millers Flat, at Lawrence another young fellow caught the bus and Gerald Geddes made his acquaintance.

We rattled up the Canterbury Plain, Johnny Saxton, Rusty Taylor, John Hay and others to Burnham for the night and then to Trentham the next evening on the Ferry from Lyttleton.

Arriving at Trentham the usual documentation  began and soon we were kitted out and allocated our barracks 1, 2, &3 Coys.

20 July 1948 10.00 hrs in Capt. Brian Boyds office, "Now Edwards what trade would you like to follow in the Army?" Answer: "a motor mechanic Sir!" "Sorry Edwards we have no more vacancies for mechanics, your choice is Painter, Plumber or Electrician".

Those few words changed my whole future and now at 77 years of age electrical work is still being carried out.

The grounding with the S.D.Constr. Sqdn at 44 Riccarton Rd. led to leaving the Army in 1954 to gain more experience in Civvy St. and so back in Otago two years with the Teviot Electric Power-board saw me on the way to Kawerau where a paper-mill was being built altogether there were 180 Electricians on the job, mainly Australians but 27 from N.Z. The Mill completed, saw me back in Millers Flat and Poultry Farming with 4,500 chickens eating their heads off, a truckload of eggs to Dunedin market and 5 tons of mash back, loaded from Taieri and no profit.

Fortunately a Hydro Dam was being constructed at Roxburgh and when my boots wore out a job was on offer.

1956 Roxburgh commissioned, another Hydro job was undertaken at Lake Hawea and on completion Benmore was starting, so there we were married and on the payroll again things were looking good.

Geoff Stevenson asked if I would consider going back to the Army as the Chief had retired so nothing ventured nothing gained saw Rosemary myself & Gary back in Riccarton Rd.Corporal 4 Star was not bad hay in those times.

1965 Contracting in Chch for 15 years and crawling in roof space was becoming increasingly harder and a short sojourn with the Otago Power-board as an electrical Inspector led to an application to instruct apprentices at an Island called NIUE there the Education Officer was Terry Coeano the rex Cadet?

Back in N.Z. at 50 years of age and nothing offering we bought the EttrickTavern and became a publican for 10 years or more and then stayed at Millers Flat contracting and installing pumping stations for orchard irrigation and frost fighting.

When looking back over the years, the Army days are the best memories and how fortunate to be selected as one of the Favoured Few.

Regards

Bob Edwards
35 Ventry St Alexandra
03 448 8796