Rotorua Daily Post
  • Rotorua Daily Post home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Residential property listings
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Rural
  • Sport

Locations

  • Tauranga
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales

Weather

  • Rotorua
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • What the Actual
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Rotorua Daily Post

Return of the ashes of baby Desmond, who died in Malaysia 55 years ago

Samantha Olley
By Samantha Olley
Rotorua Daily Post·
15 Sep, 2018 12:00 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

A plane carrying the remains of 27 New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) personnel arrived back in the country.

There are no photos of baby Desmond in the Rogers' family albums.

His brothers Ruapeka and John have no memories of him.

His whānau never took him to the family home in Rotorua, until his remains were brought back to New Zealand, last month, 55 years after his death.

Ruapeka 'Rippa' Rogers with his baby brother Desmond's urn in Rotorua. Photo / Stephen Parker
Ruapeka 'Rippa' Rogers with his baby brother Desmond's urn in Rotorua. Photo / Stephen Parker

Desmond James Rogers was born in Leeston in Canterbury and christened at the All Saints' Garrison Church at Burnham Military Camp.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

He would have celebrated his 55th birthday last Friday, had he been a healthy baby.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern joined hundreds of guests as the New Zealand Defence Force returned the remains to New Zealand last month. Photo / Greg Bowker
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern joined hundreds of guests as the New Zealand Defence Force returned the remains to New Zealand last month. Photo / Greg Bowker

"There is something wrong with Desmond. I told the doctors. They aren't listening. They don't know what's wrong."

Those were Helen Rogers' panicked words, told back to Ruapeka later in life.

There were no answers until baby Desmond died, just before his first Christmas, on December 22, 1963.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Members of the New Zealand Defence Force placed baby Desmond Rogers' casket with those of the 27 New Zealand Army soldiers at Auckland Airport. Photo / Greg Bowker
Members of the New Zealand Defence Force placed baby Desmond Rogers' casket with those of the 27 New Zealand Army soldiers at Auckland Airport. Photo / Greg Bowker

His death certificate from Kinrara British Military Hospital, Malaysia, blames hydrocephalus (water in the brain) for the 3-and-a-half-month-old's death.

His father, also called Desmond, was deployed to Borneo soon after his family's traumatic loss, leaving Helen to process it, while caring for Renata, 5, Ruapeka, 3, and Michelle, 2.

Sergeant Desmond Pihopa Rogers in 1964. Photo / Supplied
Sergeant Desmond Pihopa Rogers in 1964. Photo / Supplied

She spent the rest of her life yearning for baby Desmond.

It led to episodes of depression and hospitalisations in Lake Alice and Sunnyside mental institutions, and electric shock treatment.

Desmond and Helen Rogers on their wedding day. Photo / Supplied
Desmond and Helen Rogers on their wedding day. Photo / Supplied

But in her final years, Helen heard comforting news from Ruapeka at her bedside.

There was growing support for the repatriation of servicemen buried in foreign cemeteries, and this would include baby Desmond, subject to her consent.

"I can quite clearly see the expression on her frail face of pure joy, followed by a look of resigned relief and a long pause - like a moment of reflection. 'That would be very nice son.'"

Baby Desmond's former grave at Cheras Rd Cemetery, Kuala Lumpur, where Ruapeka visited in May, to tell his brother he was coming home soon. Photo / Supplied
Baby Desmond's former grave at Cheras Rd Cemetery, Kuala Lumpur, where Ruapeka visited in May, to tell his brother he was coming home soon. Photo / Supplied

In May, Ruapeka flew to Cheras Rd Cemetery, Kuala Lumpur, "to tell Desmond he would be coming home shortly".

The remains were farewelled at a ceremony in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Photo / NZDF
The remains were farewelled at a ceremony in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Photo / NZDF

It has now been 24 days since baby Desmond landed in Auckland International Airport, as part of the Te Auraki project.

You couldn't miss the startling white wooden panels enclosing his remains, among 27 much larger caskets, draped in navy blue New Zealand flags.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Members of the New Zealand Defence Force with the returned remains of baby Desmond Rogers and soldiers at Auckland International Airport. Photo / Greg Bowker
Members of the New Zealand Defence Force with the returned remains of baby Desmond Rogers and soldiers at Auckland International Airport. Photo / Greg Bowker

Ruapeka accompanied his baby brother in the Osbornes' hearse back to Rotorua; the Rogers' hometown.

Desmond and Helen's kids spent every school holiday "playing around and catching up" with their cousins there, during their father's military career, going from camp to camp.

His marae was Ōwhata Marae at Hinemoa Pt and Ruapeka got married there 35 years ago.

Members of the New Zealand Defence Force carried baby Desmond Rogers' casket at Auckland Airport. Photo / Greg Bowker
Members of the New Zealand Defence Force carried baby Desmond Rogers' casket at Auckland Airport. Photo / Greg Bowker

The hearse took baby Desmond back to the family home in Fenton Park, where he spent the night before a private funeral service and cremation was held for the Rogers whānau the next morning.

Baby Desmond Rogers' casket, carried from the tarmac. Photo / NZDF
Baby Desmond Rogers' casket, carried from the tarmac. Photo / NZDF

Baby Desmond's urn now takes its rightful place on the prayer table in the family home, next to his mother's and father's.

Their wairua are "finally at peace".

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Baby Desmond Rogers' casket was covered by his late mother Helen's korowai, as it was placed into the hearse. Photo / NZDF
Baby Desmond Rogers' casket was covered by his late mother Helen's korowai, as it was placed into the hearse. Photo / NZDF

John, who was born after baby Desmond died, "always felt he had a relationship" with the older brother he never met.

"He was always spoken about, it was not like he wasn't there."

Private Cameron Hunn, left, and Private Tim Dobbyn, with baby Desmond's hearse before the return to Rotorua. Photo / Supplied
Private Cameron Hunn, left, and Private Tim Dobbyn, with baby Desmond's hearse before the return to Rotorua. Photo / Supplied

John has been reflecting on what his mother went through, since baby Desmond's homecoming to Aotearoa.

"Postnatal depression was not really understood, and the shock treatment, it was horrendous. We experienced her go through that."

Baby Desmond Rogers' casket was covered by his late mother Helen's korowai, as it was placed into the hearse. Photo / NZDF
Baby Desmond Rogers' casket was covered by his late mother Helen's korowai, as it was placed into the hearse. Photo / NZDF

Despite all this, in John's eyes, Helen and Desmond were "fantastic parents".

"They had a tight unit. They were very protective. You could understand that, considering their loss."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Rotorua Daily Post

Two hotly debated issues focus of locals' feedback on council plan

14 May 05:00 PM
Rotorua Daily Post

200 new retirement homes coming to Putāruru as Overdale Estate hits stage two

14 May 05:00 PM
Rotorua Daily Post

Taser probe: Attack with mystery device prompts hunt for woman

14 May 06:00 AM

Connected workers are safer workers 

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Two hotly debated issues focus of locals' feedback on council plan

Two hotly debated issues focus of locals' feedback on council plan

14 May 05:00 PM

Ninety-nine people will address Rotorua's council this week.

200 new retirement homes coming to Putāruru as Overdale Estate hits stage two

200 new retirement homes coming to Putāruru as Overdale Estate hits stage two

14 May 05:00 PM
Taser probe: Attack with mystery device prompts hunt for woman

Taser probe: Attack with mystery device prompts hunt for woman

14 May 06:00 AM
SH2 bridge replacement scrapped despite road damaging new tyres

SH2 bridge replacement scrapped despite road damaging new tyres

14 May 01:15 AM
The Hire A Hubby hero turning handyman stereotypes on their head
sponsored

The Hire A Hubby hero turning handyman stereotypes on their head

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Rotorua Daily Post e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Rotorua Daily Post
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • What the Actual
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven CarGuide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP