Alan Rhodes: Napier's loved War Memorial in recovery

The spirituality of the former War Memorial Centre needs to be returned, writes Alan Rhodes. Photo / File

Opinion

Recently Napier city councillors stood firmly on the side of the people of this city and voted to return to memory the Napier War Memorial site - a site that had been flicked to commerce two years ago with great public outrage.

For the people of this city it was a significant victory, and it could not have been achieved without councillors who were prepared to accept past errors of judgment and be ready to "put it right". Principles instead of expediency carried the day.

That significant victory for those who gave their lives in war, their living families, the town and city they were denied the chance to contribute to, was a victory for honesty and decency in local governance… and representative democracy.

If the Napier City Councillors, after 10 months of citizen struggle, opened those windows to fresh air with their decision, will the unapologetic stubbornness and endless delay of a mayoral team in addressing this deeply-felt issue remain?

The War Memorial site recovery may be an important victory for Napier, but it is only one step in recovery.

The Roll of Honour, now looking like it could swell to 800 or more, was torn out and stored in 2016, along with the Eternal Flame. These will have to be returned and housed decently on the War Memorial site - this will certainly be another battle.

If the previous two war memorial related debates are anything to go by, this place for the elements will also take the form of a single take-it-or-leave-it design, created and promoted by Council officers overseen by the chief executive and Mayor.

The popular Natusch design, already on offer, will be ignored or condemned as "too costly". Public input or real choice won't be given.

Already an eye-watering cost of $100,000 has been suggested for the "War Memorial" rebadging by this small mayoral governance group.

More dollar terrors will incubate. Nothing but positives was heard from them on the multi-million dollar proposal for their unsupported velodrome for the city. Nothing but positives will be heard about a proposed multi-million dollar aquarium. Nothing but negatives will be heard on recovery costs for the War Memorial they promoted to damage and cancellation… still without apology.

The whole saga of the Napier War Memorial has been a long drawn-out exercise in just how democracy at the local body level should not work. The War Memorial was a taonga, a treasure house of memory to our war dead, many of whom have no known graves, the Memorial being their proxy grave in the place that meant something to them in life. The memory of the dead coexisted with the memories of the living across 60 years, in school balls, receptions, marriages, a host of community things - things their sacrifice protected for us.

As a spiritual place it was wrenched into commerce, against every condition and undertaking that attended its creation, 80 per cent of its costs being donated for memorial purpose by the public and government.

Its alienation was never a small matter. It was an outrage to everything it was conceived for and became across time.

Many years ago someone anonymous wrote this poem. Although it wasn't, It could have been written for Napier's beachfront War Memorial:

The music begins with a wonderful beat, And the dancers fan out with a shuffle of feet.. Radiant young faces full of promise and life, Beneficiaries of those who passed on in wars' strife.. With soft memory of loss in a Sanctified Hall, A gift of the dead to today's youngsters' Ball.. The moon glances in from a murmuring sea, Tranquility and peace in this land of the free.. Shadows of past youth stand still by the wall, Watching the smiles and the dancing of all.. "You mustn't blame them, they're so young don't you see?" "Ah" said the shadows, "And so young once were we".. 'Lest we forget' in today's petty strife, On shoulders of heroes we've been granted new life.. Memorials we've built to carry forward the flames, With poppies and flowers to remember their names.

Councillors and people in Napier are now united in this ongoing mission of recovery.

* Alan Rhodes is the spokesperson for the War Memorial Recovery Group, a JP and former Lecturer in Sociology