‘A day to remember’ Anzac dawn service draws in crowd
Palmerston North’s mayor has thanked the thousands of people for turning out in “such great numbers” for the city’s dawn service.
Grant Smith told the large crowd gathered in Te Marae o Hine The Square yesterday morning that Anzac Day was a time to pay tribute to those who had served time for their country and to those who were in current service.
He said the world was still searching for peace and that conflict, no matter what type, had far-reaching consequences.
“The ripple effect of a war that began 110 years ago this year ... is still really being felt today. The Great War set the scene for over a century of conflict. Sadly, a situation that persists in various regions, even now.”
New Zealand had been spared the very worst of those wars, he said.
“Nevertheless, we still come together to remember those sacrifices that had such huge repercussions for a young and sparsely populated country.”
Palmerston North had the “honour and distinction” of sharing a unique relationship with the Defence Force because of its nearby military bases in Linton and Ōhakea.
This year there would also be other significant anniversaries, such as 25 years since the 1999 deployment to East Timor.
“Our special relationship with the New Zealand Defence Force is reinforced by the large numbers of military heritage sites around our city.
“Among those is the 1917 soldiers’ club on the corner of George and Cuba streets, built for the Manawatū Patriotic Society.”
He thanked the silent crowd for “turning out in such numbers to commemorate the debt that we have to the very ends of the earth owed to those who served and sacrificed”.
Army chaplain Elijah Peters said Anzac Day was more than one of remembrance. It was also one of recognition of the ongoing conflicts around the world.
“It honours the courage and the resilience of each and every generation of veterans who carry the physical and emotional scars of service. Their spirit serves as a beacon of hope for us all.”
Royal New Zealand Air Force Wing Commander Christopher Andrew said that every year since 1916, people had gathered to remember the sacrifices of ordinary men and women.
One of those was his great-uncle Leslie Edwin Bell, who was a bomber in World War II.
The flight sergeant flew his first combat mission over Germany on May 30, 1942, before he was posted to No 1654 conversion unit as a navigator on Lancaster bombers.
“While still under training, Uncle Leslie was called up to take part in one of what [were the] so-called 1000 bomber raids, over Germany, on the night of September 16, 1942.
“He and the other six members of his crew failed to return and were posted as missing on operations.”
It was his second operational mission and he was 23.
“Leslie Edwin now lies in the Reichswald Forest war cemetery in Germany.
“Unfortunately, Uncle Leslie's fate was the same as tens of thousands of other RAF Bomber Command air crew during World War II.”
The 6am dawn ceremony was followed by a civic service in The Square at 9am, and one at the Māori Battalion Hall at 10.30am.