It is, once more, my privilege to present the 2007 Chairman’s report on

behalf of your committee.

Committee members, Spats Nelson (Secretary), Peter Burch, Peter Culpan

(website), Frank Cave, Bill Laing and Vern Reynolds and I have held 3 meetings during the

year to keep the affairs of the association progressive and tidy and maintain good links with

5 Squadron. I thank them sincerely for their loyalty and commitment.

Gats Pleasants is our ‘volunteer’ Newsletter Editor and he needs your support to make our

occasional newsletters interesting and appreciated. His contact details are easily found.

Chief among tasks has been the distribution, sales and accounting for the book "Kiwi Orions",

introduction of the P-3 Orion to RNZAF service with 5 Squadron. Initial sales have been

quite satisfactory and in accord with expectations but the impetus must be maintained if we

are to reach our target. Over 300 of the 1000 print have been sold so far and the first substantial

repayment to the underwriter, the RNZAF Central Fund, has been made. Small stocks

are held by 5 Squadron and each of the committee members to try to extend the sales coverage

in the community. CO 5 also intends to include them in his inventory of gifts to overseas

deployment hosts when appropriate. I know there are many ex-service personnel, families,

allied forces personnel and enthusiasts who would very much enjoy owning this book.

If more members of the Association agree to take responsibility for selling, say, 10 each we

would soon reach the point where the debt is repaid and all remaining income would accrue

to support the squadron. You can register your willingness to assist through the website, or

directly to any of the committee members.

The squadron has had several useful deployments and exercises this year. In April and May

they exercised impressively with ROK Navy P-3s and Type 209 submarines in Korean waters,

visited VP6 (JMSDF Fleet Air Arm) at Atsugi air base Japan, patrolled in the Yellow

Sea towards the Russian Pacific coast and soon after participated in the FPDA exercise Bersama

Shield from Penang and Butterworth. En route they executed a national right, under

the UN Status of Forces Agreement, to transit through the JMSDF base at Kadena, Okinawa.

Participation in a PWO week from RAAF Richmond gained valuable sub time with Collins

Class in July. September will see a deployment to RAF Kinloss to participate in Exercise

of NZ Division battles at Paschendaele (Jul – Sep 1917). In October a further deployment is

planned to Japan under the UN Peace Support Initiative.

This year has also seen practical development of multi-role capabilities with the excellent

surveillance and intelligence gathering equipment now in P-3K service. These include overland

roles with the NZ Army and border security tasks, including in-shore work, with other

Government agencies. Monthly Norpat missions continue as in our days. It is also noteworthy

that SAR missions have been less than budget this year and the 406MHz ELB has very

effectively reduced search time in all cases of its use in distress situations.

We congratulate the squadron on its spirit and excellent operational performance and assure

it of our ongoing support.

Of historical note, some recent landmark changes to RNZAF aircrew trades and ranks will

meet with mixed emotions among some of us traditionalists! Master aircrew are now simply

WO’s, and Navigators and Air Electronics trades are now combined into an "Air Warfare"

trade. (Officer or Specialist) The latter is a consequence of new technology employed. The

Air Navigator trade is 80 years old and the first civil air licences in the world were awarded

to Air Navigators. Civil Pilot licences then followed!

present it on your behalf to the worthy nominee who fully deserves our accolade.

While the membership status of the association is sound there are many past members of the

hard to update the database of members, and potential members, and will appreciate any

assistance you are able to give to this ongoing task.

And of course nominations and volunteers for the committee are always welcome. The duties

are interesting and not onerous.

Ni Sa Bula

Well this is what you get for volunteering.

It is a pleasure to submit this, my first editorial of the No 5 Squadron

Association newsletter. It is intended that we publish at least three issues of the newsletter

each year but to do this successfully we need the participation of all

our members.

I know many of you have memories of your service both with No 5 Squadron and the wider

RNZAF and we need those memories to be recorded and shared with our members both

young and old. You can’t beat the war stories especially when passing on the Squadrons

background and history to our young service people.

So fellow members please put pen to paper or use the modern technology of email and forward

your articles to us so that we can print and share them with all our members.

and memories that were recalled over that wonderful weekend. Please recall them all again

and get them to us so that all who weren’t there, and those that were, can remember

our great days on the Squadron.

One of the items that I would like to see included in our newsletter is pen portraits of our

fellow members. If you have any anecdotes or stories of their deeds please put together a

pen portrait and the tale of their exploits.

We would also like to include any photos of interest that you may have depicting the lives

and exploits of those serving on the Squadron along with an explanation.

I would like to see various columns included in the newsletter and examples of these are as

follows:

It would also be appreciated having members submit ideas. After all it’s your newsletter

and if you have an idea then please submit it for consideration.

Well fellow association members that’s it for the first one. Now all we have to do is put it

all together and get it to you. Don’t forget we need you to participate to make this work.

Keitou Kalawaca Na Wasaliwa

Sa Moce

Your secretary has not been as sharp at his secretarial duties as he might have

been; however as my first major work I am trying to get the Association’s

database as up-to-date as possible. To this end there were over 1000 invoices

for subscriptions sent out. (i.e. every name listed in the database) No small

feat & at some cost to the Association.

At the time of writing this (Sunday the 12th Aug) the following had resulted from the mailout:

a 156 Financial members

b 118 Returns as ‘Deceased’

c 44 Returns as ‘Resigned’

d 28 Returns as ‘Return to sender’ or ‘Unknown at this address’

e 702 Are still on the database as ‘Non Financial’.

Of the 702 (item e above) some invoices were never sent out as it was plainly obvious that

for various reasons they would never have reached the addressee, therefore if you hear of

someone who should have but hasn’t received a subscription notice ask them to contact the

Secretary.

There was an initial surge in sales of the book ‘KIWI ORION’, commissioned

by the Association and written by Mr. Paul Harrison; however the

rate of sales has dropped of markedly.

If you haven’t purchased your copy yet you are missing out on a "good read" (your Presidents

words)

You may even like to hold extra copies to sell on behalf of the association or even to give

away as presents.

For details on how to order a book please go to the Association’s website. Of course if you

are not an internet user that will be rather difficult. Write to the Secretary with your order.

Cost of the book is $34.00 (NZ) with postage (all NZ dollars) of:

In New Zealand $4.50

To Australia $10.55

To the UK $21.00

To the USA $23.05

Items b, c & d have already been removed from the active database. Any ‘Non Financial’

members will also be removed form the database after a reasonable time in which to get a

response has passed. Those items removed are not lost they are placed in inactive tables of

the database.

http://www.5sqnassn.org.nz/index.html (keeping in touch)

http://www.nzdf.mil.nz

http://www.airforce.mil.nz

http://www.airforce.mil.nz/operations/airforce-news/ (To read the "Air Force News" magazine)

President Gordon.Ragg@xtra.co.nz

Secretary spats.nelson@nzdf.mil.nz or spats.nelson@xtra.co.nz

Editor graeme.pleasents@nzdf.mil.nz or gats@clear.net.nz

As a result of the subscription mailout I received some delightful letters in

response (& some not so delightful) one of which is reproduce below.

PO Box 272

Westpark Village

West Harbour 0661

By kind permission of the Commanding Officer Operational Support Wing, PMC and mess members