Officers at Present in Malaya

The padre and four of the officers with the battalion at present in Malaya are Maoris. The padre, Captain Whakahuihui Vercoe will be well-known to many readers. Two of the officers are brothers—Captain J. P. and 2nd Lieutenant T. D. Brosnahan. The others are 2nd Lieutenant N. A. Kotua of Nelson, and 2nd Lieutenant A. R. Kiwi of Raurimu. General Thornton's present aide-de-camp is a Duntroon Maori graduate, Lieutenant T. D. MacFarlane.

Minimum educational qualification for officers is School Certificate, or in the case of Duntroon, University Entrance. After passing a Regular Officer Selection Board they are selected to carry out either the one year course at Portsea, the four year course at the Royal Military College of Duntroon (Australia), or the two year course at Sandhurst in the United Kingdom. Cadets from Portsea and Sandhurst in the United Kingdom graduate as 2nd Lieutenants and those from Duntroon as Lieutenants. Applications for cadetships are accepted not only from serving members of the forces but also from men in civilian occupations and boys finishing school.

Although several Maoris are currently carrying out officer training, the over-all number in the Army is still small. For young Maoris who can meet the exacting standards, the Army offers a worthwhile career of service.

These three Maori soldiers swept the board in the 100 metres backstroke event during the recent Commonwealth Army swimming championships in Malaya. Here Lance Corporal N. Armstrong (New Plymouth) congratulates the winner, Private E. A. Morrison (Rotorua). Looking on are, from left, Privates D. K. P. Kingi (Carterton) who was second and P. Tau (Christchurch) who was third.