sapper193 Nov

NORTHERN BRANCH OF
THE SAPPERS ASSOCIATION [NZ] Inc
The year started with the news that 2014 could be the last year that our annual Church Parade
would be held in St David’s Church, due to its imminent demolishment due to the horrendous cost
for the work required to bring it up to current earthquake requirements. This, thankfully has been
averted for the present with the news that the church now comes under a different set of regulations
not as stringent, but still requiring a lot of strengthening restoration work.
The Branch was involved in two functions to do with the church. The first was the evening before
Anzac Day with the launching of an ‘Art of Remembrance’ fund raising exhibition of quatrefoils
hung upon the church steeple. The second was on 23 July when the exhibition closed and the
quatrefoils were removed. A considerable number of the pieces were sold to raise funds for the
restoration and the RNZE, along with some other groups, were presented with a set of seven. The
Engineers set is to be housed in the Engineer Museum in Linton.
A second significant event the Branch had an involvement with was the dedication of the foundation
stone for a memorial to RNZE Tunneler’s of the First World War. This memorial is to be erected
in Waihi and the plans are to have the structure completed ready for unveiling by the Governor
General on the 22 January 2016. The Sappers Association have been invited to be one of the parties
to lay a wreath and also to provide a stone in the memorial.
Our ‘travelling’ Regional Functions have continued this year. The turnouts at these, except perhaps
for the one in Hamilton, have had very disappointing support, to the extent that the last one
in Taupo resulted in the Secretary, my wife and I being lumbered with rations ordered for fifteen
people. We and the Secretary in particular, are however determined to find some way of establishing
some sort of formula that will attract support. The main purpose of our fund raising, after all,
during the year is to provide social support, welfare and assistance to members in our branch area
and we feel duty bound to continue these endeavours.
From early in the year the committee decided to conduct our two-monthly meetings via Skype. After
some teething problems the meetings have, except for some minor hiccups, proceeded well
saving a lot of travel for all and enabling Arvind (Solly) Solomon to take a full part in the activities
of the committee.
It is my sad duty to record the loss of two stalwart members during the year, namely ‘Snow’ Rivers
who had not long moved to Whangarei and Arthur Burton who had been living in Queensland for
some time.
In concluding, my thanks to the committee who have worked hard during the year to keep the
Branch alive, especially, we all owe a great deal of gratitude to Secretary (Vail Hubner) without
whose dedication and determination most of the ‘Regional Do’s’ would not have taken place. It is
important that this Branch remains active otherwise, as I mentioned at this meeting last year. Once
a branch goes into recess the chances are that is where it will stay.