December 00
Read about St Barbara.

• Three accounts of peacekeeping:
  • Christmas during the Rhodesian War,1979, from Mike Subritzky
  • John Nagle's account of peacekeeping in Rhodesia,1979-80
  • Steve Harvey's peacekeeping in Sinai, 1997-98
• The Role of the RSM in an Artillery Regiment
• Command history of 16 Fd Regt
• 1st Battalion, 11th Marines at the Hook, Korean War 1953, from MSgt Robert D. Caulkins USMC (Ret'd)

November 00
The AGM was held in Taupo on November 11, 2000. See the members home page for new office holders.

• The Gun is updated with RML field artillery carriages and mountain artillery, including the screw gun
• Images from 31(B) Battery, 1978
• Charlie 2 Gun, 162 Battery, at Kapyong
• Regimental Calibration, 1952

October 00
Information on this year's reunion and AGM comes from the latest newsletter.

• Guns at Waiouru, by Wally Ruffell, includes
  • BL 5.5-in
  • SBML 18-pr
  • RML 64-pr 71-cwt
• Rangihaeata's Cannon, by Randall Springer, describes artillery use by Wanganui Maori in the nineteenth century
• First Fleet Cannons still survive in NZ, by RH Thorburn, describes the fate of four pieces brought to NZ as ballast in 1865
• More images from the Korean War, by CD Ricketts, 936 FA Btn, US Army
• Images from the North African Campaign, by Struan MacGibbon, 14 Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, NZA
• 5 Fd Regt's story continues with the End of the North African Campaign, by Allan Boyd, 5 Field Regiment, NZA
• Mike Dakin, 161 Bty, RNZA, describes the clearing of the village of Long Phuoc during the Vietnam War

September 00

• 16 Fd Regt and The 'Utah' Battalion at Kapyong, by Donald Scott
• Images from the Coronation Parade, held by 1st Commonwealth Division, Korean War
• Recollections of an FO at Long Tan, Vietnam War, by Murray Broomhall
• 161 Battery Depot during the Vietnam War, by Red Potts
• Photographs from Song Be, Vietnam 1966, courtesy Mike Dakin
• Guns around NZ updated with a Rotorua piece
• The Mortar is updated
• New Zealand's Defence in 1896
• Gunners' Day Dinner 2000 held in Auckland
• Poems:
  • Naming of Parts
  • High Flight
  • War Baby
  • Anzac Exchange
• Obituary for Les Kitney
• A site map is included, to quickly locate major areas of interest on this website
• More queries on the Shrapnel Page
• Newsletter 107

August 00

• Battle of Takrouna - 4th, 5th and 6th Field Regiments in North Africa, WW2
• 162 Battery home page
• I was the 162 Bty Captain's driver/operator in the Korean War by Jim Holtham
• Personal page for John Rout
• Photographs of 161 Battery in Bien Hoa 1966, courtesy Mike Dakin
• Photographs from 161 Bty training May 2000
• Song - These Foolish Things
• New book review: 'Up The Blue' by Roger Smith, about WW2 in North Africa and Italy
• More artillery books on page 2 of the Books Page
• Check the Shrapnel Page for notices
• New links added

July 00

• Published History of the RNZA - You MUST read this - We need your help
• The Establishment of the Gun Position at Nui Dat by Capt. Mike Dakin
• With the Durham Light Infantry in Korea by Maj. Bruce Matthews MBE ED
• Photographs of 161 Battery in Nui Dat 1966, courtesy Mike Dakin
• Personal page for Matt Crawley
• Highlights from Newsletter 106
• Poems:
  • Soldier's Farewell
  • Galatos
• The Gun is updated
• Guns around NZ is updated
• Index of NZ artillery units is updated
• The Story of the 25-Pounder is updated

June 00
This month marks the 50th birthday of 16 Fd Regt.

• Personal page for our President, Bob Blankley MBE
• Congratulations to LtCol JC Dyer on his New Zealand Gallantry Decoration in this year's Queen's Birthday Honours. Citation on Shrapnel Page.
• The Hook from Maj. Bruce Matthews MBE ED. 16 Fd Regt in the Korean War as seen from the front-line trenches.
• Defensive Fire Tasks in the Korean War
• Des O'Connor advises on the pitfalls of confronting an enemy in retreat in Some ill-considered action!
• Poems
  • Kiwi Peacekeepers, from Rhodesia 1979
  • Gunner Stratton's 13th Jump, from Raglan
• Tac signs
• NZ Artillery of the Korean War page updated

May 00
See the details in Newsletter 105 for local observances of Gunners' Day (26 May).
This month's contributions come from the 1930s, 40s, 50s, 70s, 80s and 2000s.

• Gunners' Day
• Hill 355 from Maj. Bruce Matthews MBE ED. How a NZ Infantry Officer viewed the RNZA in the Korean War, 1953. Look for more of Bruce's work next month.
• A Night near Hill 159 by Colin Velvin from 161 Bty in Korea
• Message from US Korean War gunner
• 2Lt Brock and the 6-in Gun from 14 Lt A.A. Regt, June 1944
• New Year 1944 at Castelfrentano with 4 Fd Regt, by Des O'Connor
• Fatigues by Les Kitney describes the daily chores of a gunner in the horse-drawn artillery of the 1930s
• The Runaway Wagon also by Les Kitney describes an accident with the night soil cart in the middle of Devonport
• Jim Ross comments on the dire state of current NZ defence policy in Defence - minus the 'Fence'
• Photo of 161 Battery training (18 May 2000) on the 161 Battery page
• Origin of the phrase 'Son of a Gun'
• Our 'ranks and appointments' series continues with the Trumpeter
• By popular request,
  • the NZ National Anthem, God Defend NZ, and
  • Binyon's lines (For the Fallen)
• One of Teach MacCowan's marching songs, "Momma Told Sally", from the 1980s
• More poems from 161 Bty:
  • The Battery Parade, and
  • The Sentry

April 00

• 'A' Troop, 27 Bty, 5 Fd Regt, at Cassino by Owen Raskin
• RNZA cap badge
• CMT reunion takes place in June
• "Guns Around NZ" updated with pieces from Waikato, Auckland and Taranaki (from Ian Maxwell)
• Another version of the song "Old King Cole", more familiar to many
• New poems:
  • The Number Two's Lament, and
  • Echo Gun (161 Battery)
• Several new links

March 00

• Photos of the live firing of the Mistral air defence unit from Army Public Relations
• Wally Ruffell shows us the place of the
  • Limber Gunner, and
  • Driver
  in the development of artillery
• New poems:
  • Snarleyow, and
  • The Jacket
• New songs:
  • The Greasy Gunner (a fragment - help us complete it), and
  • The Airborne Song
• The Broad Arrow describes the arrowhead found on ordnance
• Book review: Shooting from the Lip by Lee Hughes
• Highlights from Newsletter 105
• The Regiment in 1999, a brief summary of the Regiment's activities in 1999, delivered by Major Shay Bassett in the reply to the toast to the regiment at the Association dinner, Nov 99

February 00

• The Officers' Barbeque shows how not to use the M101A1
• The Mortar is updated with the developments between the wars and the 4.2-inch and 81-mm mortars of World War 2
• Wally Ruffell shows us the place of the
  • Colonel Commandant, and
  • Captain-General
  in the development of artillery
• New songs:
  • Manini Waka (a haka) from 4(G) Med Bty, and
  • The Station
• New poems:
  • Ubique
  • Soldier's Christmas Poem, and
  • The Glory of the Guns, from 161 Bty
• 3 Fd Regt page is updated with pictures from Mac McDonald

January 00

• The last regimental shoot with the 25-pr in NZ is related, along with the stamp cover issued for the last parade of the 25-pr in NZ
• The Mortar is updated with Flugelminenwerfer and the 2-inch howitzer
• Wally Ruffell shows us the place of the
  • Gunner, and
  • Bombardier
  in the development of artillery
• Tony Tustin's photographs from the Reunion in Taupo
• Newsletter 104
• By popular request, Songs of the Regiment are being gathered. Be sure to make your contribution to the choral heritage and let us know of others. Find the first five in the Songs section of the Tales From The Trails
• Poetry has been made easier to find. Poetry can be found from the Tales From The Trails page
• View the What's New listings from last year by clicking on the "1999" above

Keep those suggestions rolling in.