Colonel Alfred William Robin , C.B., Officer Commanding of the Otago Military and Volunteer District, is a son of Mr. James Robin, an old colonist of Otago, who is else where referred to in connection with the Otago Harbour Board. He entered the the volunteer service on leaving the Dunedin Boys' High School, and for some time commanded the Otago Hussars. He was Captain of the Diamond Jubilee Contingent which visited England in 1897, and, on the return of the contingent assumed command of the 1st Regiment of the Otago Mounted Rifles, and was appointed Staff Officer and Instructor for the South Island Mounted Troops in 1898. Colonel Robin commanded the First, Second, and Third New Zealand Contingents in South Africa, during the Boer war from October, 1899 to May. 1901 On his return from South Africa he was appointed to the command of the Otago military district. For his service during the South African war. Colonel Robin was created a Companion of the Bath.

Colonel Robin.

Lieutenant E. B. Mickle , Royal New Zealand Artillery, District Adjutant and Staff Officer, joined the Royal New Zealand Artillery in 1900 as a cadet. Having passed the necessary examinations, he received his commission as a subaltern in December, 1901, and on his return from South Africa with the Ninth Contingent, was appointed Staff Officer to Colonel Robin for the district of Otago.

Lieutenant Murray Menzies Gard'ner , of the Royal New Zealand Artillery, commanding the Dunedin Detachment of the New Zealand Permanent Force, was born in Croydon, England, in 1878, and came to New Zealand in 1883. He was educated at Christchurch Cathedral School, joined the Christchurch City Guards in 1895, and was appointed cadet in the New Zealand Permanent Militia in 1898. After passing the necessary examination he was commissioned as lieutenant in 1900. In the same year he went to England, and was attached to the Royal Garrison Artillery in the Isle of Wight and Portsmouth till the end of 1900. Lieutenant Gard'ner subsequently went through the long course of gunnery at the School of Gunnery at Shoeburyness, and obtained a first class certificate as an instructor in gunnery and in range and position finding. He afterwards went through a special course of testing small arm ammunition, at the Inspection Branch of the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich. He has been in command of the Dunedin detachment since March, 1903.

Wrigglesworth and Binns, photo.
Lieut. M. M. Gard'ner.