THE PRO PATRIA PROJECT

OSBORNE Albert Emil

CITATION

Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit

Queen's Birthday Honours List 5 June 2017

For services to veterans and biosecurity.  Mr Alby Osborne has voluntarily served the members of the Tauranga Branch of the Returned Services

Association, for more than 40 years.  Mr Osborne was founding Chairperson of the Bay of Plenty Ex-Navalmen’s Association, which he led to merger

with the Royal New Zealand Naval Association. Through his leadership a Services Memorial was built in Pyes Pa Memorial Park, Tauranga and he

instigated and continues to conduct ANZAC Day Memorial services at the nearby ex-services cemetery. He instigated a pre-winter wood supply

operation for the disadvantaged. He has used his medical knowledge to voluntarily assist ex-navy personnel obtain war disability pensions. He

represents ex-navy veterans’ interests at national meetings with Veterans Affairs New Zealand and is a volunteer Executor and Power of Attorney for

many deceased veterans’ estates. He has been an elected member of the National Executive Council of the Royal New Zealand Navy Association

since 2007 and is the Association’s first National Welfare Officer. He has been employed as a Biosecurity Officer for the Bay of Plenty Regional

council and is a long-serving member of the New Zealand Biosecurity Institute. He was highly commended for his biosecurity and naval expertise

following the sinking of MV Rena off Tauranga Harbour.

KNOWN AWARDS

Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit

New Zealand Defence Service Medal

NOTES

Born

Died

Buried

NEWSPAPER ARTICLE

[Courtesy of "Sunlive"]

A Tauranga man who's spent more than 50 years serving communities all across New Zealand has been named in this's Queen's Birthday Honours.

Today it's been announced Albert ‘Alby' Osborne has been made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his decades of service to both veterans and biosecurity.

“It certainly comes as a surprise, I don't know what to say. It's very humbling, I'm a bit taken aback,” says Alby.

“My wife Jill was the only one who knew I'd received the award, she congratulated me which is lovely, but while it's all well and good giving us guys medals and awards for things we do, we couldn't do them without the support of our wives, they're equally part of that.”

For more than 40 years, the former navy man has voluntarily served the Returned Services Association's Tauranga branch, and he was also the founding chairperson of the Bay of Plenty Ex-Navalmen's Association, which he led to merger with the Royal New Zealand Naval Association.

Through his leadership, a services memorial was built at Pyes Pa Memorial Park, and Alby also both instigated and continues to conduct Anzac Day Memorial services at the nearby ex-services cemetery.

Alby was called up for military training at the age of 17, and a random run in with members of the NZ Army in Tongariro National Park helped sway his decision to join the navy.

“Before I was called up, I'd been working in Tongariro on a pest control programme when the army fullas come marching into the camp on a training run, carrying packs filled with weights. Where we were would've been about 20-something miles away from Waiouru.

“So when I got called up for training and the navy recruiters came into town, in my stupid youth I thought ‘if that's what you have to do in the army, I'll join the bloody navy instead',” Alby says chuckling.

During his service, Alby undertook four years of intensive medical training in, which he says was comparable to studying towards become a doctor, except he was also taught pharmacy and radiology.

Since leaving the navy Alby has used his medical knowledge to voluntarily assist ex-navy personnel obtain war disability pensions and represents ex-navy veterans' interests at national meetings with Veterans Affairs NZ.

He is also a volunteer Executor and Power of Attorney for many deceased veterans' estates and has been an elected member of the National Executive Council of the RNZN Association since 2007, and is the Association's first National Welfare Officer.

“I've been trying to help servicemen obtain their right claims, with moderate success I think, but you just got to keep trying. Politicians have a trait; the reason they were born with two hands is to take money, not give it.”

Along with his services to veterans, Alby has also dedicated a large chunk of his life – 53 years to be exact – working to protect New Zealand's biosecruity.

He has been employed as a Biosecurity Officer for the Bay of Plenty Regional council and is a long-serving member of the New Zealand Biosecurity Institute. Alby was highly commended for his biosecurity and naval expertise following the sinking of MV Rena off Tauranga Harbour.

Alby says it was an interest in controlling invertebrate pests that started him off in biosecruity, and since then he's been involved in the sector at all levels from one end of the country to the other, but mainly around Tongariro National Park, Bay of Plenty and Waikato.

“When I joined the industry in 1964 there was an Irishman who was recognised as a leader in biosecurity called James O'Cain. He taught me I have two eyes, two ears and one mouth and I should use them in that proportion.

“And I wasn't allowed to make mistakes, because he'd already made them all, knew what they were and he showed me the right way. There was no excuse for mistakes and so it's proved to be.

“Poisons are no more dangerous than rifles, but rifles don't jump off the wall and shoot people, it's the people hanging on to them that's the problem. Poisons are the same, in trained hands they're very safe. In my 53 years I never poisoned a non-targeted species, that's down to my training I suppose.”