Napier's honour rolls review an obsession of the man for the job

Napier Rolls of Honour project manager Charles Ropitini with a draft honours board placed at the Napier RSA this week. Photo / Doug Laing

A review of Napier's Rolls of Honour is more than a job for project manager Charles Ropitini. It's an "obsession", he says.

So much so it seems he knows the stories of almost every one of the 1047 names which have doubled the rolls since the project began nine months ago with just 522 on record.

He predicts, confidently, it won't stop there, for those wishing to see their forbears added to the list have until December 14, and it's likely further reviews will take place.

Part of the obsession is personal, for during the process he's also managed to correct the name of one of his own - his great-grandfather's brother, former Napier Boys High School pupil and Clive rugby captain Flight Sergeant Tumaturanga Tomoana, shot down over Zealand in a World War II bombing mission.

"As I read their names," Ropitini said as he looked at a board placed at the Napier RSA with the updated roll, "I can see their files in my eyes, really."

"Every story is individual. You can't classify the people into groups. They've got their own stories. Each story has its own integrity."

It's as if the names themselves want to come forward, he said, casually plucking names from the board recording Napier's connections to the South African War (otherwise known as the Boer War 1899-1902), World War I (1914-1918), World War II (1939-1945) and other conflicts to the end of the Vietnam War (1975).

Research has also helped paint a picture of the Napier community, with people who enlisted while on their OEs, filling roles such as porters at the Masonic Hotel. There are also boys from around the country who had been boarding at Napier Boys High School, some even having listed while at the school.

Like those on the list, Ropitini emerged as something of a taonga as the man to guide the project. He had returned to Napier two years ago, unaware that he might have been heading into any such research, but was well backgrounded when it came up. He'd done a similar project for New Zealand Post in Wellington.

Researchers, led by MTG Hawke's Bay, compiled the draft after checking lists in various publications since January, when public meetings were held to set the research criteria.

"The draft represents hundreds of hours of work by the researchers. While they've done their best to be accurate, they do need families to check the details and let us know if there are any errors," says Ropitini.

The criteria for inclusion on the roll are that they were born in Napier, lived in Napier at time of enlistment, were employed in Napier, next of kin lived in Napier, and died during the official period of conflict while in active service.

"These people paid the ultimate sacrifice during wartimes," Ropitini said. "Do you know any of them? If so, have we got their details correct?"

Ropitini acknowledged the work of MTG collection assistant Cathy Dunn, Napier BHS archivist Phillip Rankin, and continuing researcher Madelon van Zijl de Jong.

Research of rolls across the country has found it is difficult to have a complete and finite list, and rolls are expected to grow as personnel records are released to the public over the coming decades, particularly up to the centenary of World War 2.

Anyone wishing to make changes to the Roll should contact communityservices@napier.govt.nz. The list is able to be viewed on-line at www.napier.govt.nz.