Rod Hart is the president of the Wanganui RSA and chairman of the RSA Welfare Trust. Born and bred in Taranaki, he joined the Army as a 16-year-old and served in Bougainville in the North Solomons Province of Papua New Guinea. After 22 years he left the armed forces
The Monday Q&A: Rod Hart on fishing, Jimi Hendrix and 22 years in the armed forces
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Rod Hart has been in Whanganui for the past seven years. Photo / Mike Tweed
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Are younger returned service personnel getting involved in organisations like the RSA?
They don't, because a lot of them don't feel like they're veterans. To them, a veteran is an old, crusty World War II or Vietnam guy. These younger people put their lives on the line just like everyone else did though. We just need to help them recognise that the RSA is there to help them.
How do you think Whanganui has changed over the years?
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In a short space of time, it's grown into a size that's taken it away from being ostensibly a backwater to a thriving town. Everything is here that you need but it's still small enough. A number of sharp businesses have come to town and we're seen as a popular place to be. I don't think that was the case for a long time.
Which event from history would you most like to have been at?
I'm going to go with Woodstock. It's just so legendary, and it was at a changing time in the world. I'd like to see Janis Joplin and The Byrds, and Jimi Hendrix of course. His music is still good today.
Do you have fond memories from your time in the armed forces?
It was probably the camaraderie. You always had people around you and there were always people who had similar interests and were doing fun things. It was a great place to grow up because there was just so much to do. People think that being in the Army means things are really controlled, but we weren't. We were given a lot of freedom and got to do things that people would pay a lot of money for these days. If there was one thing the Army gave me, it was variety.
What inspired you to join the Army?
I left school early and became a spare parts storeman at CB Norwood in New Plymouth. I was selling tractor parts, which was as boring as anything. Out the back was the New Plymouth Army Hall which had a big mural painted on the side saying "The Road to Singapore Starts Here". One day I made my last cup of tea and thought "bugger this". I walked across the road and signed up. A week later I was getting interviewed and after that I was accepted.
What do you think is Whanganui's best kept secret?
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The climate, for sure. We've got it so much better than everyone else around us and we are always two degrees warmer than it says on TV. Weather seems to go around us. I lived in Linton for a number of years, right under the hills. I would land at Ohakea and it would be fine. You'd start heading to Palmerston North and it got darker and darker. When you got to Linton you'd find it had been raining there all day.
What advice would you give your 15-year-old self?
Make sure you get your School Certificate. After a couple of years in the Army I wanted to be an officer but I didn't quite have the educational qualifications. Luckily, they gave me a chance. If I had been applying from outside I never would have got in.
Who is one person you've always looked up to?
Probably my father, for right or wrong. That was probably because of the generation I was brought up in. If I was looking for someone really smart, it would be my mother. I was lucky to have great parents who taught me lots of good skills. That stood me in good stead for my life. It was all the basic stuff that's so important, like don't steal, respect other people and be polite.
