Wild Land

Georgina Beyer died today.

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There was a good public turnout at the ANZAC Day commemoration service in Tawa this morning.

Sunday, 25th April 2021

Tawa’s ANZAC Day parade and commemorative service attracted a typical good turnout from the public this morning. Led by local pipe band Red Hackle, the parade marched down Oxford Street to the memorial at Grasslees Reserve. The service began at 10 a.m., attended by local representatives of the armed services, Returned and Services Association, NZ Fire Service, Police and members of the public, swelling numbers to about 500.

ANZAC Day Tawa 2021 003 Crowd

The weather was fine, with intermittent cloud and a cool breeze.

ANZAC Day Tawa 2021 014 Flags

There were speeches, prayers, presentations by local school students, and the national anthem was sung. Flags were raised and lowered, and the sound system performed well.

ANZAC Day Tawa 2021 017 Speech

Wreaths were laid by local service groups to remember those who served in the Boer War, WWI and WWII, Korea, Vietnam and other conflicts, as well as J-Force.

ANZAC Day Tawa 2021 026 Wreaths

At the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month”¦

Some of us still pause to think of the importance of that day in 1918 and also to remember those who have served and died in military service over the years.

Some seek a quiet place to be at that time of reflection, and one of Tawa’s little-known monuments may just be that place.

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The remains of King Richard III were buried at Leicester Cathedral earlier this week, closing a late chapter in the Wars of the Roses.

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Revolutionary
Battler
Prisoner

Politician
Reformer
Peacemaker

Role Model
Liberator
Legend

Died, South Africa, 5th December 2013
Now resting from his labours.

Distinguished journalist and television broadcaster Alan Whicker died this week, aged 87.

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Thursday, 25th April 2013

Perhaps as many as three hundred people of all ages attended the ANZAC Day parade at Tawa this morning. The local pipe band led the procession from the centre of the village to the RSA rooms, followed by family groups, children in pushchairs, and a large black labrador howling at the skirl of the pipes.

A brief welcome took place outside the RSA and about two thirds of the crowd filed inside to attend the service. It was standing room only inside the RSA’s main hall.

The rain held off during the parade but began to fall during the latter part of the commemoration ceremony. A colonel from the New Zealand Army addressed the crowd, and the braver attendees joined the bun-fight in search of a cup of tea or a beer with their buddies.

Unofficial reports suggest that the local Poppy Day collection was much-improved this year as well.

All round, it was a good effort by the local community in support of their service men and women.

They were remembered in style this morning.

The eccentric populariser of astronomy, Patrick Moore, died yesterday at the age of 89.

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WWII Medals

Though their ranks thin with time,

we haven’t forgotten them.

The Returned and Services Association (RSA) decision to import poppies for the 2012 Poppy Day Appeal instead of having them made in New Zealand has stirred up public opinion during this year’s appeal.

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One of Gisborne’s treasured monuments remains in a precarious state more than three years after it was damaged by a strong earthquake.

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For nearly a week we’ve been living in hope that the 29 miners trapped in the Pike River coalmine on the South Island’s West Coast had survived the gas explosion and could be rescued. A second gas explosion this afternoon has dashed that hope.

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Dame Patricia Evison, well-known New Zealand actor, died today.

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