Gallipoli camp event cancelled

Sir Graham Henry was one of the 'ambassadors' to feature at the event. Photo / Richard Robinson

Anger as Ellerslie centenary sleepover called off.

A huge camp-out at Ellerslie Racecourse that was to mark the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli landings has been canned just weeks before the event, angering Kiwis who had bought tickets.

The organisers of Camp Gallipoli, which was to be held overnight on April 24, announced the event had been cancelled "due to unforseen circumstances".

The Adelaide-based Camp Gallipoli Foundation, which is hosting other camps in Australia, has reported it wasn't able to reach a sales milestone for tickets, which were going for $100 for adults and $88 for children.

The event was to have featured an event arena themed as a soldiers' camp, Kiwi band Evermore, a Gallipoli-themed film screening and "ambassadors" including rugby league great Steve Price, former All Blacks coach Sir Graham Henry and psychologist and TV presenter Nigel Latta.

The campers were to have been woken the next morning by a bugler for the Anzac Day dawn service.

Bridget Walters of Christchurch, whose father was a prisoner-of-war in World War II, had planned to attend with her husband but is now trying to secure a refund from Air New Zealand for several hundred dollars worth of air fares.

"I'm just really gutted, not just because it's not going ahead, but over the lack of communication from the organisers."

Mrs Walters discovered the event had been cancelled through social media even before a Ticketek representative phoned her to say the tickets would be refunded.

She also thought the failure made New Zealand look bad when compared with the well-supported events going ahead in Australia.

"It's just poor old New Zealand. We were there [Gallipoli] too, we served, but hey, we can't even do anything in remembrance."

Whangaparaoa resident Justine Williams had been keen to attend with her two children while her husband, who serves in the Royal New Zealand Navy, attended the commemorations in Gallipoli.

But she had been put off by the "huge" ticket price.

"It's a shame, as I know quite a few families that would have loved to have gone."

Returned and Services Association national president Barry Clark said the RSA had been in talks with the organisers when it was clear they were not on track to break even with ticket sales.

"We have encouraged them to reconsider the options for next year and get in a bit earlier with advertising, to give people more time to understand what the concept is all about."

Mr Clark said he was personally disappointed, especially given what the experience would have meant to young people. He encouraged Kiwis to mark the commemorations by turning out in force to their local Anzac Day dawn services.