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Former British Royal Marine Dennis Ayling is astonished to see his face on a billboard for NZ's army museum - Source: ONE News -
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A former British marine is astounded to find he has been unknowingly promoting New Zealand's National Army Museum.
The museum has become a bit of a laughing stock for choosing the wrong nationality and the wrong code to advertise its wares.
Dennis Ayling wears his Royal Navy long service and general service medals proudly but was surprised to discover he had been used as the face of NZ's National Army Museum in Waiouru.
Ayling joined the British Navy in 1945 and was equally surprised the museum chose to use a marine instead of an army person.
Ticker, as he is known in the marines, was with a group of about 20 other veterans driving along State Highway One toward the museum when they spotted a billboard using his picture, complete with the distinctive green Royal Marine beret, and his full complement of British silverware.
But the museum that is charged with protecting and promoting New Zealand's army history doesn't see the irony in its choice.
"We'd known from day one that it was a British marine and...chose that image because of the picture it painted," says museum spokesman Kevin Farrington.
But military historians say it's a bad oversight and the RSA says it's just grateful the man chosen is a real war veteran and not an actor.
The museum says the billboard has been up for about 15 months and is due to be replaced in about a month.
