Sir Wayne ‘Buck’ Shelford on passing the Anzac baton to Hawke’s Bay’s tamariki

As Hawke’s Bay student Kaylee Kleynhans found, it pays to reach out to your heroes. A letter to rugby Sir Wayne ‘Buck’ Shelford inviting him to a special schools’ Anzac ceremony in Napier was answered, with the RSA National President making the trip to Hawke’s Bay to celebrate the student-run initiative and praise them for helping take on the mantle of remembrance.

“Ka mate, ka mate! ka ora! ka ora! That’s my whānau chanting to scare the enemy,” Greenmeadows Primary student Nathaniel Pearson said to hundreds of Napier school students at the Taradale Memorial Clock Tower on Tuesday.

He spoke of his relatives who fought in World War II and whose stories are told at the Anzac Day dinner table, from submarine escapes, being blinded by gas, and, most importantly, the sacrifice they made for their whānau.

“But think of all the stories left untold, all the heroes we didn’t know or reflect on who didn’t return. We always say at RSA that we remember them, but in our mind, we have to remember them because we wouldn’t be here today.”

Rugby legend and RSA national president Sir Wayne "Buck" Shelford stands with student leaders at the student Spirit of Anzac commemoration in Taradale on Tuesday. Photo / Warren Buckland

Pearson and Taradale Intermediate’s Dot Fowler and Te Kura Taurua o Tamatea High’s Tom Deihl gave insightful, heartfelt and well-researched accounts of their relatives who fought in wars.

The ethos of whakapapa was what the schools’ Commemoration Committee chairperson and Te Kura Taurua o Tamatea student Kaylee Kleynhans had in mind when she started planning the Taradale and District Schools Spirit of Anzac commemoration service.

She gathered the high school student leaders of Napier to come together on April 9 for a service for students and by students, even managing to get the attention of Sir Wayne “Buck” Shelford.

“It’s very rewarding. I learned about my grandad, who was also a veteran, and that inspired me to make sure that they still live in our memory,” she told Hawke’s Bay Today.

Shelford, who is the national RSA president, was more than impressed by the service.

“It was very very good. The theme of whakapapa was very good because they could go and find out the connections they had with their grandparents and great-grandparents and which wars they were in.”

The Taradale schools' Commemoration Committee chairperson Kaylee Kleynhans said she was very proud of the service. Photo / Warren Buckland

He said that services like this highlighted the importance of instilling remembrance and the Anzac values in tamariki.

“The youth are going to take the baton, aren’t they, from their mums and dads, and their poppas and great-grandfathers. They’re taking on the mantle now.

“A lot of these kids will end up going to Anzac Day with their parents and grandparents.”

Cyclone Gabrielle’s first responders were also acknowledged during the service, with Shelford praising their work and how the students acknowledged them.

“It also comes through in the message with all the first responders who came down here. We’re first responders as military, but you also have fire, ambulance, and plenty of other first responders in New Zealand. Everybody is working really, really hard to help.”

Students performed haka and waiata at the special commemoration service. The Last Post wasplayed, and poems and speeches were also read. Photo / Warren Buckland

Taradale veteran Peter Grant lent his assistance to Kleynhans and the student committee.

“We started this off about eight years ago now because there aren’t so many veterans coming through these days, and we’re starting to fall off the perch.

“We want to continue passing the baton of remembrance because it’s important they understand about how we served and what we did.”

He said while some RSA members helped set up the event, they largely “kept out of it”.

“These jokers don’t want to be talked to by us; they want to be talked to by their peers, and their peers are their best teachers.”

Grant hoped the event would inspire students to continue learning from servicemen and women’s values.

“If people showed compassion, commitment, courage and comradeship, we wouldn’t have half the rubbish we have going on in the world right now. We hope the kids pick that up and learn the lessons.”

Mitchell Hageman joined Hawke’s Bay Today in January 2023. From his Napier base, he writes regularly on social issues, arts and culture, and the community. He has a particular love for stories about ordinary people doing extraordinary things.