At the Annual General Meeting of the Waipawa and Districts Returned and Services Association held on July 7, the organisation's long standing president Maitland Manning was presented with a Royal New Zealand RSA Gold Star for outstanding service to the RNZRSA.
Maitland was elected as the Wairarapa/Hawke's Bay/East Coast District's vice president in 2011 and president in 2017. During those years he has presided over annual district AGMs and participated as a board member representing the district on the RNZRSA for the three years between 2015 and 2017.
In presenting the award Paddy Driver (Dannevirke), the current district president, spoke of Maitland's contribution to his local RSA since joining 20 years ago. He started as the honorary padre but soon became involved on the committee, using his organising skills to facilitate many public displays incorporating the Waipawa RSA.
The Centennial Commemoration last year and the display of the white crosses "Field of Remembrance" in Nelly Jull Park each Anzac Day were two that drew wide public support. He was also responsible for the research into the writing, compiling and publishing of the centennial book on the history of the Waipawa RSA.
The Waipawa RSA has awarded Maitland Manning with a Life Membership Award (2010) and a Certificate of Appreciation (2014) which led to a RNZRSA Merit Award in 2015.
