Army Charter Parade fitting send-off for Council Unit Manager

Army Charter Parade fitting send-off for Council Unit Manager
Posted On: Thursday, 12 March 2009
Amongst the 150 army personnel marching in this Saturday's Army Charter Parade through central Hamilton will be Hamilton City Council Community Development Unit Manager Olly Te Ua, who will be departing next month on a six-month deployment to Afghanistan.

Mr Te Ua, who holds the rank of Major, has been an Army Reserve Officer for the past 15 years after originally joining as a Gunner with 4(G) Medium Battery.

His upcoming deployment will be part of the wider New Zealand contingent, including the provincial reconstruction team, staff officers, medical specialists and trainers, whose focus will be on advancing the three pillars of security, governance, and development in conjunction with the international community. Major Te Ua's role will be as a Staff Liaison Officer in a multi-national headquarters.

In 2002 Major Te Ua worked on civil-military nation building projects in East Timor as part of the 6th NZ Battalion group. He hopes to build on this past experience as well as his ten years experience as a public servant to add value during his upcoming posting.

"I will also be looking to use transferable skills from my current job as Community Development Unit Manager for Hamilton City Council, and at the same time I anticipate bringing back new skills to my role when I return," he said.

Major Te Ua is looking forward to the exercising of the Charters of both 4 (G) Medium Battery and the Waikato Mounted Rifles on Saturday. "Both units have a long history and association with Hamilton. It will act as a good send-off for those officers and soldiers prior to their deployment.

"It is the first time in many years that a parade of this kind has been held in Hamilton. It's a great way of recognising the support of families, friends, and work colleagues that enable local soldiers to deploy on operations overseas."

At the conclusion of the parade Major Te Ua will hand over command as Battery Commander of 11/4 Battery (to the incoming Battery Commander Captain Anthony Mitchelson) after two years in the position.

Six armoured light operational vehicles, four 105mm Guns and 150 army personnel will be taking part in the parade, which recognises the rights of the Waikato Mounted Rifles and 11/4 Battery to parade with arms through Hamilton as outlined in their Freedom of the City Charters.

Starting from Grantham Street at 10.35am, the parade will move north along Victoria Street, before turning left onto Collingwood Street and right onto Alexandra Street where the units will receive a challenge from the NZ Police. The Charters will then be re-affirmed to allow the parade to continue through on to Civic Square in Garden Place at 10.45am where formal parade proceedings will take place.

The parade will conclude at 11.30am.