Sacrifice gave us freedom
For me, Anzac Day is a time to reflect on what we must be grateful for because of the sacrifices of others. The commemorations held around the Coromandel were, as always, unique according to each community.
From the dawn sunrise services on the coast at Waihi Beach and Whangamata to the historical mining settlements of Paeroa, Thames and Waihi, which sacrificed so many young men.
Tunnellers contributed skilled and dangerous work on the Western Front in France, burrowing under enemy trenches to plant explosives, among their roles .
The New Zealand Tunnelling Company formed in October 1915 and was made up mainly of experienced miners. It worked exclusively on the Western Front from March 1916 until the end of the war, serving separately from the rest of the New Zealand Division, the online New Zealand history website records.
Most of the tunnellers were quarrymen, gold miners from Waihi and Karangahake, or labourers from the Railways and Public Works departments.
Last week I found myself in The Treasury in Thames, where the Coromandel’s mining heritage is on display alongside a special ANZAC display and a collection commemorating the role many Coromandel people had in the Boer War.
The men of the Tunnelling Company arrived in France in March 1916 under the command of 33-year-old regular soldier and Boer War veteran Major J.E. Duigan. They were the first Kiwis to reach the Western Front.
Prior to Anzac Day I had the privilege to listen to the stories of two other veterans, Des Harrison and Bruce Moore.
Des was sent to Vietnam when he was 19. He served in 1968 and 1969 in the 161 Battery Anzac Taskforce.
Bruce served in the Malayan Emergency (1948 — 60) and told me how good it felt to have been questioned by someone genuinely interested in the service he’d given.
A year ago, Anzac Day arrived while we were reaching the end of our Level 4 nationwide lockdown.
I watched some become complacent about giving up their freedom to move around and partake in activities they enjoy.
It angered me at the time, as I reflected on how much others gave all those years ago so we could enjoy what we do today.
Lest we forget is not a slogan, it is an act.
This year’s Anzac holiday is once again a time for gathering with friends and family and enjoying the ocean, golf course, walks and the social scene and retail of the Coromandel.
For most, staying home a year ago was a small sacrifice to give for the freedom we are now enjoying in the Covid-19 global pandemic.