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Otago Daily Times
7 days ago
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Statue to honour VC war hero
More than a century after his death at the Battle of the Somme, Oamaru war hero Sergeant Donald Forrester Brown VC is set to be honoured in his hometown with a life-size bronze statue. The New Zealand Remembrance Army (NZRA), led by local advocate Barry Gamble, has announced plans to commemorate Sgt Brown — the first New Zealander awarded the Victoria Cross (VC) for bravery on the Western Front and the only VC recipient from North Otago. The Victoria Cross is the highest award in the British honours system, awarded for gallantry "in the presence of the enemy". "It's all about recognition — honouring this man who is a true blue Kiwi farmer, who spent most of his short life working the land and then bravely fought for his country," Mr Gamble said. Born in Dunedin in 1890 and raised in Oamaru, Mr Brown gave up his farm on Waiareka Rd, along with his horse and dog, to enlist in the First World War. A former student of Waitaki Boys' High School, he was serving with the 10th (North Otago) Company of the Otago Infantry Regiment when he was killed in action at the age of 26. On September 15, 1916 — the opening day of New Zealand's Somme campaign — Brown distinguished himself by capturing key enemy machine-gun positions, helping New Zealand troops break through German lines. Two weeks later, during another assault, he ordered his men to take cover while he single-handedly attacked two enemy trenches chasing the enemy down before he was fatally struck by machine-gun fire. In 1917, his Victoria Cross was presented posthumously to his father, Robert Brown, by Governor-General Lord Liverpool in Oamaru. Mr Gamble believed the statue would serve as a lasting educational and cultural tribute, preserving Mr Brown's legacy for future generations. "Other towns have honoured their Victoria Cross winners with statues and paintings — why not Oamaru? This is something we can be really proud of." Despite his name appearing on the honours board at Waitaki Boys' and a portrait in the Waitaki District Council chambers, Mr Gamble said Sgt Brown had largely faded from the town's collective memory. "It's quite sad. We've got a proud heritage of buildings and some of the best memorial statues in the country. "Yet his story is not well known." The estimated cost of the statue is $160,000. Rakaia man Bob Brown, great-nephew of Sgt Brown, has donated $10,000 towards the project. "They were really stoked that someone was wanting to do this, and they're right behind me." Mr Gamble said he will also be seeking donations from the public and organisations. Renowned New Zealand Army artist Matt Gauldie has been commissioned to create the statue. Mr Gauldie had already produced a detailed miniature maquette for $2000 to aid fundraising efforts. The NZRA contributed $1500 toward the initial concept plan, and the Waitaki District Council has expressed support. Mr Gamble, who has previously led efforts to restore the graves of former soldiers in the Waitaki district, expects the statue to take around 18 months to complete. A final location for the monument has yet to be determined. A book of letters Sgt Brown wrote to his father during the war was published in 1998 entitled Your Loving Son, Don , edited by his neice, Eunice P. Brown. In a letter from Egypt in 1916, he wrote of the camaraderie among Oamaru soldiers: "it's just great the number of Oamaru boys one finds here, and one and all are certain, old Oamaru is quite good enough for us in future".
1News
30-04-2025
- Science
- 1News
Kiwi-built amateur rocket reaches space: 'Pretty amazing'
A Kiwi-built amateur rocket is believed to have set a record as not just the country's first but one of the fastest launched into space — all with home brewed beer and gin onboard. Meraki II, a 4-metre long rocket, launched near Arthur's Pass on April 19, reaching a peak altitude of 121.6km. The two-stage rocket travelled at mind-boggling speeds of up to Mach 5.6, or around 1.9 kilometres a second — fast enough to cover the distance between Cape Reinga and Bluff in just over 12 minutes. Lead engineer Ethan Kosoof had been working on the project for five years and told 1News the achievement was "pretty amazing". "For a bunch of New Zealanders to do it on their own dime, it's pretty cool." Meraki II, a 4-metre long rocket, launched near Arthur's Pass on April 19. (Source: Supplied) The journey began when a model rocket kit, given to Kosoof on his eighth birthday, ignited his passion for rocketry. "That was basically it," he said. "I found the NZ Rocketry Association (NZRA) about six months later, and I've been there ever since." The not-for-profit organisation provided the project with equipment, including the launch gantry, the firing system and safety gear. Kosoof was supported in his mission by partners Chris North, Martin Van Tiel, and Kelvin McVinnie. Mount White Station, one of the country's largest high country stations, served as headquarters for the crew. Kosoof said he was thankful to the station owner Lukas Travnicek and staff for their support with the project, adding it was "probably the only place" in the country it could be done. "There's an exclusion zone required on the ground, and because that could all be squeezed into one single property owned by one person, it made that part quite straightforward." While the team were exempt from requiring approval from the Government to conduct the launch, they still had to clear it with aviation regulators. "It took around six months worth of review with the Civil Aviation Authority and Airways NZ to develop what is effectively what is a restricted area." NZRA's longstanding relationships with these regulators smoothed the process, he added. At the end of the design process, some fine tuning of the rocket revealed more mass was needed to ensure stability throughout the flight. Rather than using traditional ballast, however, the team opted for a more Kiwi approach. Kosoof said: "We figured some home-brew gin and beer, what better ballast could we have?" The alcohol was sealed in a vacuum capable container to withstand the conditions in space. Meraki II blasted off at 7.03am on April 19, after a flight from Christchurch to Brisbane had passed overhead. Kosoof said he was "horrifically" anxious before the launch, which was the culmination of five years of development. "I could barely stand to be honest, my partner was basically holding me up." Two minutes into its flight, the rocket reached the Kármán line, the internationally-recognised border for space at 100km. A minute later, it reached it's peak altitude of 121.6km. The rocket returned to Earth after 13 minutes and was recovered a few kilometres northwest from the launch site. "We had two experienced hikers on our crew, Jack Davies and Mark McVinnie, that did an 11km round trip up the Pūkio Stream, through dense bush to recover it about five hours after launch," Kosoof said. Asked what was next following the successful launch, Kosoof said the crew was having a bit of a rest at the moment. "Once that passes, we'll be keen to get back into it and maybe a bit higher, or a bit faster, we'll see." He hoped the success of Meraki II would inspire the next generation of amateur rocketeers. "There's not many kinds of hobbies where kids can actually get hands on and build something. To come down to what is effectively a paddock in Taupiri, where we usually launch, and be able to build and launch things that go thousands of feet at supersonic speeds, there's no better way to learn skills.
