Sobering memory of a fallen Kiwi soldier
Kerikeri returned serviceman Neil Scott will never forget a “sobering” incident during his stint serving in Malaya in 1960.
Scott was among the infantry battalions who contributed to the Commonwealth effort to defeat the communist insurgency during the Malayan Emergency, which arose out of an attempt by the Malayan Communist Party to overthrow the British colonial administration of Malaya.
“It was particularly poignant for me because I was a territorial officer at the time I was at Trentham,” he said.
“There was a soldier under me, a corporal, and I told him he had been selected to go to Vietnam. He died over there. I had the privilege of visiting his grave at Waikumete Cemetery. That to me was very significant. Whenever I go to Auckland, I visit it.”
Scott was among about 500 people who gathered at the Kerikeri Domain to attend the Anzac Day dawn service to honour the fallen and all those who have served their country.
He wore three medals; the NZOSM (New Zealand Operational Service Medal), the ED (Efficiency Decoration), and the New Zealand Defence Medal.
“It means a lot to me to wear these decorations with pride for those that have served.”
Scott said it was an “excellent service” this year, which saw record numbers turn out to pay their respects on a crisp clear morning.
It was important to attend Anzac Day services, he said.
“We’ve got to acknowledge those who have served, they had a purpose.”
Harvey Bourne also attended the Kerikeri service on the day, 106 years ago, when New Zealand and Australian soldiers landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula.
The 63-year-old attends every year to honour his grandfather who served in the Yorkshire Regiment of the British Army during World War I and World War II.
Bourne, a Waipapa resident, wore his grandfather’s general service medals proudly on his jacket.
He was aged 18 and 19 when he served in the scouting party of the mounted regiment, Bourne said.
“I’ve never served myself but it’s carried on the tradition of doing something for the community,” he said.
“There’s a certain amount of pride for me in coming here.”
Lance Corporal Gemma Love from the Kerikeri Cadet unit placed a poppy at the base of the temporary flagpole in memory of her great grandfather, who was in the Royal New Zealand Air Force and served in the Vietnam War as a pilot.
“For me, it’s a good way to remember
Left: Neil Scott, who served in Malaya, and wife Jessica attend breakfast at the Homestead in Kerikeri. him and all the things he did in the war,” she said.
Kerikeri RSA member and event organiser Anne-Marie Mills said it was a great turnout.
“It was good to see the community come out today, we had a really good mix of people; young and old and all cultures,” she said.
“The numbers were up this year . . . it was the first one on the Domain since the Kerikeri RSA building closed in 2019.
“We didn’t expect those numbers.” Mills thanked the Homestead bar and bistro for hosting the dawn service breakfast.
About 170 breakfasts were sold at $5 each, which would go to the Kerikeri RSA welfare fund, to help exservicemen and women with advocacy, medical equipment, and assistance, she said.