On the day that Moeke Paaka farewelled Vietnam 54 years ago, he climbed one of the sandbanks that made up the wall of his military shelter and hung his dogtags in a rubber tree.
“A finish,” was how he describes it. He served one tour – a full year – as a combat tracker in Vietnam, amidst a 28-year military career, and knew he would not return as a soldier to the Southeast Asian nation.
Thirty-five years later, an Australian tourist –a veteran himself who had served as a medic - discovered the dogtags in a marketplace in Bà Rịa. He immediately recognised their Kiwi origin, and upon his return home began searching for their owner.
An online search brought him many false leads, but “our army network still works”, says Moeke. He exchanged letters with Mr Brown, explaining exactly where he had left his “soldier’s passport”. The rubber tree – a detail passed on by the Vietnamese stallholder – was the missing clue that the Australian veteran needed to confirm Moeke as the owner.
Those dogtags, and many other local items steeped in history, are now memorialised in the Returned Services Association’s custom-made display table in Motueka.
The huge table is part bar-leaner and part ornament, inset with dozens of pieces of precious insignia that have been gifted from veterans from the army, navy, airforce and police.
There are badges, dogtags, medals, bars, stripes and a bosun’s whistle, to name a few, and RSA president Kyle Abbott says that every item means something to someone.
“There’s a story everywhere,” he says, running his hand over the glass that encases the treasures within.
The idea for the table was hatched when a group of members visited other RSAs around the country.
From there, the group threw around some ideas, before ex-airforce member Dave Shand began to bring their thoughts to life. Peter Lowe provided the macrocarpa, Abel Glass donated the top, and contributions of time and materials also came from CW Drill, Tasman Canvas, Emma Buscke, Guthrie Bowron and Infield Engineering.
The table is heavy, but Dave wanted it to be moveable, so he inlaid it with wheels and brakes.
The bottom border, where one might rest their feet, is “navy chain, sourced by the army, and delivered by the airforce,” according to Kyle, pointing around the room in a light-hearted reference to those who had assisted with the construction.
The “hand-bag shelf” is fashioned to resemble a medical stretcher, and the tabletop supports are made to look like bomb casings.
Trevor Bishop, who at 93 is the club’s patron and oldest active service member, thought it was a beautiful piece of work.
“I’ve never seen anything like it in all my life.”
The camaraderie between the veterans is evident, and a bit of gentle ribbing between the different services is commonplace. Kyle, who served four years in the airforce, couldn’t help poking fun when explaining where the different items were sourced.
“The airforce and the army were probably the most productive,” he says with a grin. “The navy needed a bit more encouragement.”
The table resides in pride of place in “Veteran’s Corner”, and Kyle reckons it is a real talking point for the club.
“Biggest thanks and most gratitude goes to Dave Shand for his amazing creation,” he says.
