Wimbledon population swells from 10 to 250 for Anzac Day service

Doug Hales, brother of Brian, at the Wimbledon War Memorial at a previous Anzac Day service, remembering his father and grandfather who served overseas.

This year's Anzac Day commemorations in tiny Wimbledon were dramatic and very moving with 250 people taking part, amazing when you realise Wimbledon has a permanent population of just 10.

"It was the most fantastic day we've ever had and the service very powerful," organiser Brian Hales said.

Hales has been organising the Wimbledon Anzac Day service for 40 years, remembering the 21 men who left the district to fight in World War I and the same again in World War II. Both times only 16 came home.

Paul Gollan, left, points out to his brother Jock where the lounge fireplace was in the old family home up the Angora Rd.

This year families spoke about four people in the district who served in World War I and Hales said they were gripping stories.

Among the 250 at the service were 14 members of the Gollan family, with three speaking.

"All the stories were gripping, but the story of Doug Gollan more so because he lost his legs in the death march, in horrific circumstances," Hales said.

Gollans travelled from around New Zealand and Perth to stay at Wimbledon for four days where Anzac Day commemorations have been a journey of remembrance, led by Hales.

"We say we will remember them, but we had forgotten them, so it's only been through this process of family story-telling at our stone cairn Cenotaph over the past few years that we have really remembered them."

Doug Hales, brother of Brian, at the Wimbledon War Memorial at a previous Anzac Day service, remembering his father and grandfather who served overseas.

Paul Gollan from Cambridge, spoke of his father, Philip, and told the Dannevirke News it had been an amazing service.

"It was really sad and it brought home to us all how war had hit such a small district," he said.

"Brian [Hales] has done an amazing job with all the Anzac services here over the years and we couldn't have come together as a family without him. It's been a pilgrimage for us."

Paul, the second son of Philip (Tobe) Gollan, lived in one of two homesteads up "the Angora" in Wimbledon, where his grandparents, George and Fanny Gollan, also lived.

"To have so many from here go to war, they were ours and they would have wondered what their future would be," he said.

"We spoke as a family group at the Anzac service," Paul said.

"I lived up the Angora for three years, but once all us kids had to go to school Mum saw the impracticality of us staying there. We had 14 river fords to cross to get down Angora Rd."

Philip Gollan from Gore said the family bond is strong, and his sister Margaret from Whitianga agreed.

"It's been special to share, especially as it's been the first time I've been to a service here," she said.

"If Brian hadn't done this we wouldn't have made the effort."

After World War II, Philip (Tobe) worked for his father and all the family lived up the Angora with their grandparents.

"In those days the Angora was a hive of activity on the days leading to the Anzac dawn parade," Paul said.

"After the Anzac service Nana would retire to the sewing room for the day for quiet reflections and we were told not to disturb her. I always did and watched her looking through photos of her three brothers who were killed in World War I."

The family left the Angora in 1953 and Tobe's great love of horses saw him breed and race the 1991 Auckland Cup winner Star Harvest.

Douglas Reginald Gollan was born in Dannevirke on June 1, 1917, the third child of Fannie (nee Doria) and George Gollan.

He enlisted for World War II in late 1939, entered Trentham Training Camp in early 1940 and left for the United Kingdom via South Africa on a 51-day trip as part of the 22nd Battalion 2nd Expeditionary Force, 2nd Echelon.

After three years as a prisoner of war in Poland, in 1945 he was one of the few New Zealanders and Australians to be forced on the 700 mile march - commonly called the death or long march from Poland to Germany.

Struggling for 20km to 40km a day, many died en route, either shot for being slow or from starvation.

The march took place during the coldest months of the 20th century, with temperatures as low as minus 25C and knee-deep snow, and many were left on the side of the road to die.

"But Dad made it, albeit just," daughter Elizabeth Gollan, of Auckland said.

"The Red Cross came in and took the most severely emaciated and ill, but did not take Dad at first.

"It was not until a Gestapo guard bribed the Red Cross to take him to hospital, that he got the attention he needed for his severely frost bitten feet. They were amputated by guillotine."

Soon infection set in and he was sent to London, where he underwent a re-amputation.

"He was the first re-amputation patient to survive in that hospital."

Doug was sent home as medically unfit, and initially went to Wimbledon where he was cared for by Moana Hales, before he entered a rehabilitation training farm in Milson, just outside Palmerston North.

"The war seemed not to affect him too obviously outwardly, although the wooden legs in those days were pretty primitive, very heavy and caused him much pain," Elizabeth said.

"They certainly were nothing like Liam Malone's blades. He also had to contend with being 5ft 8in (1.73m), from his naturally 6ft 1in rugby-playing frame.

"The Rawleighs man was part of his salvation and a regular at our house with his magic yellow ointment to soothe the sores on his stumps.

"Dad was always happy and never bitter about his lot."

Catherine Gollan of Wellington spoke about her father, Mervyn (Bob), who spent his early life between the homestead and the Angora after his mother left home abruptly when he was 4.

He attended Wimbledon School and enlisted in the Air Force early in the war and was trained as a wireless operator, navigator and airgunner in Jamaica, Winnipeg and Cornwall.