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August 18th 2021.
I would first like to acknowledge today is Vietnam Veterans Day and we honour all those who served and thank you for your service. As we get through day one of our level four lockdown I’d like to address what may be some mixed messaging that seems to be coming from National RSA. They have been advising that you should contact the District Support Manager (DSM). This is not correct and in the first instance you should contact our Local Support Adviser - Gail Kennett 021446011. If you find yourself, or a veteran you know in need of assistance with shopping, medication pick-ups or deliveries or anything else, please contact Gail to arrange the help required. But it’s not just getting medication or groceries that we will help with, if you need ANY assistance at all, during or after the lockdown, do not hesitate to call either Gail or myself. On a brighter note, we are received really good feedback on the Mid-Winter Christmas dinner, thanks to all those that made this happen and we look forward to the next one. Club nights are proving popular and are hoping that we can go ahead with the next one planned for the 2nd September. We are very fortunate to be able to get Bob Campbell to come along and host a wine tasting session. I did offer him some of my Guava and Rhubarb wines to add to the tasting list, he replied “Thanks for the offer but that may be all to mysterious”. I must confess they are an acquired taste. Cyril Hicks turns 100 on the 23rd of August “Happy Birthday Cyril”. We intend hosting a party for him on the 6th of September, with a full lunch and cake provided. This is of course COVID dependant, we will keep you updated if we need to postpone. I’ll sign off this newsletter with a quote form our Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern “We're in this together and must unite against COVID-19”. Yours Aye Muzz 021 458279 Recently we were on the search to hire two new people to join our Devonport RSA team and we were inundated with applicants. After many interviews we shortlisted two fantastic people. Please welcome to the Devonport RSA: Stephen Millham our Devonport RSA ManagerStephen emigrated to New Zealand from Wales in 1995 where he completed a Diploma at Waiariki Polytech Rotorua. He then held two roles with Auckland District Health Board including Cardiac Physiologist before joining the insurance industry to utilise his medical knowledge. He spent thirteen years in the industry working through to the role of Health & Life Claims Manager and Underwriter. After leaving the corporate insurance world in 2018 he spent 2019 travelling the world with his family. Stephen is looking forward to joining the team at the Devonport RSA and working closely with the local community. Dear Members, Allow me to introduce myself. My name Stephen Millham I am your new Devonport RSA Manager. I was looking forward to meeting you all next Monday, however with the new Covid restrictions in Auckland we need to push out our meeting. This means our first meeting back will be Monday 14th September, at 1100. If there are any members who are having difficulties during this time please feel free to contact our new Local Support Advisor, Gail Kennett, who is available at lsa@devonportrsa.co.nz or phone 027 315 8001. She would love to hear from you. Looking forward to meeting you all in person on Monday 14th September. Stay safe, Stephen Millham Email: manager@devonportrsa.co.nz Gail Kennett our Local Support AdvisorGail is a local Devonport resident, married to Maurice (Muzz) Kennett who is in the Navy. They have two adult children and one Granddaughter. While their children were growing up they both were involved in the local community being active in Playcentre, Stanley Bay School, Scouts, Softball and Soccer clubs to name a few. During this time, she was also doing voluntary work for what was then the dept of Social Welfare. This was followed by a long career working in the Dockyard in the Supply Chain area. Most recently as the Procurement Manager for Babcock (NZ) with responsibilities that included Purchasing, Contracting and Supplier Relationships. Being a “Navy wife” and working very closely with the Navy has given Gail an appreciation for how being in the services can impact on your everyday life not just on the serving member but also their families. She is now looking forward to becoming part of an organisation where you support each other not only in times of need but also in remembrance and care of those impacted by service to our country. Hi everyone, unfortunately due to the recent outbreak of Covid19 and cancellation of the members meetings I have not been able to meet as many of you as I had hoped. This being the first update I have provided I thought it timely to share a bit more about me and what I want to bring to the role. I gave up fulltime work just over a year ago in order to spend more time with my granddaughter and family, more time travelling and at the beach. Although I didn’t want to go back to work fulltime, I was beginning to feel I needed more. When I saw the advertisement for the Local Support Advisor, I knew that this was exactly the type of role I was looking for. What you can expect from me is honesty, confidentiality and a genuine willingness to play a key role in providing support to veterans and ex-service members and their families. I will provide regular input into the newsletters and would welcome suggestions of any issues you would like me to address or provide advice and or support on. So we can ensure you are kept informed and have all the support you need we will be revalidating membership information so we will be contacting you either by phone, visit or email to ensure we have the most up to date information. I feel privileged to now be a part of an organisation where you join in camaraderie, support each other not only in times of need but also in remembrance and care of those impacted by service to our country. As a local resident of Devonport some of you may already know me, and for those of you who don’t, if you see me around the village please feel free to introduce yourself. I can be contacted anytime if you need any support or would like me to visit with you. Gail Devonport RSA LSA Phone: 027 315 8001 Email: lsa@devonportrsa.co.nz A note from the PresidentHere we are in our second week of lockdown 2.0 and the countdown to Level Two is on. I have been thinking of you all during this time and I hope you are all coping ok. I have managed to keep myself busy in the garden amidst all the rain showers. The garden is now prepared for all the spring growth. Joy was feeling unwell last week so we decided to go join the queue to get her tested. After waiting five and a half hours we were turned away but don’t you worry we headed back the next day and fortunately, the test proved negative. A tip for next time: take a good book to read while you wait. It’s been great catching up on the phone with a few of our members and to hear how you are all getting on. Stephen and Gail are already busy working behind the scenes. We are really looking forward to growing our RSA and building our relationship with you all and the community. Stay safe and looking forward to see you all soon, Howard Mace Remembrance Army UpdateWhile the weather outside hasn’t been the best it has done wonders at O’Neills Point Cemetery. After spraying the headstones last year 3 times the rain has been working its magic. Below are a couple before and after photos of the headstones. We are looking forward to heading back there to finish off the job and get our NZDF personnel restored.
Dear Members, We are having to react to restrictions on activities at level 3. Therefore, we had to abandon the commemoration of VJ Day yesterday. Many thanks to those who were going to attend and march in the parade. There will be no Monday members meeting tomorrow 17 August. We were planning to introduce our new Manager, Stephen Milham, and our new Local Support Advisor, Gail Kennett, at that meeting. We will await further information about our ability to meet in a fortnight’s time. Together with Trish, the daughter of Jim Williamson, who died during our first lockdown, we were planning a memorial serrvice at Holy Trinity Church in Devonport on Saturday 29 August. This service may have to be delayed or curtailed. We hope that everyone is able to manage through this lockdown. If you are having difficulties, do not hesitate to contact our Local Support Advisor Gail, at lsa@devonportrsa.co.nz or phone 027 315 8001. In the meantime, stay home, keep social distance, wear a mask if in close proximity to others outside your bubble and wash your hands frequently. Be kind, be safe and stay well. Howard Mace President 
Dear Members,
Congratulations to you all and everyone around New Zealand, we have made it to Level 1 and currently have no known active cases of COVID-19! It was wonderful to see the way we all united and played our part in eliminating the virus. As the global pandemic continues to grip the world, we are fortunate to be in a position where we can move about more freely and we are excited to restart our Monday morning meetings. Update to Monday Members Meetings
Monday 22 June 2020 will be our first meeting back at the Devonport RSA and we are really looking forward to seeing you all there.
In order to keep our members safe and healthy, we will be asking everyone to adhere to the Ministry of Health guidelines.
Welcome Daiana Mose
We would like to welcome our new Food and Beverage Manger, Daiana Mose. Some of you may recognise her from the Devonport Golf Club. Daiana brings a wealth of hospitality experience and will be a wonderful addition to the Devonport RSA. She will be helping to manage the bar and will also help run the table service as we adapt to the new way of operating.
Thank You Bear Brothers
​The lock down was a difficult time for many local businesses, The Devonport RSA Memorial Trust acknowledged this and took the initiative to offer our tenants a rent holiday. Janet Bingham of Bear Brothers has written a book about her experience of the lockdown and expressed her gratitude to the Memorial Trust and the RSA for their kindness. She would like to show her thanks by donating $5 from every book sale to the Devonport RSA Poppy Trust. This shows true community spirit, we are very thankful to Janet for her kind acknowledgement and donation and encourage you to support her and check out the book.
The book launch is next week on Friday 19 June at 1730 to 1930 in the RSA. The book can also be purchased at her store.
We have received many lovely emails from our members about their Easter care parcels and also about their unique Anzac Day experiences. Patrick sent in this lovely email.
“It was quite something celebrating the Anzac parade outside one's own front door. I live in a pensioner unit that happens to be opposite two or three naval homes at the bottom end of Preston Avenue. At the time of the parade there were several naval families opposite observing the dawn service alongside us pensioners and with help of the radio broadcast turned in and a small line of participants holding candles on both sides of the Avenue in the darkness it was all rather erie but at the same time very stirring and I must say it brought a lump in my throat during the Last Post.†Remembrance Army Update
​Rebecca Nelson, the Remembrance Army and the Royal New Zealand Navy have been very busy cleaning up the graves at O’Neill’s Cemetery. There are over 200 graves that meet the Remembrance Army criteria including a mixture of military graves and civilians that have ties to the military. You can see some of the amazing results below. Great work everyone!
At our next Executive Committee meeting next week we will be planning for upcoming functions and we will let you know on Monday 22 June of the details. We can be proud of ourselves as New Zealanders. Let us celebrate it.
Howard Mace President
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