Whanganui Chronicle
  • Whanganui Chronicle home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Taranaki
  • National Park
  • Whakapapa
  • Ohakune
  • Raetihi
  • Taihape
  • Marton
  • Feilding
  • Palmerston North

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • New Plymouth
  • Whanganui
  • Palmertson North
  • Levin

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Whanganui Chronicle

Bells ring out for Armistice Day at Upokongaro, Whanganui

Whanganui Chronicle
12 Nov, 2018 03:50 AM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
Piper Dillon Coffin leads the congregation into St Mary's Church at Upokongaro for an Armistice Day service. Photo / Jacqui McGowan

Piper Dillon Coffin leads the congregation into St Mary's Church at Upokongaro for an Armistice Day service. Photo / Jacqui McGowan

The bells of St Mary's Church in Upokongaro were rung with such gusto for Armistice Day that Susanna Norris worried about the strength of the bell tower.

She and others contacted past and present residents, to invite them to a special service on Sunday, at the Whanganui River settlement. Many came.

"What I liked about it was that the whole community came together. There was the school, the teachers, locals and past residents and family members of early settlers."

They started with a cup of tea and home baking at Upokongaro School. Then piper Dillon Coffin led the way to St Mary's Church, where memorial roses were in bloom and descendants of early settlers laid flowers on graves and a memorial tree was planted.

There was two minutes' silence at 11am, followed by the bell ringing. About 70 people sat in the church, with the rest outside under a gazebo, following the service through a sound system.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

In the church 12 children from the school sang A Beautiful Soldier, and Jayne Workman read her winning piece, which was based on letters to soldiers written by a Whanganui woman. Norris read an excerpt from her grandmother Annie's diary, written in London on Armistice Day in 1918.

It described the jubilation outside Buckingham Palace when the war ended, but also the tears of soldiers in hospital, men who had been blinded or badly disfigured in the fighting.

"As well as joy and jubilation there were an awful lot of broken hearts around."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The service was taken by Archdeacon Stuart Goodin, and ended with the playing of The Last Post, followed by the final notes of The Rouse.

Then people went to the Avoca Hotel for lunch, and carried on renewing ties.

"Some hadn't seen each other since they were at school," Norris said.

Discover more

Museum Notebook: Souvenirs of war

10 Nov 03:00 AM

Frank Greenall: Saying no to the Masters of War …

08 Nov 04:00 AM

Whanganui man's lie led him to the horrors of war

10 Nov 04:00 PM

De facto headstones - why old war memorials remain important today

11 Nov 05:00 AM
Save
    Share this article

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Whanganui Chronicle

Council candidate says Whanganui must 'play to our strengths'

Whanganui Chronicle

Chandulal-Mackay promises 'decisive leadership' as mayor

Whanganui Chronicle

Whanganui hosting New Zealand Sports Stacking Championships


Sponsored

Kiwi campaign keeps on giving

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Council candidate says Whanganui must 'play to our strengths'
Whanganui Chronicle

Council candidate says Whanganui must 'play to our strengths'

'We need to boost and promote everything that makes it great', says Azian Z.

07 Sep 04:00 PM
Chandulal-Mackay promises 'decisive leadership' as mayor
Whanganui Chronicle

Chandulal-Mackay promises 'decisive leadership' as mayor

05 Sep 05:08 PM
Whanganui hosting New Zealand Sports Stacking Championships
Whanganui Chronicle

Whanganui hosting New Zealand Sports Stacking Championships

05 Sep 05:00 PM


Kiwi campaign keeps on giving
Sponsored

Kiwi campaign keeps on giving

07 Sep 12:00 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Whanganui Chronicle e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Whanganui Chronicle
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP