W3 Company - News Pūrongo |
send W3 news here news archive
|
Remembering ALL Our Fallen email
the photo
here
link to more news from 2021 |
|
|
 NOTICAS
Fatal 478731 LCpl Bill Toa
Takawe-Paki Coy HQ - webmaster
[13 January 2023]Website advised via the veterans network and confirmed by his daughter Renae that Bill Paki died 10 December 2022. Funeral held Te Kotahitanga
Marae Te Koohanga Waikato 14
December 2022. |
|
NZVVA
National Reunion Christchurch 31-3 November - webmaster
9 November 2022 This was the first reunion since 2018, the
2020 reunion being cancelled under Covid-19 lockdown
restrictions. |
  Commemorating
Pte Tom Cooper 3Pl - died of wounds [11 October
1970]On 10 October 1970 3 Platoon suffered a 'blue on blue' accident when one element fired on another element by mistake. Friendly fire killed Pte Tom Cooper, crippled Pte Ian Herd and wounded LCpl William Samson and Pte Ross Dunlea. The accident cast a pall over the otherwise successful W3 tour and left the company personnel traumatised, saddened and frustrated. Tom was struck a glancing blow to the head by a bullet. He was winched with the three other wounded from the accident site by US Army 'dustoff' helicopter about 40 minutes after being wounded and flown to the Australian Field Hospital at Vung Tau. Unconscious, Tom’s condition was assessed as critical and needing immediate specialist treatment and he remained on the helicopter which then flew him to the US Hospital at Long Binh. Tom died of his wound sometime on 11 October 1970. When returned to New Zealand Tom's body lay in state for three days on the Te Awamarahi Marae [Tuakau, Port Waikato] before, on the Maori Queen’s orders, being buried in the Royal Graveyard on the sacred Taupiri Mountain above SHW1 in the Waikato. Tom’s sister Liz recollects that Tom was buried with full military honours including gun carriage and graveside volleys. |
|
National Reunion Christchurch 31
October 3 November 2022 -
VVNZ reunion update:
Kia ora koutu e te
whanau ō Tumatauenga, Tenei te mihi mahana ki a koutou
i tenei wa – Warm greetings to you all.
Firstly, we want to reinforce that our National Reunion 2022
is going ahead as previously announced. This being 31 Oct to 03 Nov 2022. The following is the proposed outline
program - click to see reunion
documents:
1. 31 Oct –
Registration
2. 01 Nov –
2/1 Burnham Military Camp
3. 02 Nov –
AGM and Reunion Dinner
4. 02 Nov –
Parade / Memorial Service and Farewells.
We will expand on this in the next edition of our Contact
Magazine.
due out late June, early July 22.
URGENT Matters to Attend to:
1. Please register your attendance as soon as possible. As
you can imagine, this is required for catering and
assembling purposes. We will undoubtedly incur unnecessary
expenses if we don’t get this right.
We have dispensed with the early bird registration incentive
award. Instead, it will be a flat rate registration of
$100.00 per person. Registration will close off on the 19
Oct 2022 unless otherwise informed
2. We would advise you to book your accommodation at the
earliest. We have been advised that it is anticipated an
influx of visitors to the region due to the previous Covid
travel restrictions being lifted.
The planning, scheduling, and advertising of public events
in the greater part of Christchurch are picking up the
tempo. ‘You snooze, you lose’
3. We would like to also reiterate that Spouses and Siblings
are more than welcome to attend. Feel free to pass the
message around
4. We currently have 115 registered attendees of which 59
are veterans.
Whakatauaki Proverb
He ope piri tatau We
are all in this together,
Kaua tetahi e
whakarerea Leave no one behind -
Willie Apiata VC
Kia haumaru kōutu–
Keep safe
Na Victor Timu
NZVVA CommsRep
|
|
Citation reads: "Mr Wi Te Tau Pirika Taepa (Te Arawa, Ngati Whakaue, Te Ati Awa) has been a leading Maori artist at the forefront of promoting uku, the medium of clay, within te ao Maori since the mid-1980s. Mr Taepa is recognised among New Zealand’s museums and galleries for his pioneering practice and his teaching and mentoring of contemporary Maori artists. Early in his career he shifted from carving to clay and has worked to position the relatively unrecognised medium within matauranga Maori. He sculpts by hand, creating textures drawing on customary Maori art such as kawhaiwhai and tukutuku. His exhibitions have included ‘Parautanga Plough’ (2005) and ‘Wi Taepa’ (2012), as well as international exhibitions in California, Vancouver and Zimbabwe. He was one of five founders of Nga Kaihanga Uku National Collective of Maori Clay Workers in 1987. He has travelled internationally, bringing back new connections with fellow indigenous artists, techniques and research to develop local networks. He has used art as a therapeutic medium, running Maori art workshops at Wi Tako (now Rimutaka) Prison in the 1970s and as a social worker at Kohitere Boys’ Training Institute in the 1980s. He has continued mentoring young artists through both formal teaching positions and on an individual basis. Mr Taepa contributed to the carving of pou for Wellington’s Michael Fowler Centre and completion of Orongomai Marae in Upper Hutt." |
 Commemorating
John Gurnick 3Pl - died of wounds 29 May 1970John was cover scout for 3Pl on 29 May 1970 when a booby trap was missed and he and Chris Kennedy were wounded, John dying of his wounds while in the CASEVAC Iroquois. Chris recovered after a period in 1AFH and returned to 3Pl for the remainder of the tour. A brief description of the event is here, the after-action report here, and the timeline here. |
 NOTICAS
Fatal 42684 Pte Roy Leslie Reddy 3Pl - webmaster
[3 April 2022]Roy's daughter Megan advises that Roy passed away 2 April 2022 from pneumonia, Roy had been in Tauranga hospital since 10 March 2022. Roy will be cremated tomorrow under family arrangements. Roy had also served in Victor Coy RNZIR (Originals) |
  Commemorating
David Wright 2Pl - died of wounds 19 March 1970Pte David Wright [left] succumbed to secondary infections [likely renal failure] from his earlier wounds in January and died in Concord Repatriation Hospital Sydney on 19 March 1970. Dave had been well enough by early March 1970 to be writing from Concord to friends in W3 and his death was sudden and unexpected, so sudden that a last letter was received in SVN after news of his death. Dave is buried in Esk Valley South Canterbury; his grave was visited during the W3 2015 Reunion in Timaru and regularly by other veterans. |
 2022
Reunion Details Attached: The latest information on the
Reunion next month in Christchurch are in the attached NZVVA
Contact for December 2021 - includes accommodation offers.
Reunion 15 - 17 February has been postponed again |
link to more news from 2021 - news archive |
Congratulations
Wi Taepa 2Pl