Whangarei Anzac Day Observance

Northern Advocate, 26 April 1948, Page 3

Whangarei Anzac Day Observance

ANZAC DAY services in Whangarei yesterday were attended by large numbers of ex-servicemen from two world wars. About 200 ex-servicemen were present at the dawn parade, as well as a good number of townspeople, while the civic service in the afternoon was witnessed by an attendance of well over 1000, in addition to the hundreds who participated in the actual parade. The number of returned men from the Second W orld War at both services showed that they had adopted the Anzae service as their own remembrance of their fallen comrades.

The official commemoration parade of ex-servicemen, held at dawn, was conducted by ihc Rev G. E. Brown. The service was brief and simple, homage being paid to the fallen in the feeling o! the gathering rather than in words. After the last poignant notes of the Last Post had died away, and the Reveille had been sounded, the short but impressive ceremony concluded and I he parade marched off. v OEN*VTAPSI SERVICE “It is a tragedy that the sacrifice of the men to whose memory we are paying tribute today should not have brought the peace tor which they fought, but that—all over the world—there is trouble and war.” So said the deputy-Mayor of Whangarei (Mr 11. W. James) at the civic service in the afternoon. Mr James introduced Colonel E. C. Slattery, who had been a padre in the Australian forces in the 1914-18 war. He said that it was fitting that an Anzae from across the Tasman should address the parade. NOT IN HOMAGE ONLY Colonel Slattery referred to the inception of the name “Anzae.” “Lest we forget—the graveyards of New Zealanders and Australians are thick on the slopes of Gallipoli and in other theatres of war,” he said. They left their mortal remains on foreign soils and their loved ones and their nations could ill afford to lose these men who went away with a smile on their lips, thinking little of themselves but only of the cause for which they fought. , On fame's eternal camping ground Their silent tents are spread, And glory keeps in solemn round The bivouac of the dead. It was right to pay honour to the memory of the dead, not in mere attendance at commemoration services

or lofty monuments, but in sincere; tribute to their work and worth, he! continued. | The whole fabrij of the struggles; of the two wars was set with the l hemeric deeds of New Zealand and: Australian men and women, whichgo echoing down the hall oi | fame. They met a cruel death, and! fell where they stood—broken but \ not beaten, massacred but not mas-; tered. OLD LAW STILL STANDS I The old law that man must give? I his life that the things which make I life worth living may continue, stilt; stands, Colonel Slattery said. . . The Last Post followed the hymn j “God of Our Fathers,” ancl wreath j bearers and escorts drew up in the; Triangle for the ceremony. The wreaths were laid in solemn i remembrance as the piper played > "The Lament.” The bearers stood j for a moment in silence and paid i their tribute to the dead. The Rev. Stephen Clark read the j lesson and pronounced the -Benediction. At the conclusion of the ceremony i "Reveille” was sounded, followed by j the National Anthem. Parade groups then marched past i the- Cenotaph, led by the RSA group. ■ A general salute was given at the ; Cenotaph and at the saluting base.; where the President of the Whang-; arci RSA (Mr F. C. Eyles) gave ac-; kncwledgment. The groups were led by the Whn-j ngarei Municipal Band, the Wh.angarci County Pipe Band, and the Boys’ , Band. Interviewed after the service. Col- j onel Slattery said that, as an Australian, he was most impressed with the conduct of the parade, and • gathering of young and old who paid 1 tribute to the men who made the ; name of Anzae.