Integrity, loyalty and courage honoured

Dignitaries and military representatives line up to lay wreaths at the Anzac Day dawn and civic service yesterday. Picture by Liam Clayton

Mayor Rehette Stoltz, speaking at yesterday’s Anzac Day dawn and civic service, said the ceremony was an opportunity for a region which has “gone through so much” over the past 14 months to “stop, reflect and encourage each other”.

It was the Mayor’s only reference to the cyclones and flooding which have wreaked havoc across Tairāwhiti in recent times, before she honoured the country’s military personnel and those who have fallen in battle.

“As a nation we turn our attention to those generations, past and present, who have sacrificed so much in the pursuit of peace.

“Today we honour their intergrity, their loyalty and their courage.”

She paid tribute to war veterans, their loved ones, military personnel, families of the fallen and “our refugee families”.

Guest speaker Commander Yvonne Gray, who commands the Royal New Zealand Navy’s dive, hydrographic and salvage vessel HMNZS Manawanui, apologised for Gisborne’s ceremonial home ship not being in port for Anzac Day.

She felt privileged to “see my sailors among the veterans of Tairāwhiti and I feel honoured to speak to you today”.

Commander Gray described the failed campaign of the Anzacs and other Allied soldiers at Gallipoli in a battle which began 109 years ago to the day.

When the Allies finally withdrew, 87,000 Ottoman Turkish soldiers had been killed along with 44,000 Allied soldiers, including 8500 Australians and 2779 New Zealanders.

It was felt the Gallipoli campaign had resulted in the emergence of New Zealand and Australia as distinct nations.

Commander Gray said 575 Gisborne men were killed in World War 1.

“Those who returned probably did so with scars, whether physical or mental.”

World War 2 broke out 21 years later and those men “must have recalled the horror and surely have shook their heads in sorrow”.

New Zealanders had gone on to serve in other wars.

Anzac Day was not a day to glorify war “but to remind ourselves that we value who we are and the freedoms we possess, and to acknowledge the courage and sacrifice of those who contributed so much in shaping the identity of this nation”.

Gisborne RSA president Trevor Jukes said he was pleased with the “great” public turnout at the combined dawn-civic service.

The city no longer has a standalone civic service at 9am.

Mr Jukes said the service had been a memorable one and he “sincerely thanked” the Mayor, Gisborne District Council, Commander Gray and her crew, vets and many others who had contributed or participated.

“You have contributed greatly to honour all those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country.

“Lest we forget.”