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RAOC Gazette - page 34

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Full title RAOC Gazette
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Publication date 1978
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Early date 1978
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Transcription W 1 Jim Burden is presented with his Long Service and Good
Conduct Medal by Brigadier Acland, Commander Land Forces
Cyprus.
Staff Sergeant Dave East and Sergeant Alan Lovegrove
rounded off their cricket season by helping to win the Head-
quarters Officers v Headquarters other ranks trophy, which is a
very fitting climax to a rather good season for them both.
Dave East leaves us shortly and he will be sadly missed in the
cricket world here in Cyprus.
The Headquarters Friday night Badminton sessions are
flourishing thanks to the organisation of Staff Sergeant Graham
Hillier, It's a sight to see Sergeant Eric Shaw and the Superin-
tending Clerk (they've never played before you know) slogging
it out on court.
Sergeant Alan LovegTove and Corporal Tom McCallion
entered the Cyprus Tennis Championships but were knocked
out in the first round after Alan had injured his leg going for
a high ball (he's only a small guy), bad luck Alan, and Tom.
Incidentally it is understood that Sally Lovegrove plays a fair
game of tennis and gave a good account of herself in the ladies
singles.
Staff Sergeant Dave East and family are off to the green
pastures of Headquarters Northern Ireland; to mark the occasion
a Headquarters social was organised on the beach to say fare-
well and, apart from ninety per cent of the Headquarters staff
finishing the evening in the Mediterranean, all went well. Good-
bye Dave and Margy and good cricketing in the future.
New arrivals are Sergeant Ann Wilson and Staff Sergeant
Bill Gordon and family. Ann is in charge of our Typing Pool
while Bill is Chief Clerk ALS.
British Forces Hong Kong
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HEADQUARTERS
THE last few weeks have
seen m a n v
Personnel changes.
A warm welcome is extended
to
Lieutenant Colonel Ralph
Richardson who hasn't had
much chance to settle down
yet
The DGOS
w a s nere
W02 John Esson (JSPRS), and Sergeant Dick Snell (Q Opera-
tions) and their families, welcome to Hong Kong.
Sergeant Malcolm Berry was admitted to BMH with a
mysterious ailment to his arm but is now back again to the
fold—much to the relief of Major Ted Gibson! (Overloaded
did we hear?) We were most intrigued to learn that Anne
Larkins, Personal Assistant to the ADOS, was off sick with a
back injury after playing football! Investigation is in hand
to ascertain whether she is active in Women's Lib, or, whether
due to I of E cuts, we are having to supplement unit football
teams with female players! (We may after all have a justifiable
case here for the retention of some posts).
The main change in the Staff of Headquarters British
Forces has been the civilianisation of two military clerk posts
resulting in the posting of Corporal Colin Watson to Head-
quarters Gurkha Field Force (a second consecutive overseas
tour!) and the RHE of Corporal Steve Hartley pending posting
to MOD (D Movement).
Past input has unfortunately failed to mention our WRAC
and Joint Staff members. The WRAC are well represented by
Lance Corporals Angie Rylands and Jan Ford (ex G but now
working on CBFs Staff). The only RAOC Lance Corporal in
the Headquarters, Mark Arnold, works in the Joint Secretariat
and in DCBFs Office (not at the same time, though it would
help if he could).
Domestically things are reasonably quiet which has given
us all an opportunity of accompanying 1 Light Infantry on
* mini border tours * as a respite from normal office routine-
W02 Sandy Sandison, having arrived in Statistics and
Records, has found himself manager of the Unit football team.
Results haven't gone his way but he looks forward to picking
up the cup for the * cleanest' team in the league (Jim Burnett
and Brian Tock willing).
COMPOSITE ORDNANCE DEPOT
SOCIAL diaries are crammed full in anticipation of the festive
season and the unpracticed may find themselves engaged to
appear at several functions simultaneously. Crash courses in
alcohol consumption are being given and sales of * Everyman's
Guide to Slurred Cantonese for Taxi Drivers * have risen con-
siderably.
Wives diligently lay down behavioural ground-rules yet
again, in the sure and certain hope that husbands will behave
this year, whilst cummerbunds and evening jackets give mute
testimony to the advancing years, evoking cries of " But it fitted
last year."
Plastic Christmas trees and fairy lights are exhumed from
long-forgotten corners, to sit incongruously in the bright sun-
shine, dolefully awaiting the first magic crystal to drop from a
clear blue sky.
To begin the social whirl, the civilian staff have arranged a
dinner evening to say farewell to Lieutenant Colonel and Mrs
Peter Weatherburn who leave us for the rustic peace of Chil-
well. We wish them the very best and hope that their tour
in Hong Kong has been an enjoyable one.
Someone found and pressed the panic button on Friday
last. The reason became immediately apparent on Monday
when the Inspector RAOC arrived for his Technical Inspection
including Shek-O, Kadoorie Farm, which is managed by Mr
W. Grimsdale (Colonel RAOC retired), and Fan Ling. Colonel
Lloyd-Jones inspected the COD, SPSD and ASD before moving
off on a whirlwind tour of Nepal.
Captain Terry Ewers, loosely associated to this depot as
DPO, and full-time Chairman of the Tigers Rugby Football
Club, has prudently decided to remove the life-size dummy
from his office, visitors were getting confused,
SPSD. Faces wracked with pain, mingled with relief, were a
sign that WOl Fred Woolhouse, Staff Sergeant Bob McNaught
and Corporal Chan had passed their BFT.
Meanwhile, our other Hong Kong Corporal, Yu, was on
leave getting married. Many congratulations to him and his
lovely bride.
Congratulations also to Staff Sergeant Bob McNaught and
Sergeant Pat Gilligan on the award of their Long Service and
Good Conduct MedaL The award was presented by the ADOS,
Lieutenant Colonel Richardson in the Blackdown Warrant
Officers and Sergeants Mess.
Sergeant Ray Pembroke and his family are back after
two weeks in Thailand, their sun tans paled by the vivid Thai
Silk bowling shirts which they now all wear.
The SPSD reputation was given another boost by Corporal
Dave Mould who reached the semi-finals of the Hong Kong
Association Darts Tournament. We welcome WOl Hudson,
W02 Michael and Staff Sergeant Williams. We bid farewell to
WOl Walters and W02 Dunn.
j & £ a ^g^Jhfr J for his takeover, he is now
i _ _ -
- n ^ p r o c e s s f m ving
quarters, tomorrow the Inspector RAOC arrives and next week
they both go to Nepal—the week following their return, we
are sending him off to Brunei! ! (Plans are in hand to enable
him to spend Christmas in peace.)
A dinner was arranged at the Oceania Night Club to say
farewell to Colonel John Styles, WOsl Mick Garrod and Alec
McRae, and W02 Malcolm Edwards. The evening clearly
demonstrated the Chinese love of, and their ability to make,
an incredible amount of noise! Painful heads on the follow-
ing day may not have been entirely due to self infliction! We
wish our departing members and their families all the best in
their new postings. Another nail from the I of T E inspection
team has been driven home. We say 'An Revoir to Captain
Hugh McCormack on the loss of his post; he moves ' across the
water* to the Composite Ordnance Depot No doubt he will
keep us aware of his presence.
To WOl Tom Swan (Ordnance Branch), W 2 Sandy
— 263 —
Sandison (Statistics and Records), W02 John Hobson (ISIS),
Book number R0246a