King's Empire Veterans meet in city

Members of the King's Empire Veterans held an AGM and a memorial service at the Rotorua RSA yesterday. Photo/Ben Fraser

Rotorua played host to the annual general meeting of the oldest organisation of returned service people in the country when members of the King's Empire Veterans met in the city yesterday.

Before the AGM, veterans held a memorial service outside the Rotorua RSA led by RSA president John Treanor and Deacon Harvey Dalton.

The organisation was set up at the beginning of the 1900s by then Governor of New Zealand, the 5th Earl of Ranfurly, to provide help to colonial and British soldiers living in the country.

At the time there was no state-funded care available to returned servicemen and many were found with various medical and health issues in homes across the country.

The organisation was initially set up to help those men who had faced "shot and shell" - those who saw action in the front lines during wartime - but later on was opened up to other veterans, both men and women.

But, after the Gallipoli landings returning Anzacs set up the RSA in 1916 to provide support and comfort for service men and women and their families.

The welfare side of the King's Empire Veterans was taken over by the RSA soon after.

King's Empire Veterans national and Rotorua branch secretary/treasurer Rick Thame, himself a veteran of front line action in Vietnam, said the AGM brought together some of New Zealand's oldest war veterans from World War II and many others who saw action in places like Malaya, Borneo, Korea and Vietnam.

"We have many people involved - wives, widows and veterans - some of them are up to 98 years old," Mr Thame said.

He said the organisation would have folded years ago if membership criteria was not broadened over time.

"It's a very proud organisation and for me it's a huge honour to be involved with them."