Worship the Mayor of Papakura District, Calum Penrose

Commanding Officer 1 NZSAS GP, Lt Col Jim Blackwell ONZM

Ambassador Ms Annelies Boogaerdt of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

Honorary Vice-Consul of the Netherlands, Mr René van Rijn

President of Auckland District and Papakura RSA, Mr Gary Walker

Vice-President of Papakura RSA, Mr Gary Wright

Vice-President of Papakura RSA, Mr Jeff Waters

Veterans of the Long Range Desert Group

Pippa Doyle, veteran of the Second World War Special Operations Executive

Marjorie Wigzell and Allen Leckie, descendants of Special Operations Australia and "Z" Special Unit

Ladies and gentlemen.

I would like to take a moment to express my sadness at the passing this week of Mr Basil Greenstreet, President of the Long Range Desert Group Association of New Zealand.

Mr Greenstreet joined the LRDG in June 1943 and served on Leros Island and throughout the Italian campaign.

He embodied the spirit of the LRDG and was a good friend to many of you.

I would like to extend my deep condolences to his wife, Nola, and children Mary, Beverly, Alan and Brian.

I hope you all can take some comfort in remembering his wonderful achievements.

It is a privilege and an honour to be with you today as the Minister of Veterans' Affairs.

Over the past three years as Opposition Spokeswoman on Veterans' Affairs I have come to know a great many of you, and I look forward to meeting you again this afternoon.

As Minister it is my role to oversee the welfare of veterans and their families and to help keep alive the memory of our service people past and present.

Few things give me greater pleasure than the opportunity to honour men and women who displayed incredible courage in theatres of conflict.

Today, we are truly in the presence of legends.

The Long Range Patrol Group, as it was originally known, was one of the first Special Forces formed and the forerunner for the Special Air Service.

The group was formed by Major Ralph Bagnold in 1940. Although part of the British forces, the Long Range Patrol Group was made up mostly on New Zealanders.

150 New Zealand volunteers were chosen with the permission of General Bernard Freyberg, the New Zealand commanding general in the Middle East theatre.

From the start it was thought that Australians and New Zealanders, who came from mostly rural backgrounds, would be more suited to the long periods of isolation, harsh weather conditions and danger than their British counterparts.

Far behind enemy lines, away from supplies and reinforcement, the Kiwis proved to be incredibly adaptable, self-reliant and resourceful.

The Long Range Desert Group quickly became the forward eyes and ears of the allied command.

Their role was to act as scouts and gather intelligence to feed back to British military headquarters.

The units also carried out many successful strike operations, the most famous of which was Operation Hyacinth, an attack on the Libyan town of Barce and its airfield on the night of 13 September 1942.

There is little doubt the unit had a significant impact on the Desert War.
Germany's Field Marshal Erwin Rommel was to state that the "The LRDG caused us more damage than any other unit of their size."

At its height, 400 New Zealanders were part of the LRDG. Thirteen of these brave men are still with us, and three - Ian Judge, Tom Ritchie and Norm Gedye - have joined us for their final parade today.

It says much about the bonds these men share that the LRDG has met almost every year since 1948.

Only in recent years, as many become frail of body if not spirit, have reunions become less frequent.

Today will be the last such reunion of the LRDG anywhere in the world.

To these men, I salute your courage on behalf of all New Zealanders. The nation owes you a debt of gratitude.

Your footprints will never fade from the sands of North Africa and the stony battlefields of Italy and Greece.

In New Zealand, the memory of your great actions and your sacrifice will live on for generations to come.

Enjoy this historic day.

Thank you.