Name update challenged

Family historian and former New Zealand Defence Force archives officer Lynley Yates is challenging the recent updating of Upper Hutt’s Military Roll of Honour.

The Upper Hutt Returned and Services Association last month announced changes to the roll following an 18-month review by the RSA’s Wayne Myers and Syd Giles. This defined criteria for inclusion based on a person’s record of residency in Upper Hutt at the time of their enlisting.

The new roll, which has increased by eight to 49 names, will be unveiled late in August along with a permanent Fields of Remembrance on the lawn frontage of the city council building.

Yates is opposed to the removal of four WWI Soldiers’ names from the existing city memorial plaque.

All are recorded on the Upper Hutt district plaque, the RSA plaque at the Cossie Club and the Upper Hutt School memorial board.

‘‘This confirms that they all had strong links with the Upper Hutt community,’’ she said. ‘‘During the WWI period all four appeared in the Upper Hutt newspaper under the column ‘Kia Kaha Our Boys’. At the time the early newspapers fulfilled the primary role of informing the community about the young men of the district.’’

An Upper Hutt resident, Yates was aware of the RSA review which received support from the city council and library and included a public meeting detailing the changes.

Myers said there was no reason the new list would be final. ’’We know this decision won’t please everyone. We readily accept what we have done is open to further review,’’ he said.

Yates believed more public notification of the changes was needed.