Memorial wall to stay put

SUPPORTERS of Featherston's War Memorial are elated at news a wall surrounding the monument will not be knocked down.
Earlier this year, a plan was hatched by the Featherston Main Street Beautification Group to demolish the surrounding wall in favour of a path or garden overhaul.
Featherston resident and former president of the town's RSA, John Welford, said he understands the group's intentions for the beautification of the main street but feels it is "inexcusable to even consider altering a site that carries so much historical significance".
"This whole memorial is a landmark for Featherston. It's an important piece of history that should be left alone."
Mr Welford said he admired the beautification group's ideas but wondered how they would feel if their good work was then torn down in the future.
"The memorial was built with similar ideas to what they are doing now, so how would they feel if their work was destroyed in 50 years' time."
After consultation with the Historic Places Trust, the beautification group were informed that the wall is an essential part of the war memorial and should continue to be protected.
"The wall was constructed at the same time as the monument structure, and the Historic Places Trust believes it is an important part of the surroundings of the memorial," said trust heritage adviser Laura Paynter.
"Therefore, we do not believe that this wall should be dismantled and recycled for use as modern planters."
The entire war memorial was first conceived in 1925 when the Anzac Club committee proposed to spend extra money from the club on a memorial to Wairarapa soldiers killed in World War I.
Mr Welford said, according to records, building the memorial was a significant effort carried out by members of the wider Featherston community. Farmers brought their horses in to aid in transporting hand picked stones from the Tauherenikau River and people came "from all around" to help set the stones in place.
Use of the stones was apparently symbolic, as the first fatigue for new recruits at the Featherston Military Camp was responsible for most of the collection.
"War memorials are history. They are a remembrance to the men who fought in the wars, plus the people that built them, plus the community at the time," Mr Welford said.
"And there have been plenty of people involved in it over the years since then, like the Lionesses, the local Jaycee chapter and of course the RSA."
South Wairarapa councillor John Tenquist said the memorial was originally planned to be outside Featherston's Anzac Hall, but the Town Board decided it should be more prominent and moved it to its current location on Fitzherbert Street.