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Air Force to close Queen St

Monday 31 March 2008, 2:46PM

By New Zealand Defence Force

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AUCKLAND

To mark the occasion of the 71st anniversary of the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF), 350 RNZAF Base Auckland personnel will march up Queen Street to Aotea Square on Tuesday 1st April at 11.00am.

Parade commander, Wing Commander Johan Bosch will lead the officers, airmen and women along Queen Street with the Queen’s Colour of the RNZAF and the Squadron Standards of Number 5 and 40 Squadrons on display. Personnel will be accompanied by the RNZAF Base Auckland Band.

The parade will enter Queen St and march to the Town Hall where the mayor of Auckland John Banks will exercise his privilege under the Charter of reviewing the ‘Officers, Airmen and Airwomen of RNZAF Base Auckland’.

Weather permitting, the RNZAF will provide a flypast to mark the occasion.

Since 1956 the City of Auckland has granted by Charter to the RNZAF Stations at Whenuapai and Hobsonville the ‘Freedom of the City’. In April 1997 this was reviewed and the Charter granted to RNZAF Base Auckland, an amalgam of the two stations.

The Charter allows the RNZAF to exercise its, “right and privilege of marching without further permission being obtained, of marching at all times, when such processions are approved, with drums beating, bands playing, colours flying, bayonets fixed and swords drawn through the streets of the City of Auckland”.