The Magic Pen – page 81
Notes:
Mark IV Rutherford Atomic Raygun: named for Ernest Rutherford (1871-1937), a New Zealand-born physicist and chemist who was the first to “split the atom” in 1917.
Ake ake ake: Māori war cry, from the words Rewi Maniapoto (Ngāti Paretekawa, ?-1894) cried at the Battle of Ōrākau in 1864 when called on to surrender: “Ka whawhai tonu mātou, Ake! Ake! Ake! – We will fight on for ever and ever!” Variations on the cry have been used ever since by New Zealand (especially Māori) soldiers and sportspeople. During World War Two, the Māori Battalion adopted the war cry “Ake ake kia kaha e! – Be strong for ever and ever!” (from the battalion song, composed in 1940 by Corporal Anaia Amohau).
An unorthodox tackle: Captain Rose is referring to rugby, of course.
May 10th, 2013 at 10:19 am
Love the Rutherford atomic raygun. Any chance there are some lying around Aotearoa somewhere….