A full military funeral was a fitting farewell for a man remembered by his son as "always in command".
Major Thomas Neville (Tom) Turner was buried at Aramoho Cemetery yesterday, following a funeral service at Dempsey & Forrest.
Brigadier John Dennistoun-Wood told the funeral service Major Turner was proud of his 20-and-a-half-year military career which began with training at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. He was in the Royal New Zealand Infantry, 2nd Battalion. He served in Malaya and Vietnam and spent a number of years working in military intelligence.
After leaving the military in 1978, Major Turner worked as a teacher.
Simon Ewing-Jarvie, also a former infantryman, met Major Turner when both were living on boats in the Marlborough Sounds and described his friend as "comfortable with his eccentricity".