Hand-made crosses mark sacrifice

White crosses will mark the district's war dead on Anzac Day. Rotorua Museum staff Natascha Hartzuiker (left) and Rufus Epp with Menz Shed representatives Don Hawke and Kev Beesley. Photo / Ben Fraser

More than 100 white crosses, and one Star of David, will soon be placed in front of Rotorua's cenotaph thanks to the work of the local Menz Shed and friends.

Each of the crosses were hand made by members of the Menz Shed and painted by students at Rotorua Boys' High School, with timber supplied by Mamaku Sawmill.

The crosses will make up the Rotorua Lakes Council's Field of Remembrance and were yesterday delivered to Rotorua Museum staff who will now place stickers on each one with the names of all of the men from the district who were killed during World War I.

A special consecration ceremony for the field will be held from 5pm on Thursday next week at the cenotaph in the Government Gardens, which will also acknowledge the planting of a seedling from the original Gallipoli Lone Pine supplied to the city by Crown research institute Scion.

Rotorua Community Menz Shed Trust chairman Don Hawke said the council's World War I committee approached him a few months ago asking if they could help.

"We were more than happy to help out. We've also done another 50 for a memorial at Whakarewarewa," Mr Hawke said.

"We are always looking for community projects for the guys. We like to divide our time with one third community work, one third Menz Shed work and one third personal work."

He said the work was spread out over several weeks.

"This is a nice way to remember the men from Rotorua who died in the war. I think it will look really nice and remind our young people of the sacrifice these men made."