ANZAC DAY’S NEW SIGNIFICANCE

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22314, 26 April 1947, Page 4

ANZAC DAY’S NEW SIGNIFICANCE

DEAD OF ALL WARS UNFINISHED CAUSE TASK FOR SURVIVORS GISBORNE OBSERVANCES "Those whom we mourn as having passed from this life have in a sense made their sacrifice complete in (lie act of giving their lives for their country and their God,” said the Rev. J. G. B. Talbot, speaking at the Anzac memorial service in Gisborne yesterday. "There are others whose sacrifices continue the wounded and maimed, the wives, mothers, fathers, children of the slain. For them there arc the memories of their loved ones, the happy memories, the sad memories, the comfort of having loved them and been loved by them. "For us all, our grief for the fallen must be transmuted into work for the unfinished cause they left behind them. We must act as ambassadors of our departed, their messengers and their spokesmen, carrying out the mission for which they lived and strove and which they have bequeathed to us. “They lived, loved, laughed, toiled and served, and we must be worthy emissaries for them in the life they have left behind.” . The service was largely attended, and was held in ideal weather which later in the day turned to rain and affected the Anzac Day services at many points throughout the district. The Rev. J. Kingsley Fairburn, M.8.E., conducted the ceremony on behalf of the Gisborne Ministers’ Association, to which body the religious service was delegated by the Gisborne Returned Services’ Association. Nation’s Loss in Two Wars The new significance of the Anzac Day anniversary as a day of dedication and commemoration in respect of the war dead of two generations was touched on by Mr. Talbot in his opening remarks, when he stated that the greatest tribute paid to the Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force was the realisation that they had proved themselves worthy successors of the men from this country who fought in the First World War. On this day Diggers and Kiwis had marched side by side, he said, to lead the nation in remembering the fallen. The nation in paying tribute to those who had given their lives, also remembered those who had returned and the services they had rendered to their country. It was inevitable that thei’e could be no equality of sacrifice. For some the war had meant the end of this life, for some it had ended with their return to homes and loved ones. Yet all had made the same offer, and those who had returned shared that with the honoured dead. All should be remembered not as members of one group or another, but as members of the community who had been ready to sacrifice everything for the community and for the ideals represented by the British Commonwealth of Nations.

Symbol of Great Sacrifice The War Memorial before which they stood was the symbol of thousands of while crosses scattered in foreign fields —a symbol of that remembrance which other nations shared, as had been shown on Armistice Day in 1945, when in France and Belgium the last restingplaces of the British dead had been decked with wreaths. Death had removed the fallen from this life, but it had left the recollections that must in seme measure comfort the bereaved, “Let us remember them as we knew them, young, straight of limb, cut down in their youth and giving their all to their cause, yet leaving memories of love and happiness," said Mr. Talbot. “They are not to be mourned as men without hope, for to them a door has been opened through which they, having faith, have achieved the eternal happiness promised them upon the Cross. The greatest tribute we can pay to those who gave their lives is to be worthy of their sacrifice.” Impressive features of the service were the sounding of the “Last Post” by a group of buglers accompanied by a roll of drums and later the "Reveille.” At an interval in the service official wreaths were laid upon the memorial by Colonel R. F. Gambrill, on behalf of the Gisborne Returned Services’ Association, by Mr. N. H. Bull, Mayor of Gisborne. Mr. F. R. Ball, representing local authorities in the town area, Mr. E. 11. Baker, representing country local authorities, Mrs. N. li. Bull, for the women’s organisations of the district, and by two High School girls on behalf of the school children. Prior to the opening of the ceremony many private and public tributes were paid in flowers, and the base of the memorial was banked with emblems, many of which bore affecting messages of remembrance of individual servicemen.

Impressive Parade Precedes Service The Anzac Day parade was Impressive, especially the number of returned men and women who marched from the Army Hall in Fitzherbert street to the War Memorial in Haiti esplanade. The marching of the column was as good, probably, as on any previous Anzac Day, and once again the steadiness and even cadence of the group of 100 High School girls who took part attracted much attention. " Units represented in the column v/ere the Home Guard Band, the South African War Veterans’ Association, the First N.Z.E.F., the City Band, the Second N.Z.E.F., the Salvation Army Band, High School boys and girls, the P.B. Pipe Band, St. John’s Ambulance and the Girls’ Life Brigade. Some units which had taken part in previous parades were absent this time, chiefly organisations mainly comprising children of the younger ages. The increased strength of returned service personnel offset the non-appearance of these units, however, and the parade; was considered an exceptionally good one. Brigadier F. S. Varnham commanded the column, which was marshalled by Captain L. R. Stichbury.

The 25 South African War veterans were accorded pride of place among the ex-service people. For many of the veldt veterans the march must have been something of an endurance test, but they finished strongly and earned a heart-warming compliment from the younger men of the First and Second Expeditionary Forces. Leading the procession back to the assembly-point, they drew off to the side of the road near the street bridge and stood at attention while the remainder of the units passed on over to Fitzherbert street. Without formal orders, each succeeding group of veterans saluted their seniors with raised hats.