Past and present members of 5WWCT Battalion at the NZ Army headquarters in Whanganui. Photo / Supplied
Past and present members of 5WWCT Battalion at the NZ Army headquarters in Whanganui. Photo / Supplied
A reunion for members of the Wellington, West Coast and Taranaki (WWCT) 5th Battalion brought more than 200 people to Whanganui, with the 5WWCT Pipes and Drums on hand to welcome familiar faces.
Among the attendees at last weekend's reunion was Whanganui-born Lieutenant General Sir Jerry Mateparae, who served asNew Zealand's 20th Governor-General and Chief of the New Zealand Defence Force from 2006 to 2011.
Whanganui Staff Sergeant Soloman Vaetoru said the reunion drew service members, now in their late 80s, who joined in the early 1960s right through to current personnel.
"A lot of people hadn't been to Whanganui for a long time, and they were able to go around and refamiliarise themselves with their town," Vaetoru said.
"Some of these guys haven't seen each other since they did their basic training and, for others, they haven't seen each other since they got out. They are from all different parts of the country.
"There were also some people in Australia who couldn't get over, but they were able to call in via Zoom for a catch-up."
Both the Taranaki and Wellington-West Coast regiments claim an ancestry that goes back to the New Zealand Wars of the mid-1800s, pre-dating the official raising of armed forces in this country.
No governmental authority was given to raise forces until 1858.
The Taranaki Rifle Volunteer Corps, from which the Taranaki Regiment is descended, is believed to be the first formal unit raised in New Zealand.
Staff Sergeant (retired) Rangi Abraham (left) and Warrant Officer (retired) Cleve 'Piwi' Eruiti (right) are presented with bayonets by Corporal Sean Trott at the reunion. Photo / Supplied
The Wanganui Rifle Volunteers (renamed the Victoria Rifles), the Wanganui Bushranger Volunteers and the Royal Rangitikei Rifles are a few of the many ancestral units associated with the Wellington West Coast Regiment, a number of which were also involved in the New Zealand Wars.
Men from the Wellington West Coast and the Taranaki Regiments took part in combined battalions in World Wars I and II, then amalgamated in 1948 to form the Wellington, West Coast and Taranaki Regiment (WWCT).
The Regiment then became the 5th Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment (5RNZIR) in 1964.
WWCT marked its 150th anniversary in 2008.
Aside from catching up with old friends, Vaetoru said reunion attendees were able to take part in a simulated weapons demonstration.
"One of the main activities was a demonstration of our weapon capabilities, using what we call the Mobile Weapons Training System," Vaetoru said.
"It's a simulation that comes from Linton, and everybody was able to go through and basically fire a lot of the weapons they had during their service.
"We've now got the MARS-L rifle, but in the days when most of these guys served it was the SLR and the M16, or the Steyr."
Vaetoru said reunion participants also helped the New Zealand Remembrance Army clean the graves of returned service personnel at Aramoho Cemetery.
New Zealand Infantry battalions were amalgamated (from six to three) in 2012, and the 5th and 7th Battalion (Wellington (City of Wellington's Own) and Hawke's Bay) joined to form the 5th/7th Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment.
