The Last Salute

A Waiouru army major who collapsed and died during an official ceremony rehearsal at Trentham was buried yesterday with full military honours.
Monique-Maria Brown, 47, collapsed at the military camp on Monday during a practice run of a welcoming ceremony for the new Chief of Army, Major General Timothy Keating.
Army medics tried unsuccessfully to resuscitate Major Brown, a former military police officer.
The cause of death has not been established. Her family believe she may have had a heart attack but an autopsy was unable to determine why she died.
She leaves behind her husband Errol, who is also in the army, and sons Harrison, 17, and Levi, 13.
Family spokesman David Chambers said Major Brown was an "absolutely awesome" person.
"You couldn't ask for a more lovely lady," he said. "Her mana was just amazing."
Major Brown was a self-professed army brat and tomboy, born and raised in Waiouru in the 1960s. After attending Turakina Maori Girls' College, she asked her father if she could follow his footsteps into the Army Transport Corps.
When he told her "it is no place for young ladies" she went and joined the Australian Defence Force, and was one of the first women to be accepted into Duntroon Military College.
In her holidays, she covered long distances on her Harley Davidson and worked as a jillaroo, mustering cattle in the Outback. Later she was the first woman in the ADF to study at Westpoint Military Academy in the US, and on her return she was the first woman in the ADF to serve in a combat unit.
She transferred to the NZ Army in 1994 and joined the Military Police. As its second in command, she challenged the status quo and gained respect with her professionalism. She had already gained awards in martial arts and military studies, and added a degree in criminology from Victoria University to her achievements.
On weekends, she and Errol did gigs with their rock band Leather and Lace.
In 1998 she was paralysed by a brain aneurism but, with tremendous tenacity and faith in God, she fully recovered. She kept her recovery in mind with frog ornaments in her office - frog an acronym for Fully Rely On God. She had been in the army for almost 17 years and was passionate about youth projects, such as a centre for teenagers at Waiouru.
She was fully involved at Waiouru, on both school boards the marae committee, and in the kapa haka group.
She told Army News in 2008 that the centre made a "huge positive impact and difference to, not only the kids, but to the whole Waiouru community".
"Before, teens spent their weekend nights at home with one or two mates during the winter or out roaming the streets in the summer. Now they have a place to hang out and catch up with their mates. It's a really positive, high-energy environment and the kids thrive in it."
Centre co-ordinator Dawn Allsop told the Chronicle yesterday the Major was a fantastic woman. "The kids really looked up to and admired her.
"She did a lot of fundraising for the centre. It is open on Friday and Saturday nights and the kids, mostly teenagers, come along for karaoke nights, movie nights and so forth," Ms Allsop said.
Army spokesman Major Aaron Couchman said Major Brown was the holder of an Armed Forces Award for long service and good conduct.
She was involved in setting up a weapons training facility at the Waiouru Military Camp.
She was also the project manager for a simulator that allowed soldiers to train in a computer-generated landscape, using weapons that fire compressed air.
The aim was to give recruits experience before they ventured on to a real rifle range.
Two months ago, Major Brown and her family moved to Linton, where she was serving in the 2nd Logistics Battalion.
Yesterday's funeral was attended by several hundred mourners, including the newly appointed Chief of Army, Maj Gen Tim Keating, and included several haka and a firing party.