RAOC Gazette - page 211
Image details
| Corps | RAOC |
|---|---|
| Material type | Journals |
| Book page | |
| Chapter head | |
| Chapter key | |
| Chapter number | |
| Full title | RAOC Gazette |
| Page number | |
| Publication date | 1977 |
| Real page | |
| Colour | No |
| Grey | No |
| Early date | 1977 |
| Late date | 1977 |
| Transcription |
Tents. No sooner was Jubilee out of the way than the OC Sergeant John Singh and Lance Corporal Dave Montgomery were busy trying to remember long forgotten drill movements, prior to their appearance on the Headquarters 1st Artillery Brigade Disbandment Parade al Hildcsheim. The CRAOC, Lieutenant Colonel Dodworth. visited the Depot and was entertained to lunch by the military personnel and afterwards presented a Twenty-Five Years Certificate to Herr Peter Van Der Hoeven. The Depot Superintendent, taking Cull advantage of his handicap, won the monthly medal at the Hohnc Golf Club, while Sergeant John Singh, our ubiquitious Chief Clerk, has been playing cricket regulSrly for an assortment of teams. Lance Corporal Geordie Fleck departed for Hong Kong and it will be three months before we see his replacement. Farewells to Sergeant Bert Long posted to Donnington for his last six months and also to Frau Giesella Balstins and Hen- Van Der Hoeven, two of our long serving civilian employees, on their retirement. We welcome Sergeant Tom Rood and family from Don- nington. BARRACK SERVICES HANNOVER CONGRATULATIONS are in order for Mr Brian Still of this Unit whose entry for the RAOC Calendar 1978 Com- petition was unanimously selected by all three judges as the winner. The entry was said to show both an imaginative approach and artistic skill and will clearly indicate the world wide scope of Corps activities. RAOC in Cyprus K^ l f ^ w ^ € SOME of you may notice a slight change in I GB I the heading used for these notes. The reason I <5 J is. that, under the direction of CRAOC, Lieu- \ Q&LJ/ft I tenant Colonel Mike Mathams, we are trying ^HfL?*Y|flflr to foster a Corps spirit—not only amongst the U ^ l W members of RAOC Cyprus, but amongst all ^^Ek^^f the RAOC personnel on the island. This ^^E^F doesn t mean that there will be lengthy notes ^^^F from each and every RAOC soldier serving ^* with the various units throughout Cyprus, but it does mean that when something of interest happens to any of them it will be reported within these notes under the banner heading of RAOC in Cyprus, The main visitor of the period was the Quarter Master Genera], Sir Patrick Howard-Dobson, who visited the Vehicle Depot at Akrotiri. After a short briefing on the Corps in Cyprus and a tour of the depot, he presented the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal to WOl Raymond Preston. The following day the QMG visited the Supply Depot in Dhekelia, just long enough to cool off in the refrigerated chambers and then meet the butchery and bakery staff. Considering our small numbers, RAOC in Cyprus continues to do well on the sports scene. We had two Corporals in the Army Athletics team for (he annual inter services match who both acquilted themselves well although they didn't win. When one considers that the event was the 5000 metres and that both Dennis Head and Trevor Edge had run over twenty miles the previous day training for the Cyprus Walkabout they did well to finish at all. Athletics in Cyprus is of a very high standard and their very selection reflects great credit on their fitness and determination. Two RAOC teams entered the Cyprus Services Tug of War championships, an eighty eight stone team from RAOC Akrotiri trained and coached by WOl Rick Thistlethwaite and a hundred stone team coached by WOt Jim Harper. The one hundred stone team, which weighed in a fraction over ninety two stone, consisted of Corporal Bob Freeman, Sergeant Tafl Parker, Sergeant Alan Dobbie, Sergeant Jim Massey, Staff Sergeant Ken Storey, Corporal Steve McBurnie, Staff Sergeant Taff Collins and Captain Lawrence Wood. Their motto for next year is "Training prevents Straining''; all are now. recovered, The eighty eight stone team was a different matter ail to- gether; they had trained hard, weighed in a fraction under eighty eight stone and put up a marvellous performance. The team from anchor upwards was Sergeant Bill McDonald, W02 (RQMS) Pat Mackey, Captain (now Major) John Edwards, Corporal * Scobie * Greasley, Private Kev Bacon, Staff Sergeant Taff Davies, Sergeant Bill Orchard and Corporal Alf Babbingon, and they were only beaten in the semi finals, two pulls to one. by the eventual winners. By that stage of the competition they had collected quite a few supporters from other teams and units and the cheering for them was worthy of a major unit. We have now received confirmation of Corporal Tony O'Connors selection for the Round the World Yacht race and we are beginning to realise that we have a celebrity on our hands (see page 108 of the September GAZETTE). He has been interviewed on BFBS Cyprus and an article has appeared in the Lion, the local Services Newspaper. Naturally enough there will be further reports for THE GAZETTE recording his progress, Our photograph shows the Corps entry in the Exercise Road Master rally organised by 30 Regiment RCT. The elbow protruding from the drivers side window belongs to the very experienced Sergeant Bill McDonald and the back, on the passengers side belongs to Corporal Tony O'Connor. In this particular rally they finished seventeenth out of twenty six, having suffered a snapped gearstick, but they continue to enter for rallies and will no doubt improve their position in the future. Rallying in Cyprus, Sergeant Bill McDonald and Corporal Tony O'Connor negotiating rough country. The QMG talking to the family of WO Raymond Preston after presenting him with the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal during his visit to the Vehicle Depot at Akrotiri. WOl Preston is WOIC Stores Depot at Akrotiri. HEADQUARTERS RAOC EPISKOPI THE annual Headquarters RAOC and Headquarters Barrack Services staff outing took place near Troodos village recently* We all arrived at the picnic site at about 1000 hrs and proceeded to eat and drink our way through six lambs, three pork legs, one 64 — |
| Book number | R0246 |