"But it affected him until his dying day. He was gassed in the trenches, which affected his health, and had a lot of shell-shock. He could never settle down."
Mr Goodhue's sister Dorothy Halliday said their father fought on the battlefields of France and Belgium. Two of his uncles were killed at the Battle of the Somme.
She was "gobsmacked" by the number of people who turned out for Saturday's ceremony.
"It's great that they're doing this," she said.
Bev Martin of Paihia knew only from photos that her father, James Dodd of Kawakawa, had served in Africa and been in hospital in England.
"He never spoke about it. He never, ever mentioned the war."
The father of Kawakawa 84-year-old Elma Reti, Herbert Rigden of Opua, enlisted in 1917 and served in France. He returned but her uncle George was not so lucky, dying in France or Belgium that same year.
Kawakawa RSA president Noeline Lemon said she was pleased to see so many descendants of World War I veterans at the ceremony.
"It's important to remember what they have done for us," she said.
Of the 57 Kawakawa district servicemen and women who went to World War I, 15 lost their lives. In total, 120,000 New Zealanders signed up and 100,444 served, more than 10 per cent of the country's population at the time.
Two World War II veterans also took part in Saturday's commemorations. Originally from Kawakawa but now living in Waipu, 93-year-old Gordon Coutts fought in the 21st Battalion across North Africa and at the Battle of Monte Cassino; while Jack Maioha, 87, of Russell served in J-Force in the post-war occupation of Japan.
RSA Northland president Ian McDougall said many more events were planned around the district in the lead-up to the centenary of the 1915 Gallipoli landings. "It's a very important year, an important time for New Zealanders to reflect on something that had a profound effect on our country."
