Dannevirke RSA has change of heart on poppies

Dannevirke and Districts RSA has reversed its decision not to place poppies at individual graves for Anzac Day.

RSA president Major Richard Short said the committee had made the tough call last month not to place poppies on the graves of servicemen in the cemeteries, but it was a decision that upset many in the local community.

After a committee meeting on Thursday where they were told some members of the community had offered their support, the committee decided it would be placing poppies on the graves.

The earlier decision had been made after some “robust discussion” by the committee that included the history of Anzac commemorations, and that the symbol of the poppy had come from In Flanders Fields, a poem by John McCrae.

The poppy has historical significance, commemorating those who served in the armed forces.

That poem was published in 1915 and since then, according to the website NZ History, poppies have been worn in remembrance of those who died in wars or served in the armed forces.

Short said the committee had also thought about the financial side of it, with members asked where they wanted to spend the poppy money.

“Every year we’ve [been] kindly donated money from the community [and] it’s our responsibility to spend that money ... wisely for the people in need.”

Major Richard Short, of the Dannevirke and Districts RSA, said the committee had felt the money spent on leaving poppies on graves was better spent helping veterans in need. That decision has now been reversed. Photo / Leanne Warr

The Dannevirke and Districts Poppy Trust buys poppies from head office that are then sold on Poppy Day, with about 1000 usually set aside to be placed at the cemetery.

Short said the question was asked that, with the cost it entailed: “Is it wise to spend the money commemorating the fallen who are there?” or was it more appropriate to spend it on a veteran who needed support or help?

They were also concerned with the environmental impact, having been told by Tararua District Council that the poppies would eventually fall off and be picked up by the lawnmower.

It was felt there might not be enough volunteers to carry out the task and the committee had looked for an alternative, deciding to use rosemary for floral tributes at the entrances.

Short said the committee had thought it would be appropriate, reducing the burden to the Poppy Trust, and would make a slightly improved environmental outcome.

However, that has now changed, with volunteers going out to place the individual poppies before Anzac Day and volunteers to remove them after the services.

There will be Anzac Day services on April 25 in Dannevirke, starting with a dawn service with fall-in at 5.45am and then a civic service at 8.30am.

This year, Short said he would be including a focus on the cenotaph in his address to mark 100 years of its existence.

While RSAs nationwide were having a balance of issues, the bigger problem was in attracting younger members.

Short said there might have been a perception from the public that the RSA was only for veterans or someone with a close link, but that was not the case.

He said they had three types of membership: veterans, service members — those who have served in the armed forces — and general membership where the only criterion is they have to be an adult to join.