Quote:
Originally Posted by Big D
Gidday all,
Attached are some pictures of the recent HQ 44 South Thunder and Light Show at Waimate in Labour Weekend 2011.
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There's a story behind this pic. The owner of the Jeep (Brent of Invercargill)met an old veteran at last year's show. The man, Mr Don Johns lived locally in Waimate, and had an album of pics from the war. It just happened that one of the man's pics had been reproduced before in a publication and was well known within NZ. Using that pic and others from his album, Brent furtively arranged to reproduce the Jeep's markings and surprise Don at this year's show.
Pictured below is Gunner Johns, 21, 6 Fd Regt in Italy in 1943 with his Jeep "Miss New Zealand", and Mr Johns, 89 seeing it again in 2011. The other pic is Brent and Don recreating yet another pose from the 1943 album. Mr Johns got a bit sentimental over the effort to remember his contribution to unique Commonwealth vehicle markings, but hey!
The Thunder and Light Show had a bit of a Gunner's Reunion theme to it, and also played host to a Gunner from 16th Fd Regt, RNZA, who was a 1950 veteran of Korea, and a Gunner from 161 Bty, who was a Vietnam Vet from 1968-70.
