Tolaga Bay Anzac Day to honour centenary of Memorial Gates

Archdeacon A. Morris speaks at the Tolaga Bay Memorial Gates on Anzac Day, 1961. Photo / Gisborne Photo News

Tolaga Bay’s Anzac Day dawn service will pay tribute to the country’s fallen soldiers, as is the tradition – but it will also honour other events of a century ago.

This Anzac Day is the centenary of the opening of the Memorial Gates at the East Coast town.

Another special moment will be the “retiring” of the Tolaga Bay RSA’s original flag, which dates back to the period just after World War I when the organisation was founded.

Tolaga Bay RSA president Greg Shelton said the flag went missing about 1968.

It was seen by an Ūawa resident on Trade Me two years ago, leading to the specialist memorabilia collector/retailer gifting it back to Tolaga Bay RSA.

The flag will be taken through the Tolaga Bay RSA Cemetery before the Anzac Day service begins at 7pm.

Shelton said the flag would be retired to safe-keeping at the Tolaga Bay Area School.

The dawn service starts at 6am with Dr Wayne Ngata as the guest speaker.

In 1925 the guest speaker was Bay of Plenty MP Kenneth Williams, who was to become a Cabinet minister in 1926.

He was a descendant of missionary William Williams and a second cousin of H.B. Williams.

Kenneth Williams declared the gates open and unveiled memorial tablets naming 22 local men who did not return from World War I.

The Gisborne Times of April 27, 1925, described the memorial gates as “a handsome and imposing structure of concrete relieved by brickwork”.

“The gates are of iron, painted black and gold.”

The Times said the gates were erected by local returned soldiers who turned out in record numbers for the service.

A collection raised £13 for blind soldiers, which would be worth an estimated £1010 ($2294) today.

After World War II, plaques listing the names of a further 44 men who had died were added.

On Anzac Day 2015, plaques listing the names of local men and women who had served in World War I, World War II, Japan, Korea, Malaya, Borneo and Vietnam were unveiled.