New generation pays tribute to sacrifice of veterans

By REBECCA WALSH

The sun is up, the crowd is nearly gone and 87-year-old Newton Wickham is a happy man.

Standing by the Cenotaph in Auckland's Domain, medals strung across his blue blazer, white hair neatly combed, complete strangers have been stopping to talk to him.

"Three times people have shaken my hand and said 'thank you for what you have done'.

"It means a lot to me. They are words you don't hear too often."

Dr Wickham, Wicky to his mates, was a dental officer during World War II in the Middle East, Italy and England. He helped mend fractured faces and broken jaws.

"I didn't have to go and kill other guys. Above all I did something I believed in." The CBE holder, who appears in the book A Fair Sort of Battering, was among the many hundreds to mark the 65th dawn ceremony at the Auckland Domain.

He rattles off memories of desert fighting and the time members of the dental corp captured two German SS soldiers. But ask him about the war in Iraq and he pauses. "It's the same as when we were there. There's unrest now and there was unrest then. I can't see any answer to it. I've got a bit old to worry about it."

Others have stronger views.

A World War II veteran who served in the merchant navy for 37 years firmly believes the Government has let its service people down.

"They shouldn't be there. Tony Blair and Bush have led everyone up the garden path. Helen Clark's sided with them," the 82-year-old says.

"I don't think there should be any more wars. They should sit down around the table and negotiate. I lost too many friends."

While Colin Whyte, 71, a veteran of Vietnam and Malaya, is not "crazy about what's going on there" he supports moves to bring democracy to Iraq. And he is pleased to see an ever stronger contingent of young people among the Anzac crowds, many wearing relatives' medals.

Miranda Stacey, 36, has attended the dawn ceremony since she was a Brownie. Now, she wears the medals awarded to her father and grandfather.

"It's to honour and respect them and all the other servicemen and women who went to serve so we could live freely and peacefully today."

For Arshia Hajee, yesterday's dawn ceremony was a first since moving from India. "I wanted to see what it was all about and I wanted to represent out Ismaili community," the 21-year-old said.

"It was quite nice to see so many people turned up. Everyone was so touched by it."

Day of memories

* Anzac Day marks the Gallipoli campaign of World War I, 89 years ago, when the Australia and New Zealand Army Corps suffered terrible losses.

* In Gallipoli alone, 2721 New Zealanders died -- more than during the 25 years of fighting the New Zealand land wars.

* More than 4700 New Zealanders were injured.