RAOC Gazette - page 40
Image details
| Corps | RAOC |
|---|---|
| Material type | Journals |
| Book page | |
| Chapter head | |
| Chapter key | |
| Chapter number | |
| Full title | RAOC Gazette |
| Page number | |
| Publication date | 1981 |
| Real page | |
| Colour | Yes |
| Grey | No |
| Early date | 1981 |
| Late date | 1981 |
| Transcription |
Dave Bulmer and Pete Land of the barren days when they played for the team! Finally, our man at Gatow, Corporal Andy Crawford who runs the FAACO Account at 7 Flight has another year in Berlin and we may then see him in Corps football colours again. RAOC in Gibraltar THE Corps Squash Team was hosted by Fortress Headquarters and we were delighted to see them. Our thunder has probably been stolen by the Corps Squash Secretary so we will not elaborate on their squash performance. Major John WoodlifFs solo performance on Gibraltar Radio and Television and our own BFGS, was diplomatic and faultless. GBC Television's sports commentator ' Titch' Olivero has fears for his job. In retrospect we hope that the extra-mural activities laid on for them—Rock, tunnel and cave tours, museums, Upper Galleries, fleet-tender trips to Tangier, ' gambas al pil-pil' etc— did not take too much out of the team between matches. Lieutenant Colonel Ted Champion will be feeling particularly scarred since on top of all of this, during one of his matches he had to change courts twice. Those of you who have served in Gibraltar will know how temperamental the local Generating Station's No. 13 generator is. We hope the Corps Team will redress the record against the Gibraltar Squash Rackets Club in Easter 1981 at Black- down. Lastly, the squash team will be pleased to hear that they now feature in the Governor's pictorial record of his tenure of office here. Historical fame at last. How can one follow all this faultless play except to say that some of the workers here were heard to be planning to picquet court No. 13 complete with the RAOC Association Standard in an attempt to get the team to come out and play. Unfortunately our game seemed to be the wrong ball game and the team declined the invitation, we assume because of exhaustion. One further bit of news is that Corporal Ian Burnett one of our ' Schhh you know what' sort of clerks, has taken the plunge and has signed on. What a good decision. RAOC in Cyprus RAOC AKROTIRl. Sergeant Tony Perry and his wife, Pip, recently brought credit to RAOC Cyprus when Tony was presented with a Com- mander Land Forces Cyprus commendation by Major General W. R. Taylor. Ably assisted by his wife. Sergeant Perry is secretary of the Cyprus Services Rambling Club. In addition to this, they teach ballroom dancing as part of the evening classes at RAF Akrotiri. The Officer Commanding, Major Forrest, recently had the pleasant task of presenting six of our civilian employees with St John's Ambulance First Aid Certificates. Congratulations to the recipients: Mr Andreas Kyriacou, Mr Michael Constantinou, Mr Vassos Orros, Mr Ioannis Demou, Mrs Ermoulla Petridou and Mrs Antigoni Christodoulidou. The Unit has been heavily involved in the Cyprus sports programme and recently entered two teams in the first ' warm- up ' for the cross-country season, the Troodos five mile race. Our teams were not among the prize winners but our OC, Major Forrest won the veteran prize by the skin of his teeth! In September, the annual floodlit football competition, the Carter Cup, was held at Akrotiri. Due to the current fuel crisis, this year's floodlit competition was not under floodlight! Never- theless, the competition was held and four RAOC members played in the Army Logistics team. After ninety minutes against a 3 LI team, the score was nil. It was still nil after extra time and the logistics team eventually lost four three on penalties. _ As any of you who have served in Cyprus will know, the main sporting event of October is the Cyprus Walkabout com- petition. This is a competition in which teams of three people set off from Episkopi and head for the top of Troodos one day and then come down the following day. The distance covered each way is about thirty to thirty five miles but competitors do not know what routes they must take until the start of each leg. This year, a pool of twelve prospective participants started training for the event in May but the final entry was three teams. These consisted of:—'A' Team, WOl John Edwards, Staff Sergeant Sandy Dickie and Sergeant Pat Gordon; ' B ' Team, Sergeants Tom Goodwin, Ron Markley and Lance Corporal Bill Stott; ' C ' Team (Veterans), Major Roger Forrest. Captain Arthur Brown and W02 Dave Lewis. Unfortunately the A and B Teams were unable to complete the first day's route as a complete team, but two members made a composite team and were able to finish the course. The C Team, however, were the second veteran team to finish on the first day but one member, Captain Brown, suffered badly towards the end with stomach cramp. The suspense on the second day was unbearable! Radio broadcasts kept reporting that it was virtually neck and neck between the first two veteran teams, one of which was RAOC Cyprus. Unfortunately, on the final section Captain Brown was again taken ill with stomach cramp but carried on bravely with his team which finished as the second veteran team. Sergeants Goodwin and Markley completed the course as part of a composite team in under twenty one and a half hours. The general concensus of opinion after the event was that this was the toughest Walkabout Course on record and all those who completed the course deserve many congratulations for a tremendous achievement. Congratulations are also due to Sergeant and Mrs Porter on the birth of their daughter and to Corporals Kev Lewis, Chris Moon and Lance Corporal Bill Stott for their provisional selection for promotion. The following have all left us on posting: Sergeants Johnson and Taylor, Corporals Stone, Sweeney and Mitchell. In their places we now have Sergeant Graham, Corporals Hughes, Moon, Neath and Peterson and we extend a warm welcome to them and their families. UNFICYP OUR recent appearance in THE GAZETTE notes, not only produced a number of post- ing orders but also a visit from the DGOS. I'm sure his trip ' down the line' with the Canadians proved interesting as did his meet- ings with all UNFICYP RAOC personnel. Corporal Frame is our latest arrival in place of Corporal John Burley who is now firmly installed in Dhekelia. WOl Ken Stuart tops the bill at the local ten pin bowling alley but is hotly pursued by W02 John Leggett, eager for stardom. Confidential reporting time has passed for the senior ranks and W02 Phil Morris has paid penance by completing the Dancon march (fifty kilometres). Sore, but grateful that his CR wasn't worse! Major Stobie con- tinues to pack and is so keen to go that his handover is being attempted by mail! Sergeant Colin Parker? He's still ours. Can't understand why he keeps asking me for his posting order! ! At the time of writing the sun still shines and the temperature in Nicosia hovers around ninety degrees. UNFICYP SUPPORT REGIMENT (ORDNANCE DETACH- MENT). Dare I say it, yes, Captain Stack has finally got rid of his budgies—and he seems a completely different man. Con- gratulations are in order for Lance Corporal Paul Wells for passing a sub-aqua course. Sergeant Dave Van Spall seems to have settled in alright—we see him occasionally emerging from the LET store, since he is in the process of sorting it out Sergeant Chalky White and his 2IC Lance Corporal Billy Williamson our rations team are still keeping the troops well fed, well there have been no complaints yet. STORES SECTION UNFICYP WORKSHOP. W02 Harrison and Lance Corporal Hunking spend a great deal of their spare time at the local bowling alley in Nicosia. Both have entered teams in the Regimental inter-club bowling league, but un- fortunately without a great deal of success. Both teams look like finishing halfway down the league table. Corporal Eric Davis, Private John Heaney and again Lance Corporal Hunking are all entered for the ' Dancon Marches.' This comprises a fifty kilometre arduous trek over the Troodos mountains, completed over a weekend, covering twenty five kilo- metres each day in a set time; each military competitor carry- ing a minimum of twenty two pounds. Consequently all three have been in serious training for the past weeks. Additionally, the latter two members of the Stores Section mentioned, form the nucleus of the workshop ten man running team, currently under- going rigorous daily early morning training in their third at- tempt in as many weeks, to break the record for ' The Green- line Run.' This is a somewhat prestigious inter-Unit com- petition which was originally founded in the winter of ' 78.' The general idea is to run in relays the approximate distance of forty two miles from the top of Troodos back to camp in the shortest possible time. Their last bid for the record failed by nine minutes, but this has not deterred them in any way, they — 277 — |
| Book number | R0404a |