ANZAC DAY.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4406, 26 April 1922, Page 2

ANZAC DAY.

SERVICE AND PARADE. IMPRESSIVE CEREMONIES. Notwithstanding' the wet weather the residents of; Paeroa turned out in full force to pay homage to our fallen heroes on Gallipoli. The parade left the Drill Hall at 2.15 p.m., headed by the Army Band, led by Mr A. Lyes carrying the Union Jack. The Returned Soldiers were under the command of Major T. ttersall and the Territorials and Cadets were in charge of Capta’in Peacock. On arrival at the Central Theatre the Mayor (Mr P. E Brenan) opened the commemoration service by saying that since the last occasion upon which we had met to do honour to the memories of the day a ■slight change hpd taken place in the status of Anzac Day. The State had now set the day. apart as a sacred day, and it was gratifying to all who took part ir. civic m.atters tp see how the citizens had responded to the call to do honour to the It was due to the efforts of those brave men that we are able to take part in the service tc day. The day brought sad thoughts to those who had lost dear ones. He appealed to the children to look well on the .Roll of Honour board as an inspiration to them to become worthy citizens to the Empire to which they belong. The National Anthem was then sung, Mrs Cook as accompanist, followed by selected hymns and prayer;. The Rev. McDonald "and Mr L. Underwood assisted in the service. During the collection the Salvation Army Band played effectively "Jerusalem. my Glorious Home.” After the service the people returned to the school to view the Roll of Honour, where a large number of! most beautiful floral wreaths of various colours had been placed in honour of the fallen. Prior to the ceremony, Mr J. Walmsley, after a few well chosen words, laid a fine wreath of white flowers from the returned soldiers. The school children presented a very appropriate one of red poppies. The large number of wreath's was a sure token that the people of Paeroa had not forgotten Anzac Day., with its hallowed memories The collection amounted to Xia. which, less expenses, is to be donate! to the War Memorial Fund. THE ADDRESS. “Quit ye like men, be strong. Let all your things be done with charity." “Behold the Man.” The Rev. W, J. Enticott. basing his remarks on the above texts, gave a very stirring address. He said that the custom of commemorating Anzac Day was of great importance. Some people say, “What is tfhe use of opening up all the old wounds and troublous times ; far better, not to celebrate Anzac Day at all ?” They would rather say , nothing of the valiant and self sacrificing soldiers who left their homes in tjhe Dominions, giving tlheir lives for their king and country. He believed that t.he valour of those men should be kept green forever in the memories of the living of to-day, for th°y proved themselves in every respect strong men. We could repeat too oftep the story of the brave deeds of our men from 1914-49.18 who, answered ..the call so freely showing them~~to be true children of. great forefathers. It was to. be hoped that the rising generation would follow the glorious deeds of the unseen souls who kept these shores free from the foe, and who would echo us "Quit you like men and be strong.” Those men were prompted by love which, really spelt loyalty. -We were assembled together to day to remember not only those who were 1 no more, but to sympathise’with the sorrowing and bereaved and to thank Him for our own safety and national freedom, “Lest we forget.” On a day such as this our minds, are concentrated on our brave boys who went to Gallipoli, thus baptising a new word to the world, “Anzac Day.” The speaker then went on to say that before the year 1914 we were all becoming too self-centred, and thought too much of our individual prosperity, forgetful of the Homeland which we were sheltering under. War brought us to bur bearings. It seemed that the Kaiser and his colleagues got it into their heads that we were not in .unity, but divided. A call went forth to those supposed decadent beings : men rose to the occasion, and the valiant deeds done at Gallipoli proved that we were one, all in all. A love such as this enables us to “Quit you like men and be strong.” The speaker then impressed upon tihe rising generation that they must take heart and not play at soldiers or the Empire would not be able to emulate the men who (fought the German assassins. They must forever keep green and fragrant in the.-r memory the men who gave their lives in the Great War. He then presented the poppy, as being symbolical of the glorious deeds done by the men on Gallipoli and Flanders fields. The red hue of the poppy flower might be taken to symbolise the blood shed by our fallen heroes, and the black cross in the flower the Cross of Christ — the Calvary our soldiers bore for our sakes. SERVICES AT ST. PAUL’S. The Anzac Day services at St. Paul’s Church were characterised by a spirit of devotional heartiness, and it was encouraging to note the large congregations which were present both at 11 o’clock and again in the evening.' The Holy Communion was celebrated at 8 a.m. and again at 11, when the service was fully choral. The special Introit, taken from the opening sentences of the burial office, and ending with the words “The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away —Blessed be the Name of the Lord,” gave the keynote of triumphal hopefulness of the services throughout the day. The music of the Office was well rendered by a strong choir, which had been -augmented for the occasion, and the incidental hymns were heartily joined in by the congregation. The Collect Epistle and Gospel were those for the day., the Feast of St. Mark, and the vicar took the words? “Without Me ye can do nothing" from the Gospel, as his text.

In a thoroughly practical discourse he spoke of some of the lessons to be learned from Anzac Day, and pointed out that the, words of the text summed up the crux of the whole of them. Prayers were offered for all those who fell in .the War, and also for those who, having gallantly fought and borne their part, have been spared to return to their homeland. Very many beautiful wreaths and floral emblems were brought to the church and laid on the temporary shrine erected beneath the Roll of Honour, which was itself draped with the Union Jack and New Zealand Ensign and surmounted with a laurel crown. Full choral evensong, followed by the Litany, was sung at 7.30 and a®very impressive address from the words of the Book of Revelation, chapter VII/ v. 9 14, was given by Mr P. C. Furley, one of the layreaders which emphasised the lesson that through great tribulation those whom we commemorate on Anzac Day have passed into the "great multitude which no . man could number." During the afternoon a great many persons vis'ted the church to view the Roll of Honour, and also, no doubt, to remember before God those who made the supreme sacrifice. SERVICE AT NGATEA. Anzac Day was commemorated at Ngatea with a service in the evening, the preacher being the ReV W. J. Enticott. of Paeroa. The Salvation Army Band was requisitioned for the occasio’n, the cost of transport being borne by a returned soldiers’ committee Which had Mr D. A. Vincent at its head. - , The form of the service was the same as was held in Paeroa in the afternoon. Thebe was in addition a solo sung by Mrs Clark. For most of the hymns the band supplied the music, and for the remainder Miss R. Hi’.ford supplied the music at the piano. The collection was devoted to the Poppy Day Fund. The service was concluded with the playing of the Dead March and the Last Post. SERVICE AT TURUA. An Anzac Day commemoration service was held in the Victoria Hall ’a=t night, Mr J. C. Miller occupying the cha’r. The usUal form of service was held and an appropriate address was delivered by the Rev. D. C. Stewart.

Amongst the many beautiful wreaths placed on the school Roll ofi Honour were those fronj the follow 1 - ing, who had attached cards. A number of wreaths, however, did not bear any name of! the sender: Thames Valley branch Returned Soldiers; Paeroa Borough Council; Hauraki Dis‘rict Comforts Committee; The Children of Paeroa District Hign Scnool; Paerpa Rugby Union, to which was attached the following words. “In memory of those sportsmen who died as they had lived, Playing the Game"; Paeroa' High School Staff; Colonel and Mrs E. W. Ppcritt and Captain and Mrs Eric Pprritt; Mrs Smith; Mr and Mrs S. Hales; Mr and Mrs J. Merrisen ; -Mr and Mrs S. J. Bishop; Mr and M» s Gambling; Mr and Mrs G. H. Taylor ; Mrs Salt; Mrs Makovitch ; Misses Muriel Taylor, Iris K. Taylor; Clarice Taylor ; Joy Taiboys; Ethel and Master Jim Findldy; Freda and Hilda Lawrence; Master Roy and •Miss E. M. Garry; Bessie Ryan, Violet Ryan, Pansy Ryan; Doris Rynn ; Marjory and Joyce Say; Edna ■Hayward.