- By Andrew Bayly, Port Waikato MP
I always enjoy this time of the year, with the trees starting to change colour and the cooler
mornings. April means autumn is well and truly on its way, along with one of my favourite
days in the year – Anzac Day.
It is perhaps the only day in the year when we all come together as one nation to honour the service and sacrifice of those who fought for us, for our way of life, and for our freedom.
It is said that it is the ANZAC spirit that is the embodiment of the values that define our
nation – courage, sacrifice, commitment and camaraderie. These values were evident in the way the ANZACs fought in the trenches, in the air, and on the sea. They fought with
determination, with bravery, and with a sense of duty to their country.
Last year, I attended six Anzac Day services around the electorate, from the dawn service on a very chilly morning in Te Kauwhata, to the RSA Civic Service in Pukekohe, where the fully restored Peace Memorial Arch was dedicated at St Andrew’s Anglican Church, along with other services at Buckland and Otaua.
It was very obvious from these parades that our younger generations are just as keen to
commemorate Anzac Day as those who have served. Several of our schools have rolls of
honour or other forms of memorials, such as the 15 memorial totara trees outside View Road School in Waiuku.
In addition to cenotaphs, there are other forms of memorials dotted around the electorate,
including several ‘war memorial halls’, such as those at Glenbrook, Patumahoe, Tuakau,
Glen Murray, Waikaretu and Waiuku, the Otaua War Memorial Bowling Green, the currently
closed Franklin Memorial Hospital in Waiuku, and the Puni Memorial Park.
I fully expect to be at various parades and services around our region again this year and look forward to renewing old friendships with the various RSAs and veterans’ groups. I hope you, too, will attend a service on this very special day to remember those who have served.
- For electorate issues, contact me at andrew@baylymp.co.nz
