Much has changed since they were soldiers there


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Much has changed since they were soldiers there
by Wynsley Wrigley
Saturday, 29 September, 2007


MALAYA veterans Laurie Ford and Gary Grant have returned to old battlegrounds to
commemorate the 50th anniversary of the founding of Malaysia.

The modern day ?Asian Tiger? is unrecognisable from the era of 1959-1961 when Mr
Ford served during the Malayan Emergency, fighting against ethnic
Chinese-Malayan Communist guerrillas, and during 1963-1966 when Mr Grant fought
against Indonesian volunteers and troops in the Indonesian-Malayan
Confrontation.

Gary and Sheila Grant, with Laurie and Tricia Ford spent 25 days in Malaysia
along with other New Zealand, Australian, Gurkhas and British veterans attending
formal government and diplomatic functions, visiting war cemeteries, and
parading in Kuala Lumpur.

Celebrations culminated in the 50th anniversary of the granting of independence
from British rule on August 31.

Mr Grant said Malaysia had developed significantly since he was last there 40
years ago.?
?It?s so far ahead of anything we ever saw.

?It wasn?t like that then.?

Mr Grant, like Laurie and Tricia Ford, have photographs of spectacular
buildings in Malaysia such as the Petronas Twin Towers.

?It was amazing, quite stunning,? said Mr Ford.

Such buildings indicate the transformation of the country from an
agricultural-based economy, 40 years ago, to a modern, affluent society based on
tourism, manufacturing and electronics ? although natural rubber and palm oils
are still important exports.

The returned servicemen were well treated by the Malaysians.

?They knew who we were, all right,? said Mr Ford.

?They gave us a good reception.?

But not every moment was a pleasant experience.

Mr Ford found the grave of a friend killed in action and both men found it
moving to visit the grave of Sergeant George Nepia, son of the legendary All
Black.

The New Zealand War Graves Commission says eight New Zealanders were killed in
Borneo or Malaya between 1948 and 1966.

Mr Ford and Mr Grant spoke of the arduous nature of jungle patrols, led by
Malayan trackers, which could last for up to 14 weeks.

The jungle could be ?neutral?? in war time and the two men said it was common
not to be able to see the enemy that was being fired upon.

The communists who originally supported British troops fighting the Japanese
during World War 2, fought a terror campaign against the local population and
Allied troops
in their campaign to make Malaya a Chinese communist state.

Mr Grant said the local population, including most ethnic Chinese, supported the
troops unlike the later war in Vietnam.

Malaya was the last ?confrontation? that was won by colonial or western forces.

The ability of the soldiers to adapt to fighting in jungle conditions was also
an important factor in winning the campaign, and in establishing a democratic
Malaysian state, he said.
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