Otautau RSA keeps Anzac spirit alive
“Lest we forget.”
That’s the simple answer the members of Otautau RSA give when you ask them why the work that they do is so important.
These men are all fairly well known for their contributions to their community, but together, they’ve been a formidable force when it comes to preserving the town’s military history.
As Peter Gustsell said: “These guys put all the effort in.”
That effort covered everything from arranging commemoration ceremonies, and maintaining the war memorial grounds and the RSA plots at the cemetery, to recovering and restoring war memorabilia.
Some of these were on display at the town’s prominent war memorial, featuring Turkish and German field guns, and panels detailing the history of the town’s men who fought in World War I and II.
“I don’t know another war memorial quite like ours. We’re very proud of our neck of the woods and we’d like to show it off more,” Gutsell said.
Keeping the memory of those who fought alive had been a labour of love for many of the Otautau RSA’s members.
Allen Brown, for example, had been a member since the mid-70s.
And Tom Dahlenburg was the third generation of his family to join, with his predecessors fighting in Gallipoli and the Solomon Islands, before he got called up to train in the 70s.
Peter Aysen’s father fought in France and Belgium before receiving an RSA Gold Star back home for services to the association in 1954.
“It was the RSA’s highest award those times,” he said.
Together, Otautau RSA members had some heavy lifting under their belts: there was the war memorial restoration with shelters for the guns, clubbing together to buy a historic quilt sent by Otautau townsfolk to New Zealand soldiers convalescing in England during World War I at auction, and most recently, rescuing a commemorative plaque from a local church before its demolition.
However, they were most proud of what it looked like when they brought the town together for parades — particularly the Armistice Day centenary parade in 2018 when the town turned out in force.
“I’d say the town respects the RSA,” Dahlenburg said.
“There’s not a family in the town, no matter where they’re from, who don’t know what war is about.”
“There’s a lot of history in these country towns,” Gutsell said, while Dahlenburg added that there were many young veterans who had served in hidden wars in places like Afghanistan.
It meant initiatives like Poppy Day — the RSA’s main fundraising event — were well supported, the members said.
It was this support that made Gutsell fairly confident younger members would continue their work.
“We get good turnout on Anzac Day, people will fall in behind us.”
This year’s dawn service would be held at the Otautau cenotaph from 7am on Thursday, April 25.