21 July 2009
Six Trentham Camp personnel, three of them civilians, received commendations from the Chief of Army and the Chief of Defence Force recently. The six men who received commendations were Messrs Jack Nuttall, Brett Frontin-Reid, and Tom Hirst, WO1 David de Lautour, and WO 2 Greg Mitchell. Captain Kelvin Hawley received the Armed Forces Award.
Captain Kelvin Hawley
Captain and Quartermaster Kelvin Hawley, RNZALR, received the Armed Forces Award.
Captain and Quartermaster Hawley enlisted into the Regular Force as a Regular Force Cadet (Hudson GC Class) on 9 January 1978 and on graduation was posted to I Base Wksp in the rank of Craftsman, RNZEME. Throughout his career Captain Hawley was posted to RNZEME Units in Trentham and Waiouru and attained the rank of Warrant Officer Class One on 12 December 1994. Captain Hawley was awarded the New Zealand Long Service & Good Conduct Medal on 14 Feb 1994 for 15 years irreproachable service.
Captain Hawley was commissioned to the rank of Lieutenant and Quartermaster on 20 Sep 1996.
Since being awarded the New Zealand Long Service & Good Conduct Medal, Captain Hawley has held staff appointments at Headquarters Support Command, and Army General Staff.
Over the period 1 May 2001 – 14 December 2003 Captain Hawley was seconded to the Ministry of Defence as the Project Engineer for the New Zealand Light Armoured Vehicle Project based in London, Ontario, Canada. During this time he was based at the General Motors Defence Manufacturing/Assembly facility as the Army’s Project Engineer for the New Zealand Light Armoured Vehicle 3 Project. In recognition of his role in the Light Armoured Vehicle Project, Captain Hawley was awarded a Chief of Army’s Commendation on 3 August 2004.
On 24 Nov 2006, Captain and Quartermaster Hawley was again posted to Army General Staff, where he currently holds the appointment of Systems Engineer for the New Zealand Light Armoured Vehicle Fleet.
WO1 David de Lautour
In July 2005, Warrant Officer Class One David de Lautour, RNZALR, was posted to the HQ JFNZ Pre Deployment Training (PDT) Cell. The operational tempo at the time was high and the requirement for operational readiness training was at maximum capacity. The cell went without an officer for significant periods which compounded the heavy workload for Warrant Officer Class One de Lautour. With over 35 major and minor missions scheduled PDTs and a multitude of unscheduled PDTs normally at short notice, Warrant Officer Class One de Lautour’s ability to manage and prioritise tasks proved very effective.
His constructive input was instrumental in developing operational preparedness training documents linking the mission employment context and the training objectives which were previously unclear and led to reactive PDT. In addition, the regular feedback from operational missions identified lessons learnt and required immediate addressing which further increased the workload pressure on Warrant Officer Class One de Lautour.
WO1 de Lautour is proactive in driving forward the delivery of professional OLOC generation training within NZDF. His enthusiasm after almost four years within the PDT Cell remains strong and he has developed a significant network associated with the delivery of training.
Jack Nuttall
Jack Nuttall, QGM, is currently employed at Trade Training School as the Joint Service Improvised Explosive Device Disposal/ Explosive Ordnance Disposal Instructor, Civilian.
Mr Nuttall has course managed or instructed on seven courses within the LSA and EOD wing in 2008. As a course manager he is a meticulous planner and due to the nature of IEDD/EOD he is required to liaise with numerous outside agencies to ensure professional course facilitation. His overseas experience and instructional ability always proves popular with students which are highlighted in the validations that Mr Nuttall receives.
In 2007 the LSA and EOD Wing of Trade Training School moved into their new facilities which are located in the compound of the newly housed 1 NZEOD Squadron. An element of this facility was the recently refurbished Trentham Armoury which was to be used to accommodate all NZDF ammunition training aids, both current and historical.
Mr Nuttall took it upon himself to take charge of the project to set up this store. He displayed a strong desire to ensure this facility was of a world class standard and tirelessly worked to achieve this goal.
In order to ensure the project was completed in the 2008 year, Mr Nuttall worked in between his course management and instructor responsibilities and in his personal time to achieve this. As this facility holds most natures of tri-Service ammunition it has involved countless hours of painstaking categorizing, and he has been solely responsible for its internal design.
Brett Frontin-Rollet
Brett Frontin-Rollet is employed as a Development Technician in the Standards, Quality & Engineering Authority at Trentham Camp. He is part of a team responsible for engineering research, development and modification for Army related equipment and projects.
Examples of some of the recent projects Brett has worked on that demonstrate his commitment and capability include the development of modifications to the Special Operations Vehicle, Light Operational Vehicle ambulance, C Band Shelters and Explosive Ordnance Device robot, all of which have been done in house at considerable savings to the New Zealand Defence Force. One particular example that stands out is the fitting of Electronic Counter Measures (ECM) equipment to NZDF vehicles currently being operated in Afghanistan to help protect against roadside bombs.
The ECM project initially saw a number of equipments purchased in mid 2005 from a UK company which required integration into NZDF vehicles. The changing threat levels in Afghanistan saw the ECM requirements change, which eventuated with more enhanced ECM equipment being procured in October 2008, with an introduction into Service programmed for April 2009.
A major complication was that none of the new equipment would be available until early March 2009. This required Brett to develop the solution from a combination of old equipment for reference, drawings and contact with the UK manufacturer. His ability to convey his intent to manufacturers allowed a significant dollar savings for the project. He worked long hours and many weekends, taking a personal interest in every facet and step of the project to ensure that the timeframes and standards were met. Comments received from local and foreign manufacturers showed that Brett portrayed himself in a professional and courteous manner.
The NZ Defence Force has now in-service a self contained, self supporting and remote controlled ECM kit that can be swapped from vehicle type to vehicle type with minimal or no modifications to the vehicle.
Tom Hirst
Tom Hirst has been a dedicated member of the NZ Army for over 25 years. Initially as a Stores Manager and then as a Q Commissioned Officer, but for the last five years as a civilian in the role of Fleet Manager Clothing.
As the Fleet Manager Clothing, Tom was initially responsible for the management of new clothing as it was received and supported its subsequent introduction into service. Nevertheless this role grew rapidly to include aspects of contract management and facilitation, research and development, policy, and documentation of operational and non operational clothing. Since 2008 there has been a further change in his responsibilities, and his portfolio now includes a much wider range of equipment worn or carried by soldiers and he continues to address the associated complex issues of integration and configuration management with much diligence and commonsense.
To compliment these significant but daily routine equipment management responsibilities, Tom has also assumed the responsibilities of Project Officer for the high priority, high value, and critical Soldier Survivability Project. All this was done without fuss and disguised the considerable sacrifice of Tom and his family.
Throughout his employment with NZDF he has deservedly earned a reputation for diligence, determination and professionalism. In recent times his courage and dedication have exceeded even his high standards. At all times his focus has been on meeting the needs of the operational soldier. His performance of his and others responsibilities has been an exemplary demonstration of the NZ Army’s values of Courage, Commitment, Comradeship and Integrity.
WO2 Greg Mitchell
Warrant Officer Class 2 Greg Mitchell, RNZAEC, was recently awarded a Chief of Defence Force commendation for the work he did when deployed as an Education Officer and Public Relations Officer with the NZ Provincial Reconstruction team in Afghanistan. As education officer he was responsible for coordinating all distance learning education undertaken by members of the contingent, as well as teaching English as a Second Language courses at the Bamyan Women’s development Centre and the Bamyan Hospital. As the contingent’s Public Relations Officer he coordinated all public relations activities during the deployment. His duties included editing the many articles submitted by members of the contingent and hosting media representatives from New Zealand and Australia. He also operated the Camp Shop, was an active member of the Welfare Committee and the driving force behind many charity initiatives.
In awarding the commendation, CDF, LTGEN Jerry Mateparae said WO 2 Mitchell excelled in his primary responsibilities and worked tirelessly to help the local population to learn English. He was responsible for an unprecedented amount of high quality media coverage of the NZ PRT, and when not engaged in his primary duties his entrepreneurial skills came to the fore in his management of the camp shop. WO2 Mitchell also organised very successful quiz nights, sports challenges and team competitions which significantly improved morale.