Q & A: Kim's 'Charge!' and one round gunfire

In issue 137 of The New Zealand Gunner, it was asked (page 10) if the reputed firing of a 25-pdr after a formal dinner was fact or fiction. One of the culprits comes clean:

"I believe it was around 1955 that Maj Norm Mitchell ( BC CD Trg Bty) 'suggested' to Lts Murray Connor and Morrie Stanley that they fire a 25pdr blank after the 'Charge' which would follow the Toast during the dinner.
_____At an appropriate time, we excused ourselves from the dining table and went to collect the gun, which we had conveniently positioned, already hooked up to a Landrover.
_____Murray drove and we parked the gun directly outside the window which was behind the PMC/VIP area in the dining room.
_____I fired the gun at the correct time and we took off towards the sports field. In negotiating a sharp left turn, we nearly rolled but the vehicle and gun were eventually secreted for the night.
_____Any questions about this incident were referred to Maj Mitchell, a very respected man who wasn't easy to challenge."

Morrie Stanley

And an independent witness, Bob Kerslake, writes -
I was in Waiouru at the time and a blank was fired.