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The Rhyme of the Ancient BombardierIn the early 1970's the New Zealand Army invented 'Adventure Training'. Nowadays it is an extremely safe project, with all of the traps and snares worked out beforehand by professional Directing Staff. However back in the 70's, during 'our' period of Gunner history, Adventure Training was exactly what the name implied; serious adventure. And a successful adventure was considered to be any activity where most of the participants (us) survived. This wee poem was written against that original adventure training concept. In fact our much beloved officers, and more than a few senior NCO's considered 'Adventure Training' a license to create life threatening situations as close to actually being killed in combat as possible. Now, in 1975, the CP (Command Post) Section/Troop of 161 Battery was deployed in rubber 'assault craft' down the flooded Whakatane river in an adventure training programme. The events that followed have since become part of the folklore of 161 Battery; however one cannot let the heroes of this unfortunate incident remain unknown to history (16 men and 4 boats). Unfortunately at the time it was written I failed to record their names, but the officers ... in charge was Lieutenant MacLeod, a Second Lieutenant we nicknamed 'Maori Joe', and the Senior NCO's were Bevan 'Glunk' Culhane and Matt Tepou ... this then is their story. Come gather round 'me hearties', Of 'Ahab' Mac, and Maori Joe, Chorus: The river flows, the wind it blows, There's four men in the river, Chorus We can't give up, we just won't stop, So on we sail, past 'Ahabs' boat, Chorus Young Maori Joe, his boat is next, There's 'water water everywhere', Chorus The river rushes onward, 'Hey Mita!' push the bow down, Chorus Well it's eight bells ringin', A tearing sound, a boat's gone down, Chorus There's Bev and 'Radar', Pete and Wally; So: Leave the sailin' to the Navy, Mike Subritzky |