The six men, from Mosgiel, Dunedin, Oamaru and Blenheim, were part of the group known as "Y Block", the last group of mounted soldiers to be called to the Burnham army training camp before the horses were sent home, more valuable to the war effort in assisting in food production, and the mounted regiment was disbanded in mid-1941.
The regiment continued as the 5th Light Armoured Fighting Vehicle Regiment until it wound up in 1956.
Most of the then 18 and 19-year-olds went on to serve in the navy, army or air force, but the Otago Mounted Rifles remained an important influence in their lives, former regiment member Clive Stringer (88), of Oamaru, said.
Many things had changed in the intervening years since World War 2, including the old soldiers' litheness.
"I tell you what, I couldn't get my leg up and over a horse now."
However, their time in the regiment would never be forgotten.
While another 14 members of the regimental association (which holds the annual reunion in Dunedin) had died since the 2006 reunion, the memories were likely to be kept alive by the families of those who served in the regiment, Mr Stringer said.
"It's a real tradition."
Don Mackay, who is working on a history of the regiment, was a guest speaker at the gathering of about 60 people, including about 20 former troopers, at Wobbly's Restaurant.
He asked people to contact him with any old stories, diaries or other information that could be used in the book, which is expected to be launched in April 2010.
This year was the 145th anniversary of the foundation of the regiment and, while almost every recent reunion had been touted as "the last", given the age of the former soldiers, a vote at yesterday's meeting resolved unanimously to hold another reunion next year, president Ken Mowat said.
