Military Pageant Spectacular

Despite blustery, cold conditions few left early from the Year of the Veteran Military Pageant in Wellington on 3 November.
Altogether it was a very colourful, spectacular and sometimes noisy display. Fireworks, the 16th Field Regiment guns and a platoon mock battle filling the arena with smoke and the smell of gunpowder.

The band of the Royal New Zealand Navy, the New Zealand Army Band and the Central Band of the Royal New Zealand Air Froce gave excellent individual and collective performances.

New Zealand Police Pipe Band

They were joined by Territorial Force bands from the 7th Wellington (City of Wellington’s Own) Battalion Group, The Auckland Garrison Artillery Band the 2nd Canterbury (Nelson, Marlborough, West Coast) Battalion Group; the RNZAF’s Base Auckland Base Ohakea and Base Woodbourne bands to create the “massed military bands”.

When joined by Navy, Army, Police and civilian pipe bands there were more than 250 musicians performing at once in a colourful cacophony of sound that had the enthusiastic audience clapping along. It was plain the audience enjoyed the show and was proud of the bearing and performance of New Zealand’s servicemen and women, each item being greeted with sustained applause.

Massed Bands assembled for the Year of the Veteran Pageant Grand Finale.

Army Veteran Bill Henderson said the Pageant was excellent. “Despite the weather being freezing it was humorous and exciting. I ran into two guys from my platoon in 1965 there and got a report from another who watched it on TV. They all said it was marvellous.

“If there was a negative it would be that in the interval we didn’t stand a chance of getting a coffee or a wine. I think more food and drink stalls should have been open. However perhaps I'm getting old and starting to grizzle.

“Overall it was a job well done by the organisers, and the participants, especially the Lochiel Drill Team and the Tawa College kids who must have been freezing in that wind. Congratulations to all in sundry.”

Despite having lived in New Zealand for just three months former British soldier Stuart Abbot brought his family to the Pageant because he was interested in the New Zealand military culture and wanted his sons to experience it. He said the performance had been good to see and was similar to the Royal British Legion’s Festival of Remembrance.

The evening kicked off with the march on of the Tri-Service Honour Guard and Band that two days later left for London and the dedication of the New Zealand Memorial at Hyde Park Corner.

The Guard welcomed Governor General HE Anand Satyanand with a Royal Salute and then marched off and the programme proper began.

In the Pageant Programme, Mr Satayanand said he felt privileged to part of the Pageant, which provides two opportunities. “To recall how much our veterans endured [and] at the same timer enjoy and admire the discipline and talent of the men and women involved in the Armed Forces in the 21st Century.”

About 5000 people watched the show which also featured the Lochiel Marching Drill Team; a display by NZ Police dogs and handlers; a “Salute to the Year of the Veteran and the RNZRSA’s 90th Anniversary" featuring NZ Cadet Forces’ cadets, Canadian singer Terry Kelly singing his A Pittance of Time, and The Ode spoken by RNZRSA National President John Campbell. At the end of this segment the programme announcer called for the house lights and asked all veterans present to stand on order to be acknowledged by the audience.

In a haunting finale Flight Lieutenant Owen Clark RNZAF, accompanied Hinewehi Mohi in Pokarekare Ana and Now is the Hour before the Massed bands and the Tawa College Choir performed A Hundred Pipers, St Clements and Sunset.

Guns of the 16th Field Artillery Regiment "in tune" for one of the all-time crowd favourites: Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture".

Pageant Stage Manager Major (Retd) Davie Clearwater has 23 years’ experience of working with tattoo-like events. He said he had worked with Producer Brian Inns on seven Searchlight Tattoos in Taranaki and that they had a very good working relationship. He said volunteers, mainly ex-service and RSA members had worked at the Wellington Stadium five days before the Pageant erecting the castle backdrop and giving of their time and skills to organising props and other backstage work.