Army veterans prepare for Anzac Day: 'You get a big of a lump in your throat'

Army veteran Gary Brandon. Photo / Supplied

By Andrew McRae of RNZ

Taupō man Gary Brandon is inviting a few of his mates over to his place to commemorate Anzac Day tomorrow. So far 325 have said they are going.

Luckily for him, he lives on a large lifestyle block just out of the lake resort.

He built a man-cave, which is called the Onward Bar, a nod to the motto of the Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment.

"We decided to do some renovations and I always wanted a man-cave and I got permission from the wife to build my little man-cave out the back."

Military memorabilia in former soldier Gary Brandon's house.

The room is full of military memorabilia collected over the years.

Photo / Supplied

"I put some stuff up and decided to call it the Onward Bar which is the infantry motto and my mates started to come, some still serving and they donate stuff and now it's just totally adorned with military memorabilia.

"Bit of a museum in a place we can all just hang out, it's a BYO and we all just meet and catch up and have a barbie and a few beers ... [and] just reminisce about the old days and everyone loves it."

Brandon joined the army in 1986, served for a time in Singapore before leaving in 1996.

After that, he spent eight years as a tandem sky diving master in Taupō before joining a private security firm working in Afghanistan and Iraq for five years.

On January 6, 2006, while responding to an incident, the vehicle he was in was hit by an improvised explosive device (IED).

Both Brandon and another man in front were badly injured.

He ended up losing the lower part of his right leg.

Brandon said what happened did not really change his lifestyle.

"Once I had the amputation I was back tandem sky diving four months later and I have done about 300 to 400 tandem skydives with my prosthetic and I still skydive today doing solo jumping."

He went back to the Middle East, working in Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan for another three years.

Brandon now runs a chipping plant at the Kinleith Mill.

He loved his life in the army, he said.

Anzac Day 2021 will start with everyone gathering in Taupō for the Dawn Service and then it's all back to his place.

"At midday, we form a big circle and call the names of anyone you know who that served from any era or service who has died and call out their name and then have a little shot of port and that will go for about an hour.

"From there we have got a few speeches and then a catered lunch and then we have a band that kicks off about 1600 to 2200 that night and then we knock it on the head and that's the day done."

It was very moving, he said.

"Some of the names, when you know them quite well and you get a bit of a lump in your throat and even to this day at a Dawn Service I have always got a bit lump in my throat. Quite moving actually."

The get-together was pretty easy to organise as it was held every three years, although not last year due to Covid-19, he said.

"I know just about everyone who attends, some better than others, but it will all come together nicely."

This Anzac Day will be particularly poignant as they remember the greatest loss of life since World War II for the military - the six men who died on Mount Ruapehu in 1990.

The men died on a training exercise after a violent storm hit the mountain.