14 JANUARY 2005

NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE, No. 2

from the militia. Private Manning was shot and Private
Cheater saw him fall. Both men had become momentarily
isolated from the remainder of the patrol and it was at this
time that Private Cheater received splinter wounds to the
side of his head and face from bullets that had struck nearby
trees. Showing complete disregard for his own safety, and
the injuries he had sustained, Private Cheater began moving,
under heavy militia fire, to the spot where Private Manning
had fallen. Despite the risk of drawing further fire, Private
Cheater began calling to Private Manning to ascertain
whether or not he had been killed. He then attempted to
retrieve Private Manning’s machine gun to prevent it falling
into the hands of the militia. During this period, he
continued to be exposed to heavy fire. Realising that he was
isolated and that the militia were attempting to outflank his
patrol, Private Cheater withdrew under fire and linked up
with the remainder of the patrol. It was during this
withdrawal that he suffered an ankle injury due to the
extremely rough terrain. As the patrol broke contact, Private
Cheater, with the assistance of another member of the patrol,
fired three rounds from his grenade launcher, which finally
halted the militia attack and forced them to withdraw.
Private Cheater had been determined to help Private
Manning if at all possible and, when he realised that he was
dead, he had tried to retrieve the machine gun to prevent it
falling into the hands of the militia. His action demonstrated
exceptional gallantry and comradeship in the face of
extreme danger and stress.

N.Z.G.M
To receive the New Zealand Gallantry Medal:

NEW ZEALAND DEFENCE FORCE

Corporal Gerald Stewart FENTON (K55577), Royal
New Zealand Infantry Regiment.

CITATION

On 10 August 2000, Corporal Fenton was attached to
a Nepalese platoon in East Timor, as a Signaller. While
carrying out a patrol on the border between East and
West Timor, part of the platoon came under fire from
a militia group and sustained casualties. The Nepalese
platoon commander immediately responded by moving the
remainder of the patrol towards the contact site. As this was
taking place, they too came under fire. As the only
English-speaking signaller on the scene, Corporal Fenton
provided the crucial communications link to both the
Battalion Headquarters and to the helicopters called in to
evacuate the Nepalese casualties. That this evacuation was

53

successfully completed, was in no small part due to the
effective communications maintained by Corporal Fenton.
Despite the immediate threat to his life during this incident,
Corporal Fenton remained focused on his job. He remained
in close proximity to an English-speaking officer, so that he
could obtain information quickly and relay it immediately to
New Zealand and Australian operational staff of the Battalion.
Throughout the incident, the language barrier made his
personal safety precarious and also made his task much
more difficult to carry out. Corporal Fenton showed
considerable courage and presence of mind throughout this
incident and carried out his duties in a thoroughly
professional manner.

Dated at Wellington this 31st day of December 2004.

DIANE MORCOM, Clerk of the Executive Council.

THE NEW ZEALAND BRAVERY AWARD

The Queen has been pleased, on the occasion of the
celebration of the New Year, to approve the following
New Zealand Bravery Award:

N.Z.B.M
To receive the New Zealand Bravery Medal:

NEW ZEALAND DEFENCE FORCE

Sergeant Ngametua TETAVA (C748537), Royal
New Zealand Infantry Regiment.

CITATION

On 17 October 1999, Sergeant Tetava was acting as Safety
Supervisor for a live firing range practice at the High Range
Training Area in Australia, prior to deploying to East Timor.
Sergeant Tetava was supervising Private Kelly, who was in
a kneeling position changing the magazine on his weapon,
while another soldier was throwing a grenade. Both were
positioned close to the edge of a gully. The grenade landed
short of its target and on the edge of the gully in such a way
that Private Kelly was within the blast danger area of the
grenade. Seeing that Private Kelly was unaware of the danger,
Sergeant Tetava immediately moved forward, pulled Private
Kelly away from the gully edge and lay over his upper body.
Private Kelly sustained a flesh wound from the exploding
grenade. Sergeant Tetava’s action showed great presence of
mind and decisiveness. He displayed a complete disregard
for his own safety and in so doing, prevented a fellow
soldier from sustaining a much more serious injury.

Dated at Wellington this 31st day of December 2004.

DIANE MORCOM, Clerk of the Executive Council.

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