22 hours' flying leaps 50 years

The first chief instructor of the Air Force's command and staff college at Whenuapai returned to the military education establishment at Whenuapai this weekend to celebrate its 50th anniversary.

Air Commodore Robert Carter, aged 90, was among more than 100 former staff and graduates of the college at the reunion.

His arrival last week, after 22 hours of flying from Britain, brought memories flooding back.

As a Royal Air Force wing commander, he arrived on exchange from the RAF at Whenuapai on January 7, 1950, after five days of flying in a modified Lancaster bomber. The final leg of the trip from Sydney to Auckland was completed by Sunderland flying boat.

When he arrived, the college had just been built and was short of furniture and stationery. Staff had to raid 20 dining chairs from the officers' mess to provide seating for lecture room tables.

Air Commodore Carter said yesterday that the college looked much the same as it did 50 years ago. But "it has got a lot of prestige now for this part of the world. It's really a wonderful college."

He said he ran the college for just over a year when he "unfortunately" won a promotion.

Not wanting to leave New Zealand, the promotion had the then Group Captain Carter being posted to Wellington to stand in for a sick RNZAF officer of the same rank.

"He was still sick after two years so I had a further two years in Wellington, which was very nice."

The trip back to New Zealand had led to many reunions with old friends.

"If anyone said to me in 1950 that I would be back in the year 2000, I'd have thought that was counting your chickens before they hatched. Luckily I'm still alive," said Air Commodore Carter.

More than 3000 New Zealanders and 100 overseas officers have attended the college.