Air force man reunites with Kiwi mates for last hurrah

 

Retired air force brigadier-general Soon Lian Cheng trained on a North American Harvard in 1962. He is pictured at right with a refurbished aircraft at Palmerston North.

KUALA LUMPUR: A lone Malaysian was among eight military airmen in their 80s who came together recently for what might be the last reunion of those who trained with the New Zealand air force in 1962.

Soon Lian Cheng, then a flight lieutenant of the Royal Malayan Air Force, was among 13 pilots and navigators who trained on the piston-engine North American Harvard at the Wigram station in Christchurch from January 1962.

The eight surviving members of the Aircrew Course 36 held their 62nd reunion in Palmerston North at the end of February.

“It was hence a truly memorable gathering we had – the eight of us and our wives – to reminisce about our early training days in New Zealand,” said Soon, 82, who retired from the air force in 1996 with the rank of brigadier-general.

“With age having caught up and health issues, I reckon it will be a mammoth task to reunite again in the coming years.”

The late Buang Ahmad and Soon Lian Cheng with Whenuapai base commander Air Commodore Percy Gainsford in 1962.

Soon and the late Flight Lieutenant Buang Ahmad, who later became his brother-in-law, were the first two Malayans to be selected by RMAF for training in New Zealand.

He recalled how he and Buang took five days to travel to RNZAF Station Wigram in 1962. They rode a train from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore before catching several flights to their destination.

Buang died in October 1987 when a Twin Pioneer aircraft crashed in the mountains of Pahang while on a supply mission. The co-pilot, Chia Siew Hong and passengers, privates Ibrahim Ismail and Raffie Ibrahim were also killed.

Soon went on to serve as RMAF inspector-general, commandant of the Defence College, deputy commander of the Headquarters Integrated Area Defence System in Butterworth and commander of RMAF East Malaysia.

Soon (second from left) with his surviving seven course-mates Murray Crawford, Phil Clarke, Ivor Roberts, Bruce Johnston, Terry Knight, Roger Henstock and Kevin Jones last month.

One of Soon’s course mates, retired flight lieutenant Murray Crawford, said that 62 years had gone by in the blink of an eye.

“We may now look different from the days of our youth, but the esprit de corps is still there to be cherished. It brought back so many memories,” he said.

Another survivor, Bruce Johnston said the reunion was a precious meet-up that rekindled their strong bonds of friendship. - FMT