KUCHING: The New Zealand Malayan Veterans Association (NZMVA) is grateful for a plaque placed at the Heroes Graveyard in Jalan Taman Budaya here to commemorate the contributions of the New Zealand Armed Forces for having provided security for the people of Malaysia, especially those from Sarawak during the Confrontation from 1964 to 1966.
“It’s the first time we’ve ever had a plaque outside New Zealand and in fact, we don’t even have a plaque in New Zealand.
“This is the very first time and it’s an honour and privilege to have the plaque here because it is something that our grandchildren can look at, so it means a lot,” said the association’s senior vice-president, William Russell.
A total of 800 troops from the New Zealand army, navy and air force were in Taiping, Malacca and Borneo from 1955 till 1968.
Russell, 78, when met here yesterday during the commemoration and thanksgiving service which was led by New Zealand High Commissioner to Malaysia Dr John Subritzky, said all the veterans were getting old, the youngest being 72 and the oldest, 82.
Attending the service was a group of 37 New Zealanders comprising 27 veterans and the rest being wives and friends.
Russell said there were about 5,000 veterans alive but added they were dying at a very fast rate, about five veterans per week because they were in their seventies or eighties.
“So, maybe in 10 years, we’ll all be gone,” he said, adding that New Zealand lost 37 soldiers in Malaya. - Bernama