Veteran soldier and Whangārei RSA leader Archie Dixon dies

Archie Dixon speaking at an Anzac Day Dawn Service at the Laurie Hall Park War Memorial. Photo / File

Archie Dixon, a dedicated, hard working officer of the New Zealand Returned and Services Association, has died, aged 81.

Archibald Robert Dixon died in Whangārei Hospital on Tuesday night after a short illness.

His nephew Mark Going said the caring, thoughtful man would be missed by his family of nieces and nephews, their children and their grandchildren, and Dixon's friends and colleagues.

The family had written on a whiteboard in Dixon's hospital room that he was a loved brother of nine, uncle of 29, great-uncle of 66 and great-great-uncle of 48, and partners.

Going said he is pleased that at Queens Birthday weekend in June, ''Uncle Archie'' spent a few happy hours catching up with several generations at a family get-together.

''He was a very thoughtful man. He was quite an orator. He was the sort of guy who, if he saw something that needed to be done, he did it,'' Going said.

''He dedicated a lot of his time to the support of his armed forces colleagues and fellow veterans.''

Going said his uncle also played a large role forging links between the RSA and younger generations, including establishing the RNZRSA national secondary schools Anzac Speech Competition and encouraging schools' involvement in the Whangārei Field of Remembrance and Anzac Day activities.

Before his long membership with the RSA, Dixon, who was born in Te Kopuru, was an SAS trained soldier whose overseas duty included the New Zealand peacekeeping and observer forces with the United Nations at Golan Heights, between Israel and Syria.

His military career lasted more than 28 years, from 1955 to 1985, and he rose in rank from corporal to major.

RSA roles included serving as president of Whangārei RSA several times, being on the national executive for 10 years and chairman of the National Pensions and Welfare Committee for seven years.

He was a founding member of the Northland District RSA Charitable Trust which provided funding for cataract operations for veterans and their spouses. He was the recipient of the RSA's Gold Star badge for meritorious service.

In 2010, Dixon was awarded a Whangārei District Council Civic Honour.

Also in 2010, he initiated the Field of Remembrance being installed in Whangārei's Laurie Hall Park, now a deeply valued annual feature of local RSA and Anzac Day commemorations. It was the first Field of Remembrance in the country.

Five years later, Dixon was at the head of another change that would grow civic pride and civic remembrance. In partnership with the council, the RSA spearheaded the plan to move the marble statue Peace from the former war memorial site in Rose St to Laurie Hall Park.

"We now have a monument to our more than 650 war dead, in an appropriate public place in the community. Now everyone knows who they are," Dixon said at the time.

"I have a huge admiration for the council and staff who, with finance and support, turned a dream into a reality."

He is reported as saying his legacy of service came from his loving parents who taught their 10 children to share with others and help those who were less fortunate.

In the citation for his 2010 Civic Award, Dixon was described as an ''ambassador of giving'' because of his record of voluntary work. In reply, Dixon said he was richly blessed with his circumstances.