Kaikohe ATC defies odds to be best in NZ

ATC No 25 Warrant Officer Thorne Cumming, Sergeant Nikki Henry-Edmonds and unit commander Flight Lieutenant Maria Harris receiving their RSA award from Chief of the New Zealand Defence Force, Air Marshall Kevin Short in Wellington.

Kaikohe's No 25 Squadron Air Training Corps (ATC) is small. It does not have a lot of money, and its home, which it shares with the resident rats, is a non-consented building with holes in the ceiling and unsafe electrical heaters.

But it was officially recognised as one of the best units in the country when unit commander Flight Lieutenant Maria Harris, Warrant Officer Thorne Cumming and Sergeant Nikki Henry-Edmonds accepted the Royal New Zealand Returned Servicemen's Association Community Service Award in Wellington.

Flt Lt Harris told the RNZRSA's 102nd National Council that her unit had been playing its part at Anzac Day services since 1997, and at other commemorations, forming cenotaph and catafalque parties at services in Kaikohe, Waima, Rawene, Opononi and Waiotemarama, a role that enabled them to grow their confidence and demonstrate the core values and aims of the New Zealand Cadet Forces.

"Our cadets work tirelessly, constantly pushing themselves through tiredness and fatigue," she said.

"They are mindful that the duties they perform are minimal (compared) to what our service men and women past and present perform in trying times of war.

"At each and every memorial service they displayed the highest standard of discipline and respect.

"For those who have served, ANZAC represents the ideals of comradeship, courage and sacrifice," she said.

"For our cadets, who have not known first-hand the bitter horrors of war, Anzac Day represents three equally important and powerful ideals — a respect for history, a connection to family, and a sense of gratitude.

This is our history, of which we should be very proud. And it is our history that we will continue to pass on ...

"The sacrifice of the fallen is something that, for younger generations, can be difficult to understand, but we can show our gratitude for their sacrifice by taking pride in supporting our nation, and really appreciating all that it offers: the freedom, the opportunity, the prosperity, the peace.

"We take pride in these things because they have been purchased at a great price, and our pride should lead us to cherish and protect them. We are tasked as the standard-bearers of those men and women, and our nation's history."