ANZAC DAY SERVICE

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28415, 23 October 1957, Page 16

ANZAC DAY SERVICE

Time To Be Changed In Wellington (New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, October 22. The Wellington citizens’ Anzac Day service in future will be held in the morning. This was decided at the monthly meeting of the Wellington Returned Services’ Association last night. The times of the parade and the service are still to be decided by the association’s executive. The change has been made because though dawn parades had always drawn “bumper” attendances, attendances at afternoon parades had become smaller and smaller.

This year’s afternoon services drew the “worst ever” attendance, said the president (Mr C. Grant). Attendances had become such that “in a few years the whole thing would become a complete fiasco." It was not fitting that an Anzac parade should be so treated.

To ask the average returned serviceman to attend three services—the dawn parade, a local branch service, and the afternoon service—was too much, said Mr H. Mitchell, a member of the executive of the New Zealand Returned Services' Association. “And if the servicemen will not attend three services, how can you ask the general public to do so?" he asked.

Representatives of the South African War Veterans’ Association, the Wellington Gallipoli Veterans’ Association, and the Old Contemptibles’ Association spoke against the change.

They said that many of their members were now elderly and could not be expected to go to a morning parade. The tying-in of the wreath-placing ceremonies would make the service in the morning additionally tiring.

No Change Proposed In Auckland

(New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND. October 22. The Auckland Returned Services’ Association has no plans for switching the citizens' Anzac Day service from the afternoon to the morning. Auckland attendances were growing, the acting president of the Auckland Association (Mr R. D. Cowie) said today. “I am surprised to hear Wellington has gone over to the morning services.” he said. “The answer to the problem of attendances, as we have found in Auckland, is for unit associations to organise groups.”