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RAOC Gazette - page 195

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Corps RAOC
Material type Journals
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Full title RAOC Gazette
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Publication date 1978
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Early date 1978
Late date 1978
Transcription On the social scene, Mrs Christine Edwards has organised
a popular wives club at Akrotiri ably assisted by Mrs Jayne
London, Jean Pearson, Lynne Spencer and Chris Allen. They
have organised a Tupperware party and a Dutch auction, had
a tour of the Depot and a visit from the Episkopi wives as well
as drinking lots of coffee and ' nattering * with each other.
They have now formed a volleyball team and we wish them
luck in the league. If possible we will include a photograph
of the team in our next notes.
Arrivals and Departures: For Episkopi, Akrotiri and
Dhekelia:—Arrivals: Captain Roy Symons, Staff Sergeants Bob
Burt and ' Geordie' Gaut, Sergeants Bill Bovenizer, Jack Leek
and Pip Taylor, Lance Corporal 'Geordie* Pringle, Corporal
Tony Perry and W02 Ken TJzzell. Departures: WOl Rick
Thistlethwaite, Staff Sergeants Bill Heap and Clive Evans,
Sergeants Bill Orchard and Alan Gager,
Promotions: Tom Griffiths to W02, Bill Bovenizer to
Sergeant, Ian Zycinski to Corporal and Eddie Head to W02,
Ken Uzzell to W02, Dave Holvey to Staff Sergeant.
)2 Ken Norgate and sixteenth, Corporal Tony O'Connor,
nplelcd Sergeant Steve Mason.
RAOC Cyprus also took third place in the RAOC Cross
uniry Championships in UK. W02 Ken Norgate, the team
plain and an ex-Commando, was well pleased to beat Com-
ndo Forces into fourth place.
One other event has been picked out for mention and that
the Happy Valley Hill climb which as its name suggests is
two and a half mile race uphill all the way. In fact there
: two races, one serious and one less so. Needless to say
r established runners did well in the serious event whilst
? other was for veterans, ladies and children. In true
dition we couldn't let the latter pass without representation
d an oulcers veterans team entered comprising Lieutenant
>lonel Mike Mathams, Majors Trevor Seabrook, John Rose
d Ray Vincent, all of whom acquitted themselves better than
ts expected, particularly Major Trevor Seabrook who did
s course in a very unveteranlike time of just over ten minutes—
me running. Sergeant Don Pearsons two young daughters
acy and Sharon did extremely well and finished in thirty fifth
id thirty sixth position respectively.
Obviously they are
llowing in their Dad's very talented footsteps,
Cyprus Services Indoor Tug-of-War Championships. Major
ihn Rose of RAOC Episkopi organised this competition, the
st of its kind in Cyprus, ably assisted by various other
embers of the Headquarters,
Eight teams entered and they were divided into two pools
ith each team pulling against the other teams in its pool to
•oduce a winner and runner up in each pool. It must be
spreciated that a lot of the build up is being left out to
ive space. Results at this stage were really impressive with
AOC Episkopi winning Pool One by beating RAOC Akrotiri
ito second place. The semi finals were between the winners
f Pool Two, 10 Port Squadron RCT and RAOC Akrotiri
)llowed by RAOC Episkopi against the Pool Two runners up,
irfield Troop 259 Signal Squadron,
The first semi-final was the only contest of the whole
fternoon to go to three pulls with one pull lasting well over
minute. Winners—RAOC Akrotiri.
The second semi-final was not as impressive and was over
i two straight pulls. Winners—RAOC Episkopi.
The
RAOC Episkopi winners
HEADQUARTERS LAND FORCES CYPRUS
HAVING just recovered from the effects of our masters' latest
brainchild, namely Exercise Venus Rock, it appears that it is
now time to recall the action packed moments of the few months
since we were last ' Gazetted.'
On the sporting scene, mention must be made of Major
Mike Groves, one of the stars of the Episkopi Garrison hockey
team and also OIC Garrison hockey. In fact, no sooner did he
go away on leave than the team lost its first match. It seems
that this must be the first time we have mentioned him in this
column. Perhaps he is forgotten, being the only RAOC Officer
in Headquarters LFC—not that we hold that against him. An-
other hockey player is Sergeant Alan Lovegrove who has now
ventured out into the field after playing in goal for the previous
season,
Our footballers, Sergeant John Flannagan, Staff Sergeant
Graham Hillier, Corporal Tom McCallion and W02 John
Andrews are still showing the flag, although the latter now keeps
his football participation on the whistle and paper level only.
Our sporting activities continue to make the headlines. A
large percentage of the football team defeated by the school-
boys came in the shapes of Sergeant John Flannagan and
Corporal Tom McCallion, ably supported in the spectator role
by Corporal Les Murphy.
After a great deal of waiting and wondering Staff Sergeant
Graham Hillier now knows of his posting to Northern Ireland,
much to the relief of WOl Jim Burden who received most of
his demands for news. No such luck for W02 John Andrews
who's still trying to convince Sergeant Alan Lovegrove that he
hasn't really been forgotten.
We say goodbye to Corporal Tony Corrick on his departure
to civilian life and wish him well in his crane driving and we
welcome Corporal Keith Cammack and family to Cyprus,
Finally an apology, in our last contribution we mentioned
the Guild of St Helena's Annual Bazaar which raised the magni-
ficent sum of £2,500. We named a lot of our wives who
played a leading part in this extraordinary achievement but by
accident omitted to mentioned Mrs Shirley Cooper and Mrs Linda
Burden both of whom are particularly active Guild members and
contributed a great deal towards its success. Sincere apologies
ladies.
in action.
The final therefore could have gone either way and we
wouldn't have minded at all The eventual winners were RAOC
:piskopi in two pulls, by no means an easy win and due probably
o the hard semi-final of RAOC Akrotiri.
Sergeant Jim Massey, the oldest member of the Episkopi
ide, received the trophy from CLFC, Brigadier Acland, in a
vmnasium dominated by RAOC spectators and competitors
like. Teams were: RAOC Episkopi—Captain Lawrence Wood,
VOs2 Tom Griffiths and Ken Norgate, Sergeants Alan Dobbie,
Cen Hogg and Jim Massey, Corporals Dave Green and Keith
:amack. RAOC Akrotiri—WOl Ray Preston, Staff Sergeant
lob Burt, Sergeants Bill McDonald and Bill Orchard, Corporals
Jcobie Greasly, Dennis Head and Len Moore and Private Kev
Jaeon.
Ski-ing, The Near East Forces Ski Championships were
ieid recently and a team consisting of team captain Corporal
vfoore, W02 Ken Norgate, Corporal Tony O'Connor and Lance
Corporal Bob Freeman performed well to achieve eleventh
)Iace on slopes best suited to very experienced skiers.

Composite Ordnance
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distance Quartermaster
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He now resides in
unsung in the far reaches of
the Depot With the amalga-
mation of Depot Administration functions and the move of
Regimental Wing to the Headquarters, the Quartermaster's
Department now holds sway over an expansive acreage of empty
office space.
Conversely, the Administrative Wing of the Depot now
resembles the lower deck of a WWII Submarine. The Chief
Clerk, Staff Sergeant Pete Waugh, promises that we will soon
come up for air, too late I fear, for three four drawer filing
cabinets which died of asphyxia last week. Corporal Graham
Page, previously unknown for his outdoor pursuits, pre-empted
his fate and volunteered for the Unit shooting team. Casual
397
Jgglia
master.
Hong Kong
Book number R0246a