Hobsonville Anzac Parade
April 2010
John Pringle Writes
Four Blue Jobs were part of a contingent of some sixty members of the Rhodesian Forces Association at the Hobsonville RSA, Auckland (New Zealand) for the traditional ANZAC Day parade.
RSA is the Returned Servicemen's Association, the DownUnder equivalent of the MOTHs and ANZAC stands for Australia New Zealand Army Corps. ANZAC Day is our equivalent of Poppy Day.
The photos are:
Forming up behind the banner. Hugh Bomford doing the honours, while the Blue Jobs
were down
at the back, with the rabble!
Forming up and attempting some resemblance of military order are
L to R: John Pringle, Blake Few, unknown Brown, unknown Brown and John Michalakis.
After the service. L to R, Blake Few, John Michalakis, Hugh Bomford partly obscured
by his banner, Chuck Osborne and John Pringle.
Thanks to John Pringle for sharing his photos and memories with ORAFs,
posted by Rhodesia Remembered @ 10:27
1 Comments
1 Comments:
I did not know Blake Few was in NZ and at Hobsonville. I would like to contact Blake who was acting Sunray at Mtoko sometime in 1977 and saved my bacon with a VDF letdown in my T53 Prov after the Gooti suddenly rolled in when we were working a contact near the Mocambique border . All the Firefiorce choppers simply landed , and I was left alone, in the clag pretty much without fuel and miles from any where. I managed to get myself to Mtoko still in the clag with the gauges reading empty with Blake working the VDF from the tent. I He guided me through the VDF letdown to a perfect position getting visual at 300 ft and almost at the threshold. The engine quit as I rolled into the revetment. I bought him a chibooli or two that night and I think I still owe him a few more still.
Blake you might be interested to know I worked & lived at near or at Hobsonville from 1950 to 1975 when I joined the Rhodaf. My brother-in law Robert Maddox live now near the Marina and my wife Jo and I visted there last year.
In the early 50's the whole of the grass airfield at Hobsonville was cobered with ex WW2 aircraft , I remember playing as a kid in the many Catalinas there and the Zero which was parked near the hangars ( now in the Auckland Museum)
. When I was in the RNZAF I worked mostly at the Aviation Medical Unit ( Clarke Hose ) oposite the base married quarters , and I lived at Herald Island and my kids went to Hobbie Primary School. I know the RSA club but never had the opportunity to go in.
Blake, I am currently flying GA aircraft in Darwin , NT Australia
Contact me at russjo@onthenet.com.au Russell Broadbent 4384 4 Sqn 1975-77
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