Backing for changes to dawn service

Napier Returned Services Association president John Purcell at Memorial Square where the dawn parade will be staged for the first time on Anzac Day. Photo/Warren Buckland

In a break of more than 50 years of tradition Napier's Anzac Day dawn service is moving from the Sound Shell colonnade to Memorial Square off lower Emerson St.

Napier Returned Services Association president John Purcell said it was not a decision taken lightly but in the wake of the laying out of the Field of Remembrance at the square the site came through as the most appropriate.

"We think it is more fitting as that is also the site of the cenotaph memorial," Mr Purcell said.

Veterans spoken to were behind the switch.

In the past veterans and family members bearing the medals of parents and grandparents would assemble on Marine Parade and march 100m into the colonnade for the 6am service.

On Friday they will assemble on a closed-off section of lower Emerson St between Clive and Memorial Squares and march up to the entranceway on the corner with Clive Square East.

Mr Purcell said it had taken months to get the new dawn service arranged and said the placing of the 208 white crosses at such a historic setting made it even more relevant and said the extensive grass banked site, and surrounding footpaths, would cope with the expected large crowd.

He believed the Field of Remembrance crosses would result in a more moving service - even more so as it would be 100 years since the outbreak of WWI.

Each bears the name of Napier and Taradale veterans who lost their lives during that war.

"They are all buried in foreign countries so to have them acknowledged individually is significant."

Defence Force personnel will be in attendance and Air Commodore Peter Port of the Royal New Zealand Air Force will be a guest speaker.

Memorial Square will also be the venue for the 11am civic service, as it has in past years.

Napier Mayor Bill Dalton and Nick Williams of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs will be among dignitaries attending the later service where Napier Boys' High School prefect Ben Brodie will present the speech that gained him a finalist place in the regional ANZ RSA Cyril Bassett VC speech competition and the runner-up in the national finals held at Government House earlier this month.

There may also be another change in that the anthems of both New Zealand and Australia could be played at the dawn service.

The Australian anthem is traditionally played and sung by the Civic Choir at the 11am service.

Mr Purcell had been approached by Australian woman Susan Prichard, who now lives in Hawke's Bay, and asked if it could be played as there were many Australians living here and both anthems were played at Australian services in light of the unique Anzac connection.

"We are looking at it and will try to accommodate it if we can. We do play it at the civic service and we fly the Australian flag and always have a New Zealand and Australian speaker."