Volunteering in the Early Days.

Volunteer corps were in existence in Poverty Bay before Mr. Fyson's arrival, but about 1880 the J. Battery was formed. They had a 6-pr Armstrong and drilled strenuously at this gun, under an insructor from Napier. One Easter encampment held at Roseland Gardens, Makaraka, about 1881, near the present railway station, lives in Mr. Fyson's memory. A picked gun crew of nine had been chosen to give an exhibition of gun drill. The gun had to be dismounted, and with wheels, laid flat on the ground, and then put together again. This particular crew was very smart, and so keen in their work than at the camp they practically slept under the gun. The exhibition had first to be given in slow time and then in rapid time. In the latter case one minute for the complete dismounting and mounting was considered a record, but the gun crew mentioned performed their task in 59 sec. Captain (afterwards Colonel) Winter made a close inspection of the gun after the operation, and there was intense excitement when he declared everything was correct. The gun crew were the heroes of the day and were rushed off to the canteen. On parade at camp that day there were 110, including a volunteer corps at Ormond. The exact number is recalled by the fact that Mr. Fyson, in addition to being a member of the gun crew, was also quartermaster-sergeant. A well-known local resident was so pleased at the exhibition that he insisted on “shouting” for all the men in camp. Quartermaster-Sergeant Fyson was called in, and added up the total, and the bill ran to just over £2 10s, for one or two of the men did not accept the invitation. The uniform of the J Battery in those days was a blue uniform, white pipeclay belts, and a blue forage cap.

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