Rongotea Cenotaph has a new lease of life in time for Anzac Day

Prue Amey-Riddle and her niece Karen Amey-Parson were instrumental in having a plaque added to the Rongotea Cenotaph.

Prue Amey-Riddle has lived in Rongotea all her life – that’s 94 years, apart from nearly three years when she travelled and lived in England in her early 20s.

Her parents were an established family in the area as they owned Amey’s Seed and Produce while also having active roles in the community.

Amey-Riddle’s family has a long history of loved ones being drafted for war. With family and friends buried overseas, the Amey family has visited graves in Europe and the Middle East. Some of the grandchildren participated in the 100-year commemorations of the Battle of Passchendaele in Belgium. Amey-Riddle’s father William Amey was injured in the 1917 battle.

Amey headed the farewell committee for Rongotea men who went to World War II, including his son Leonard.

Reflecting on their own experiences of travelling overseas to honour the fallen, Amey-Riddle and her family realised how disappointing people would find it to travel to Rongotea, near Palmerston North, only to discover the names of their loved ones illegible.

“We are reminded to give thanks, but you couldn’t even read the names,” she said. And so, the two-year journey began with the help of Amey-Riddle’s niece Karen Amey-Parson to advocate to have the names made legible.

Cenotaphs are not technically owned by councils or the RSA and as a result there is no designated funding to maintain and restore them.

After multiple phone calls and work behind the scenes from Tracy Sharples at Manawatū District Council, a black granite plaque has been added to the base of the Rongotea cenotaph. The plaque lists the names of the fallen.

Sharples said it was decided not to alter the cenotaph.

The names of the fallen are inscribed on this black granite plaque, meaning visitors to the Rongotea Cenotaph can once again remember those killed in action.

One name was the driving force behind Amey-Riddle’s persistence - John Arthur Grady. She was best friends with Grady’s sister Colleen. The Grady family lived down the street and owned the bakery.

John Grady was born in Marton and enlisted through Ōhakea. At the age of 19, he and five others in his plane were shot down.

Amey-Riddle can still remember Grady’s uniform and belongings arriving back in New Zealand. “It would have been horrible for his parents to receive that package.”

Sharples said it was an honour to work with the Amey family to find a solution for the deteriorating cenotaph.

“Prue’s love for Rongotea and those who helped to build the Rongotea area remind us of those who have made the district home before us, and our role in honouring their legacy.”

William Amey from Rongotea served in World War I.