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RAOC Gazette - page 141

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Full title RAOC Gazette
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Publication date 1981
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Transcription Congratulations to Sergeants Roe, Mean and Hethcrington
on their sub-promotion, and to Private McLaughlin on his pro-
motion to sub Lance Corporal.
44 RP COMPANY,
The Company ventured once again to the
sunny climes of Lampertheim for the annual Summer Camp.
The advance party, led by Captain Doug Hewitt and ably assisted
by Sen Sup Spec W02 Maurice Mellors and the CQ Staif
Sergeant Bill Disberry, did all the hard work of setting up the
camp and getting the supplies, liaising with our American hosts
etc, etc.
The two Pin Cmdrs/Training Officers. Captain Martin
Medcalfe and Captain Nigel Lloyd, were kept busy putting every-
one through their various tests. This included one very hot
day with the temperature in the high thirties when everyone in
the Company carried out their APWT and gas chamber
drills. No one will forget Captain Lloyd's dedication or the NBC
training or his liberal use of Fullers Earth. To the relief of
the OC, Major John Williams, all the Regimental Training
aims of the Company were completed.
The highlight of the camp must have been when CSM
Pete Fell owes led a section to attack 2 Platoon but inadvertently
attacked the wrong hill and wiped his own Platoon out. (Thank
God we have a Navy!).
On the sporting front we, at long last, beat the Americans
at their own sport, soft ball. The fact that they played left
handed had nothing to do with i t We also beat them at
football. They wanted to sign on Sergeant John Balding there
and then, after their star 'blocker' was carried off after the
first two minutes. The Company golfers also managed to
squeeze a round in on Heidelburg golf course.
Congratulations this month are in order to our Chief Clerk,
Jed Stone, and his wife Ronnie, on the birth of their son David,
to Dougie and Dot Brown on the birth of their son Gareth and to
Andy and Florence Hughes on the birth of their son Darren.
We welcome to the Company: Sergeant Geordie Appleby and
say farewell to Sergeants Ernie Everitt and Frank Goldsworthy
and Private Hazel Brown.
STOP PRESS: Staff Sergeant Terry Foster, who demolishes fish
tanks during his bored moments, has, again, managed to get out
of Summer Camp!
Fortress Headquarters Gibraltar
SUMMER is now upon us and as the temperature rises, we have
attempted in vain to adopt summer working hours. This is not
to be, so there is nothing else for it but to slog on, in these
hot afternoons. Not to worry, we were recently visited by the
Corps Cricket XI. It was a pity that play did not go all their
way, but hopefully they enjoyed their stay as much as we did
their company.
We had a successful RAOC Association Social evening
at a certain seaside bar with one hundred per cent attendance by
the serving members, some of whom continued to celebrate well
into the next day.
The Chairman made a presentation to Corporal Ian and
Gina Burnett who are about to be posted to 3 B ^ D , Bracht, and
welcomed Corporal Paul and Margaret Blackhurst from Bicester.
RAOC in Cyprus
ONCE again your snoop from the corridors
has had his glass to the wall and managed to
gather a few tit bits of information.
Firstly our most sincere thanks to Staff
Sergeants Wallace and McLean (currently at
the Depot) for coming across and giving very
valuable squash tuition to members of the
forces in Cyprus, Major David (ACC) has
asked me to thank them for the way they
umpired and refereed the final stages of the
Army Cyprus Squash Championships and for the Exhibition and
Training Techniques that they displayed on the finals day. This
was to an open gallery of Service and Civilian personnel and
has done much for the good name of the RAOC.
Still on sport—Captain Pete Walsh, Staff Sergeant Wilbur
Wright, Sergeant Hughie Ward, Corporal Geordie Naisbett,
Corporal Kev Smith all ably assisted by Corporal Paul Palmer
(RE) are to be congratulated on winning the Episkopi Garrison
five-a-side football tournament in which they out-manoeuvred
259 Sig Sqn in the final by two one. Corporal Kev Smith in
his team of three were runners-up in the 12 SU Walkabout
and along with Staff Sergeant Wilbur Wright are to receive their
Staff Sergeant John Hind receives the British Empire Medal for
his outstanding work on the mounting of Operation Agila—the
deployment of the Commonwealth Ceasefire Monitoring Force to
Southern Rhodesia—from the Administrator of the Sovereign
Base Areas Cyprus Air Vice Marshal R. D. Davis.
Episkopi colours for services to the Garrison football team for
1980/81.
During the All Island squash championships Corporal Rick
White was seen at the courts giving advice to his missus Sylvia,
who was defeated in the semi-final by Mrs Harnden (RAF) the
eventual winner. Lance Corporal June Bird (WRAC) became
the womens Army Champion and along with numbers two to
five defeated the RAF in the Inter Services three two. The men
not having an RAOC Representative were defeated three two.
Sergeant Hughie Ward and Staff Sergeant Wilbur Wright
have received the results of their EPCfA) and as are both now
qualified are awaiting M and RO to put their blessing on
promotion. W 2 Stu Buchan has no need to wait as he was
selected on the last board so congrats Stu and keep up the good
work.
Sergeant Steve Thatcher and Staff Sergeant John Hind
BEM are busy preparing for Exercise so hopefully we will be
able to give a resume in the next edition.
We have bid farewell to Sergeant Dave Seddon and wish
him all the best in Aldershot where he has been reunited with his
new bride.
Corporal Geordie Naisbett has ascertained a pass in RPC1
and is considering becoming a Provost NCO as he feels that he
could do a better job than the current ones are doing. Due to
the efforts of WOl Doug Wherry and W 2 Stu Buchan, ably
assisted by alL we are the owners of a new club, called the
Pentagon. Therefore any members of the Corps visiting Episkopi
are invited to look us up and come and share our Cyprus
hospitality.
We have only one new arrival who is Sergeant Tony Garland
from Headquarters BAOR.
British Forces Hong Kong
THE sport of golf opens the notes from
this Headquarters this month. Although I
personally cannot see the sense in grown
men striving to get balls into little holes
with the help of an assortment of bent
sticks, enough people disagreed with my
views to make the first combined RAOC/
REME Golf Championships at Fanling
earlier this month, a huge success.
The singles competition in the morning was won by Sergeant
Ray Bailey of the Comp Ord Depot with a score of sixty eight
and the runner up was Major Don Young of Ord Branch HQBF
with sixty nine. The mixed doubles in the afternoon was won by
Don Young partnered by one of the sponsors of the tourna-
ment (a coincidence no doubt) while in second place (or is it
114 —
Book number R0250