Jack and Katrina's Place

18 July 2010 we were in Christchurch for the 50th anniversay celebrations of No 18 Squadron Air Training Corps. Katrina and I met 19 years ago through her association with the ATC, while I was training with the RNZAF in Christchurch, so it was a good excuse to go back to Wigram. Unfortunately July in Christchuch is absolute mid winter and it has been a record breaking cold wet winter for Christchurch with an average temp of just under 5 deg C.

The anniversay parade was addressed by Air Commodore Grame Lintott, Chief of the Airforce. I first knew Mr Lintott when he was in the RNZAF with my father in Singapore. As a 9 year old I remember walking past Mr Lintott's house as he explained he'd just cut off a snakes head with a spade while working in his garden, very impressive to a 9 year old! Then he'd been the CO of Flying training wing (which included university cadets and thus engineers) and now he was making a welcoming speech in Maori and English for the 50th anniversary parade on a freezing wet day in Christchurch. The parade culiminated with a flypast by a Tiger Moth, completing the sense of time or perhaps timelessness, so much has changed and so much is still the same.