D'Arcy Bailey has been awarded the rarely bestowed RSA Badge of Gold. Photo / Michael Cunningham
D'Arcy Bailey has been awarded the rarely bestowed RSA Badge of Gold. Photo / Michael Cunningham
With the award of one of the RSA's highest badges of recognition, Whangārei man D'Arcy Bailey now shares a special honour with Prince Harry.
The list of RNZ Returned and Services Association (RSA) offices held by the army veteran who saw active service in the 1960s in Malaya, Borneo andSingapore is too long to print.
That solid gold record of service to his fellows and his country has earned Bailey the also solid gold RNZ Returned and Services Association Badge in Gold and Certificate, presented to him on Saturday.
So rarely awarded is the Gold Badge, only four living ex-servicemen have them, along with a handful awarded to non-service dignitaries including Prince Harry who received one during his and the Duchess of Sussex's honeymoon stopover in NZ.
''I feel this is not a one-person thing. I'll wear this badge with pride but it represents many people,'' Bailey said.
''Where I stood on Saturday, I was representing hundreds of other people. It's not 'me', it's never just been me, it's 'us'.''
National RNZ RSA president Barry (BJ) Clarke, D'Arcy Bailey and David Cox, RNZ RSA past president.
Bailey's first army experience was in 1957 with Compulsory Military Training (CMT), a former conscription method based on randomly selected birth dates. He took to the life, moving next through the Army Reserves (Territorials) to the regular forces, first serving in Borneo with the First Battalion Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment.
He joined the Otorohanga RSA in 1965 and transferred to Whangārei in 1966 on his posting to the Third RNZIR, from which he was discharged in 1975, ranked Warrant Officer Class 2.
Since 1985 his official RSA posts have included the Whangārei executive, vice president and president. He has also held offices on the Northern District executive, as vice- and president, and is currently district vice president again.
Bailey has represented the Northern District on the national executive, and been the country's RSA representative at the 90th Gallipoli Commemoration in 2005 and the 90th Passchendaele event in 2007.
He has also been a founding member of several veteran and service-based association.
''Initially, when we first came home from overseas service, joining the RSA was for companionship with your fellow vets,'' he said.
''Then I became more involved with the work of the RSA, supporting vets and their families.''
He has been helped in that workload by his partner of 39 years, Jan, he said. ''She has also given a lot to the RSA.''
Northland District RSA patron and World War II veteran George Barclay, aged 97.
Bailey said he was well mentored in the past by World War II veteran and Northern District patron George Barclay, aged 97. Barclay, a Gold Star and Bar recipient, lives in a Whangārei rest home and was taken by a caregiver to Bailey's Gold Badge presentation.
''Quite often I'd go to him and say, 'George, how do I get around this ...?', and he always helped with good advice or just by listening,'' Bailey said.
He also paid tribute to the late Archie Dixon, who held many offices in Whangārei and national RSA, and ''who probably did more for the RSA than anyone realises''.
Whangārei president Chris Harold described the Gold Badge as a ''very prestigious award which D'Arcy truly deserves''.
The presentation at the Whangārei RSA club was attended by RSA top brass including the national president Barry (BJ) Clark, David Cox, past national president, Northern District president Ian McDougall, RSA officers and club members from around Northland.
