WELCOME HOME

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXI, 3 May 1938, Page 5

WELCOME HOME

RETURN OF THE ANZACS TRIBUTES TO AUSTRALIAN HOSPITALITY [United Press Association] WELLINGTON. 2nd May. Highly appreciative of Australian hospitality, but none the less glad to be home, the contingent of New Zealand returned soldiers who attended the Anzac Day celebrations in Sydney arrived back at Wellington by the Maunganui and Monowai yesterday morning. In contrast to the enthusiastic farewell from Wellington the contingent was gi-en a quiet welcome home. The ships were expected in the stream at 7 a m., but it was about 6.35 a.m. when the Maunganui loomed up out of the haze and she was alongside shortly after 7 o’clock. There was then only 20 or so people on Queen’s wharf, although a dozen more had arrived by the time the berthing was completed and a number reached the wharf during the time the men were coming ashore. The smallness of the gathering was the subject of such comments from the decks as that which urged the “crowd” not to break down the wharf barrier. From the wharf there were comments on the smart appearance of the men in the black and white striped ties issued on the trip across to Sydney. In the meantime the Monowai had appeared in the stream, where she remained until the medical inspection of the Maunganui was completed. She berthed at Pipitea wharf. Colonel R. F. Gambrill and Lieut.Colonel G. Lyon, who commanded the men in the Maunganui and Monowai respectively, spoke apreciatively of the way the contingent was received by the Sydney people. ‘Their welcome was overwhelming.” said the former, “and their hospitality extraordinary. In fact we found it quite a strenuous business to attend all the gatherings arranged. From the time the Customs Department gave us as quick an entry as' possible, the people could not do enough for us. The behaviour of the men, apart from one or two minor incidents, was excellent, and we have reason to believe they left a good impression with the Australians.” UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCES The dawn service and the main parade on Anzac Day were experiences none of the men would ever forget, said Colonel Gambrill. Nothing more impressive than the dawn parade could be imagined. The men themselves were up at 3 a.m., and during the service at the Cenotaph there were 50,000 people assembled to join in paying tribute to the dead. The crowds that watched this service and the main parade, estimated at 350,000, were handled by the police with remarkable ef- j ficiency. “One felt that the visit ot the New Zealanders and the place of honour given them in the parade was going to mean still further progress in goodwill between the two countries,” said Colonel Gambrill. In conversation with the men it was gathered that they had enjoyed an unforgettable experience, but were glad to be home. The dawn service appeared to have left an indelible impression on every mind. Australian hospitality, however, had demanded a good deal of endurance. “We attended everything we had put our names down for,” said one digger, “as a point of honour. But when we got into the hurly-burly again we found we were not as young as we thought.” AUSTRALIAN WREATH LAID At noon the returned men paraded nearly 600 strong for the laying of an Australian wreath on the Citizens’ War Memorial, Lambton Quay. Led by the president of the New Zealand Returned Soldiers’ Association, the Hon. W. Perry, the vice-president, Mr B. J. Jacobs, and the nursing sisters who travelled with the contingent, the parade marched from Waterloo Quay, opposite the railway station, via Bunny street, Stout street and Ballance street. With the men formed up in front of the Cenotaph and a large number of spectators watching, Mr Perry advanced into the shrine, followed by the nursing sisters bearing the wreath and also a smaller floral emblem. The wreath, shaped to represent the Australian map, was a tribute from the Returned Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Imperial League of Australia, and was inscribed “To the N.Z.E.F. from the A.1.F.” The smaller emblem was shaped like a boomerang, and was inscribed, “Presented to N.Z. Diggers-Anzacs, from S. Jeffries, A.1.F., on behalf of the 17th Battalion.” Addresisng the men as Dominion president, Mr Perry thanked them for the credit they had brought upon New Zealand throughout the Australian trip. “I want to tell the people of New Zealand and Australia that no greater gesture has ever been made by one country to the other than the invitation to march at the head of the Anzac parade,” said Mr Perry. “May I also thank the people of Wellington, and of New Zealand, for the sent-off they gave us, and the people of Australia for our reception. I can tell the people of New Zealand particularly that as far as the Australians are concerned their hearts are as big as the land that made them. “You men will go to your homes knowing that you have taken part in the greatest Anzac Day in history,” said Mr Perry as he called for three cheers for Australia.