RAOC Gazette - page 5
Image details
| Corps | RAOC |
|---|---|
| Material type | Journals |
| Book page | |
| Chapter head | |
| Chapter key | |
| Chapter number | |
| Full title | RAOC Gazette |
| Page number | |
| Publication date | 1983 |
| Real page | |
| Colour | Yes |
| Grey | No |
| Early date | 1983 |
| Late date | 1983 |
| Transcription |
§ Jfor tfje ST BARBARA'S / ST ELIGIUS' DAY C E L E B R A T I O N S IN H O N G KONG 50 COMMAND WORKSHOP joined the Composite Ordnance Depot at Blackdown Barracks in a' joint celebration for the Patron Saints of the Royal Army Ordnance Corps and Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, St Barbara and St Eligius: celebrations which were attended by over four hundred and fifty adults and children from all RAOC and REME units through- out Hong Kong and the New Territories. The day started with an open-air Church Service for which, thankfully, the sun broke through, a rare occurrence during the past weeks. Then to the sportsfield, where The Band of the Brigade of Gurkhas (2nd King Edward VII's Own Gurkhas) under their Director of Music, Captain Gerry McCoIl, gave an excellent display of music and marching. This was followed by a first class lunch provided by the Quarter- Sergeant Dunlop supervising children firing the air rifle on one of the stalls. the side-shows and Church collection were in aid of SSAFA (UK) and in all some three thousand two hundred and thirty one Hong Kong dollars were raised during the course of the day. The hard work and effort put into the day by the staff of the Composite Ordnance Depot paid off handsomely. It was an outstandingly successful event and a true family day. When the crowds dispersed after the final ceremony, at which Lieu- tenant Colonel Newby rounded off the day with a few well chosen words and Mrs Newby presented the prizes, all RAOC and REME personnel present agreed—that their Saints had smiled kindly that day. RETIREMENT LONG DISTANCE A round in the Volleyball Competition: Sergeants Mess RAOC versus Officers Mess REME. master, Captain Roy Munce, and his Chefs, Corporals Evans, Clark and Chan ACC. Several inter-Corps Competitions were arranged and good humoured rivalry in the netball, volleyball and tug-of-war events was the order of the day. The ladies netball was a very close contest, with many of the ladies playing their first full game of netball since leaving school! The final score-line: eight six to REME. Despite losing; well played our ladies: Anne Davison, Carole Griffiths, Sue Gordon, Marge Scarborough, Margaret Eacock, Sue Anderson, Gladys Petre and Verity Jackson. The volleyball was a keenly fought contest between the Officers, Sergeants and Corporals Messes of the Composite Ord- nance Depot and 50 Command Workshop, with the RAOC Sergeants finally running out winners, two one, against the REME Sergeants. Despite a valiant effort in the tug-of-war the Composite Ordnance Depot team were no match for 50 com- mand Workshop who won in two straight pulls. The children were not forgotten and various races were organised which allowed children of all ages to join in the fun. To allow families to relax in an informal atmosphere, depart- ments throughout the Depot provided several side-shows which were well supported and much enjoyed by all. Proceeds from — 2 OF A WALKER MANY of you, through THE GAZETTE, will have heard of W02 John Brookes who, during his service, brought great credit to the Army and the Corps through his achievements in long distance walking and fund raising activities for charity in many parts of the World. In recent years, John has held a number of non-stop walk- ing records. In 1974, he broke the British, European and Commonwealth non-stop walking records when he walked a distance of two hundred and eighty nine miles and in 1975 he broke the World record by walking three hundred and five miles in seventy five hours. John started walking for the NSPCC in 1974 and so far has raised in excess of £25,000 for the Society. In addition, he has walked for various other charities in many parts of the World including Hong Kong, Brunei, Canada and Germany. In 1976, his achievements in walking and fund-raising activities were officially recognised by the award of the British Empire Medal. W02 Brookes, currently serving with the School of Am- munition at Kineton, is soon to retire from the Army and as a 'swan song' accompanied by WOl (SSM) Morton of DSM, intends to walk from London to Liverpool in an attempt to raise more funds for the NSPCC. They intend to start from Buckingham Palace and hope to reach Liverpool in time to start the annual NSPCC Aintree walk weekend. These walks were started in 1971 and feature a series of endurance walking events, in- cluding a twenty four hour individual and a twenty four hour team relay World record attempt. The Aintree Walk weekend has become recognised by the World Long Distance Walking Association as their premier event. The first Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children in this country was formed in Liverpool on 19th April 1883 and later led to the formation of the National Society in 1889. Un- fortunately, the Society is facing the gravest financial, crisis of its history at the moment so a special Centenary Development Fund has been established with a target of £100,000. The success of the fund will mean that when a child in this country who is unloved, neglected, ill-treated, or needs help in any other way, that help will always be available—immediately. John Brookes has set a personal target of £5,000 for the NSPCC. — |
| Book number | R0406 |