Keith Elliot

Born in Apiti

25 April, 1916

To a farming family

Awarded the Victoria cross

At the outbreak of the Second World War

He applied for a Position in the NZ Military Forces

But was rejected due to the vile state of his teeth

Later he tried again

And filled a position in the 22nd battalion 

Under the command of Lt Col Lesley Andrews VC

Courageous, Loyal, sense of camaraderie

A tough New Zealander through and through

Never giving up

Dawn of 15 July, 1942

The battalion to which Platoon Commander belonged

Was attacked by on three flanks by tanks determined to see them anialated

Under Impending tank fire

 The tanks were a steady stream of bats in the distance,

Machine gun stuttering in the in the distance

And shell fire pounding into the sand, sand flying as feet skid overhead

Sergeant Elliot led the platoon he was commanding

to the relative safety of a ridge 300 yards away

Sustaining a chest wound

Crimson stain spreading across the front of his khaki army issue jacket breathing laboured but determined to see the German treat vangisqed back where they came from

Here he reformed his men

Hot sand moving under foot

Flanked on three sides

Only one way to go without being hammered by the enemies

The odds are overwhelming the enemy senses victory

The only way through this is though the enemy

Against overwhelming odds Elliot and seven comrades rush over 500m

Armed only with rifles and bayonets fixed enabling them as spears

 any moment could be their last with a speed brought on by desperation and charge head first into the heavily defended mgp slashing, hacking and bashing Elliot in the lead leaving felled men in their wake

 Up close and personal vicious hand to Han combat within two feet of them

His men rush at them

Capturing four tortoise shell like heavy machine gun posts

And an anti tank gun

 Steady streams of Bullets whiz zing through the air

A strong smell of smoke from the bomb  cloud the nostrils raining from above

What inspires me is how he never gave up and kept on going right to the end his loyalness

To his comrades how he thought these men are my responsibility they will not get killed on my watch how his selflessness and bravery was committed without a second thought and saved tonnes of lives in the process

Awarded the Victoria Cross

The highest and most prestigious award for gallantry

Keith Elliot

Of Apiti

sad story

Redwall Danger

“Come in little one”

“You said you were going to tell me a story Miz Bella.”

“So I did little one so I did. What do you want a story about?”

“How about the sneaky goblin who was almost the death of redwall?”

It was Redwall Abbey and we were at war with the kingdom of Clonmel. Now you must know that Clonmel is inhabited by Orcs ... Anyway two dwarves called Togget and Folgrim were out hunting deer when they noticed a fire blazing on the horizon so they went to investigate. When they arrived they saw three Orcs roasting a boar on a spit and right behind a goblin wearing a mottled brown and green cloak with the cowl pulled up round his face. He was also tied up. So they made a plan and Folgrim went to free him while Togget got their attention.

“Hey you lard bellied scuts! Gimme some of that meat!” Togget shouted.

An Orc, close to six feet tall and obviously their leader, laughed, “What are you going to do with that toothpick you call an axe?”

“Oh you’d be surprised,” he replied and yelled the long time-honored warcry, “Euliaaaa ... give em blood and vinegar!!!”

The call went up on the other side of the Orcs and the Orcs turned but not fast enough. Togget and Folgrim were upon them, their heavy axes rising and falling, cutting through the Orcs like a knife through butter. Once the orcs were well and truly dead they untied the goblin.

“You're safe with us friend” Togget says. “What happened?”

“My name’s Billy” the goblin says. “I'm a traveller looking for the famed Redwall Abbey. I was going there until these Orcs captured me. They were going to take me as a slave, at least until you two waded in and took care of them!”

“We’re from Redwall. You can come with us” the dwarves said.

As soon as they arrived back at Redwall greetings were shouted out like “What did you bring home today?”

“Only a goblin and two Orc swords and one axe!” Togget yells cheerfully. They pass through the doors and the wonderful scent of hot meat pies floods their nostrils. This immediately sets the goblin into a frenzy. Sprinting two the main hall he falls upon the food like a starved wolf.

Later that night the goblin tiptoed into the kitchen, got a bottle off his poison belt and put a couple of drips into all of the water and food he went back to bed. Everybody sleeps on.

Early in the morning the cooks taste their cooking. Soon the head cook feels faint and drops down dead. The other cooks immediately raise the alarm, and within minutes the incredibly muscular sheriff, Jaycee, bounds in closely followed by his second in command William. William checks his pulse.

“He’s dead alright” he says, his face grim.

When they go outside there’s a massive crowd and with them the king John and his daughter, the princess May. The king barks out a order “Jaycee! William! Lead a team! Capture whoever did this”      

“I’ll check who isn’t here!” yells William and puts his speed to good use. He soon comes back.

“It’s that goblin Togget and Folgrim brought with them. I’ll bet my last penny he’s with the Orcs.”

“Ok,” the king says, “Catch him.”

They start on the trail. When they get to the guard house they find two dead guards.

As they race out the gate into Mossflower woods and blunder through the undergrowth they hear screams.

“Go!” William shouts. They race over and find the goblin half submerged in a sinking swamp. Jaycee grabs him and yanks him out. They travel back to Redwall and on their return cheers ring out.

One Week Later

At the prize ceremony the King presents the prizes ...

“Jaycee come forward,” the king says, “Kneel.” He taps his sword on his shoulder. “I make you a knight. Arise Jaycee, Lord of Mossflower and Redwall.”

Jaycees face lit up with unmistakable joy.

“William come forward”

“Kneel”

“I pronounce you Warrior of Redwall.”

“Now a good knight needs a good wife. May do you accept him as your husband?”

“I do.”

“Come up goblin now. Throw him down the pit. Let the Pit Adders have him.”

Everyone live happily ever after.

The End                

Redwall Danger

“Come in little one”

“You said you were going to tell me a story Miz Bella.”

“So I did little one so I did. What do you want a story about?”

“How about the sneaky goblin who was almost the death of redwall?”

It was Redwall Abbey and we were at war with the kingdom of Clonmel. Now you must know that Clonmel is inhabited by Orcs ... Anyway two dwarves called Togget and Folgrim were out hunting deer when they noticed a fire blazing on the horizon so they went to investigate. When they arrived they saw three Orcs roasting a boar on a spit and right behind a goblin wearing a mottled brown and green cloak with the cowl pulled up round his face. He was also tied up. So they made a plan and Folgrim went to free him while Togget got their attention.

“Hey you lard bellied scuts! Gimme some of that meat!” Togget shouted.

An Orc, close to six feet tall and obviously their leader, laughed, “What are you going to do with that toothpick you call an axe?”

“Oh you’d be surprised,” he replied and yelled the long time-honored warcry, “Euliaaaa ... give em blood and vinegar!!!”

The call went up on the other side of the Orcs and the Orcs turned but not fast enough. Togget and Folgrim were upon them, their heavy axes rising and falling, cutting through the Orcs like a knife through butter. Once the orcs were well and truly dead they untied the goblin.

“You're safe with us friend” Togget says. “What happened?”

“My name’s Billy” the goblin says. “I'm a traveller looking for the famed Redwall Abbey. I was going there until these Orcs captured me. They were going to take me as a slave, at least until you two waded in and took care of them!”

“We’re from Redwall. You can come with us” the dwarves said.

As soon as they arrived back at Redwall greetings were shouted out like “What did you bring home today?”

“Only a goblin and two Orc swords and one axe!” Togget yells cheerfully. They pass through the doors and the wonderful scent of hot meat pies floods their nostrils. This immediately sets the goblin into a frenzy. Sprinting two the main hall he falls upon the food like a starved wolf.

Later that night the goblin tiptoed into the kitchen, got a bottle off his poison belt and put a couple of drips into all of the water and food he went back to bed. Everybody sleeps on.

Early in the morning the cooks taste their cooking. Soon the head cook feels faint and drops down dead. The other cooks immediately raise the alarm, and within minutes the incredibly muscular sheriff, Jaycee, bounds in closely followed by his second in command William. William checks his pulse.

“He’s dead alright” he says, his face grim.

When they go outside there’s a massive crowd and with them the king John and his daughter, the princess May. The king barks out a order “Jaycee! William! Lead a team! Capture whoever did this”      

“I’ll check who isn’t here!” yells William and puts his speed to good use. He soon comes back.

“It’s that goblin Togget and Folgrim brought with them. I’ll bet my last penny he’s with the Orcs.”

“Ok,” the king says, “Catch him.”

They start on the trail. When they get to the guard house they find two dead guards.

As they race out the gate into Mossflower woods and blunder through the undergrowth they hear screams.

“Go!” William shouts. They race over and find the goblin half submerged in a sinking swamp. Jaycee grabs him and yanks him out. They travel back to Redwall and on their return cheers ring out.

One Week Later

At the prize ceremony the King presents the prizes ...

“Jaycee come forward,” the king says, “Kneel.” He taps his sword on his shoulder. “I make you a knight. Arise Jaycee, Lord of Mossflower and Redwall.”

Jaycees face lit up with unmistakable joy.

“William come forward”

“Kneel”

“I pronounce you Warrior of Redwall.”

“Now a good knight needs a good wife. May do you accept him as your husband?”

“I do.”

“Come up goblin now. Throw him down the pit. Let the Pit Adders have him.”

Everyone live happily ever after.

The End                

Zahn's Skiing Experience

''Come on guys. It is time for your lesson,'' Mum says.
We all group together and go up the first chairlift to Park lane and it is there that we meet our instructor Kyle. In our group there's me, Amber, Brooke, Charlotte, Hannah and another school who had been skiing all week. Kyle tries to get us to do parallel turns the whole lesson. After about ten turns each going down, it was time for the ultimate challenge ... to go down the Giant and Bone yard; one of the top climbs on the mountain.We race down narrowly avoiding a couple of collisions with some dare devils who don't look where they are going. Kyle yells at them.
We go back down to Park lane and Kyle announces that our lesson is finished. We say thank you and get going. But it's not long before I'm back up, this time at the top of the mountain and ready to ski down Vertigo. Suddenly I'm speeding down too fast to steer, going and going until I fall over and I'm afraid to say ... that happened a lot. Anyway as I whizzed down the powdery white snow, I gazed at the magical view spread out like a picture on a piece of paper ... until... smash I thud into the snow losing both my skis and both my poles. I hop up and try to get a ski on but it doesn't work. I try and try and try, getting awfully frustrated, until about ten minutes later when I get my first ski on. Now I have the challenge of getting the second one on. Then a lady comes and helps me and I finally get it on and am able to zoom to the bottom, my ski tips skimming the white snow.
What a wonderful day.

Life without the Internet

Can you imagine life without the internet?  Though it’s only been around in its present form for a few years, it has enormous influence in almost every area of modern life.  Most people, in the developed world at least, would struggle to live without it.

Imagine being lost in say in say San Francisco with only an iPod and a Wi-Fi connection.  You need some where to stay.  What do you do?  Use the internet of course.  Go to trip advisor and find the top ranked budget hotel in town.  Check in with an email reservation.  But wait.  Your credit card is declined.  No problem.  Go to online banking and transfer more money to your card.  How are you going to find the hotel – Google maps of course?  But what bus should you catch.  Simply Google the bus routes and time table. 

You arrive at the hotel but immediately encounter a problem.  The desk clerk only speaks Mongolian.  You whip out the iPod and go straight to Google translate; problem solved!

Once you’re settled in, you’re ready to relax for the evening.    You Google cinemas, theatres, restaurants and every other form of entertainment you can think of.  After reading the online reviews, you decide on a restaurant.  Going through their online menu, you select a couple of mouth watering dishes.  After paying online, you sit back and wait for the meal to be delivered to your door.   

After dinner you decide on a movie.  Something action packed you think.   You choose “The Terminator”.  Netflix streams it to your device for a small fee. It’s a movie about the destruction of humanity due to the rise of the machines.  The machines come to power through “skynet”; an internet-like structure set in the future.  For a moment you feel uncomfortable as you wonder if the future is already here.

After the movie, you feel like some exercise to work off the big meal.  Of course you log on to a gaming website - HALO reach.  Racing around, shooting all manner of monsters is great exercise and all in a nights work for a serious gamer like yourself. 

As you begin to tire after a busy day, you feel a little homesick for your friends in Feilding.  You check out the Feilding herald online to bring you up to date with what’s happening in town.  You facetime your friends; it’s good to see their faces and swap a few laughs.  You upload a selection of videos and photos of your recent adventures to your online travel blog. Finally you check out your facebook page for the latest gossip and goings on.   

Yawning, you’re ready for bed.  But even now the influence of the internet has not finished. You listen to the soothing music of the latest AC/DC release that you downloaded from iTunes as you prepare for bed.  Finally, you set the alarm on your iPod to wake you up at 2am the next morning.  The All Blacks are playing France and you plan to listen to it live via the Radio NZ app on your iPod.   

But then disaster strikes.  While brushing your teeth, you accidently knock your iPod into the bath full of water.  The screen goes blank, your mind goes blank.  You are no longer connected to the modern world.

Could you survive without the internet?

   

Camp recount - PAUA

Pink hard bumpy outside. It is easy to mistake for a rock. I’m talking about Paua just so you know.

So anyway, we were fishing at camp with a few parents and our lines kept on getting caught and snagged in the rocks so Dan, one of the parents, swam out to retrieve a line and he came back[without the line] saying that he had seen tonnes of paua.

I shot my feet thinking, “Finally!” “I’ve always wanted to do this,” I thought.

Our teacher, Mrs Fielder said, “If you sit on this fallen down log you get a go quicker.” so my rocket feet jumped up and my arms heaved themselves upwards and I zoomed over there. It was like I threw some of Harry Potter’s instant darkness powder I was so fast.

Then came the wait. It was so long. Waiting waiting and a little more waiting!

Hannah went for her turn. Time passed and went and in a little while it was my turn. As soon as I felt the hypothermic coldness, I dived under. When I got a little further out to sea I felt the rip gently pulling me across. It was like I had a dozen small turtles pulling at my body.

Beneath the surface the Paua were cowering amongst the gently swaying seaweed, clinging to the rocks for fear of the current. The knife had a hard time getting them off but Dan and I were on a mission and we would not come back empty handed. With Dan’s expertise, we dived down with knife at the ready. Ready to prize off the biggest.

Dan handed the paua to me to check its size. It clung to my hand, searching for safety, as I held it. But all I had in mind was getting them back to shore and learning how to gut them and prepare them for cooking.

Rob got them ready for dinner, with the addition of a few special ingredients. Paua fritters ... a succulent, mouth watering delicacy.