The organisation of the depot was based on a New Zealand Ordnance Depot with a few additions to meet the needs of the force. •
Orderly room •
Internal Audit Section •
Claims •
Local Purchase CellGiven its location and long lead times from New Zealand the Local Purchase Cell was responsible for sourcing items from the local Marker •
Provision, Control and Accounts (PC&A)The control office was initially equipped with
NCR 33 accounting machines, but these wore out and were not replaced as their demise coincided with the planned withdrawal of the force. In 1984, the depot reverted to a manual system of accounting while a stand-alone computer system was developed, which was in turn replaced with the Defence Supply System Retail (DSSR) in July 1987. •
Main WarehouseInitially the main warehouse adjacent to the HQ NZFORSEA housed approximately 10,000 lines of general stores including furniture. Stock holdings were based on six months consumption but this varied in some cases where large amounts of stock had been inherited from the 3 BOD, some of which were still in stock in 1989. •
Returned Stores and Disposals Section(RSDS)RSDS employed a number of tradesmen: carpenters looked after all the wooden furniture and fittings, rattan workers repaired the cane furniture, a seamstress maintained the curtains and cushion covers, textile refitters repaired tentage and leather goods, and storemen handled the host of unit camp equipment returns. The majority of the staff were civilians with a small number of military personnel in control. •
Direct Support Section (DSS)A separate clothing store was established in
Dieppe Barracks to meet the needs of the infantry battalion and this two-man section became the clothing store for the entire force. •
Supply SectionIn 1978 when the New Zealand Army rationalised the supply services in line with the British 1964
McLeod Report, NZAOD inherited the following functions from the Royal New Zealand Army Service Corps: • ration platoon cold stores, • two static POL points, • the responsibility for field supply of rations and POL to all force activities, including the refuelling of helicopters.The supply of rations in Singapore was a challenging and varied task. Local contractors supplied the cold stores with fresh rations every day.To provide more variety and to supplement the standard issue ration packs, local items such as rice, noodles, tinned fruit and drinks were purchased and packaged into a local ration pack, known as the "Gerber Pack" which was made up specifically for tropical conditions.As they were in the Naval Base, the cold stores situated alongside the wharfs was used by allied navies when passing through Singapore, and NZAOD was frequently requested to assist in the supply of foodstuffs to the visiting warships. This became quite a task when the Falklands fleet was coming home and New Zealand warships were coming and going from the Indian Ocean. NZAOD also assisted the
British Army on occasions when the troops from the Hong Kong garrison came to Malaysia for training. It was at such times that the Gurkha troops would arrive and live goats would be requested for consumption. •
Vehicle GroupThere was also a vehicle pool of a few
RL Bedford trucks and
land rovers for the maintenance of the force, but this was very small and the vehicle section only required three staff. There was a POL point at the Naval Base and another at Dieppe Barracks. While on exercises, refueling was achieved by converting an RL Bedford truck into a makeshift UBRE by loading it with 44 gallon drums or with an aluminium tank and pump unit. Aircraft were also refuelled by 44 gallon drums being manhandled at the landing zones. •
Accommodation ServicesIn the latter stages of the life of NZAOD it took on the responsibility for barrack services. This was a departure from the norm for an RNZAOC unit as the married quarters in New Zealand were not furnished at the time. Barrack Services organised the replacement of household items that had been damaged or worn-out in the married quarters. There were over 330 fully furnished married quarters in Singapore when NZAOD took over the responsibility in 1984. •
Ammunition SectionAmmunition supply was extremely difficult. Singapore is a densely populated island, smaller in size than Lake Taupo. The safety regulations which applied in New Zealand, had to be adjusted in Singapore, or restrictions would have made it impossible to operate. NZAOD occupied three ammunition warehouses in the nearby Singaporean Ammunition depot located at Attap Valley which was an ideal arrangement. A separate RNZAOC Stores Section was attached to the Force Workshops for the supply of technical spares. This unit had two military staff and at one time four civilians. •
NZ Force Quartermaster Store (Q Store)The NZ Force Q Store was responsible for providing first line support to HQ NZFORSEA and sub units. ==Operations==