ANZAC Day - New Zealand 2009

Thousands of Aucklanders braved the wind and the rain to commemorate 94 years since the landing at Gallipoli at Auckland's War Memorial Museum
this morning.

Among those that marched on to the parade ground at the cenotaph was Noreen Henare who clung to a photograph of her father, Tamati Henare
of Ngapuhi, who fought at the battle of Casino in the 28th Maori Battalion.

Ms Henare was emotional as the crowd clapped the veterans off the parade ground at the conclusion of the ceremony. One woman in the crowd yelled out "Thank You".

Ms Henare said it has been 12 years now, since her father had died.

"Now I don't cry.

"It's not sad but now it's the memories that are laid to rest. He knows he's got his grand children and great grandchildren, they all know who he was," Ms Henare said.

She said she had invited some of them to stand on the parade ground with her and the photograph of Mr Henare in front of the Pyramids at
Egypt but they had felt more comfortable with her doing it.

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The photograph of Mr Henare has been hung "all over the place",including her marae up north.

Ms Henare said her father was known as Liberace because of his rings and gold teeth and was a great entertainer who played the banjo, guitar and ukulele.

This morning's service saw thousands of people gather at the cenotaph, in some places the crowd stood 20 and 30 deep.

The master of ceremonies, Chris Mullane, welcomed everyone, including those that could not attend "but are here in spirit and in our hearts".

A big screen had been set up at the bottom of the cenotaph steps but could not be elevated because of the high winds.

The veterans marched on to the parade ground with the crowd clapping.
Some were in wheel chairs and one or two had crutches.

They listened as Auckland City mayor John Banks read his address that included the story of Lance Corporal Robert Carville Bett who volunteered for service and fought at Gallipoli before returning to New
Zealand and volunteering again for the western front only to be killed by shrapnel wounds in Belgium.

Mr Banks read from a letter Lance Corporal Bett wrote to his mother in
June, 1917.

Mr Banks told the crowd that the letter started: "Dear Mother, it
was hell let loose".

Lance Corporal's letter described the horror of battle on the Western
Front, including mines, flares, the noise of the guns and the bodies of his fellow soldiers "all around you".

Only days later, Lance Corporal Bett himself was wounded in what Mr
Banks described as a "hail of shrapnel" and died of his wounds a week later. He was just 25 years-old.

"We do not seek to glorify war but rather to honour and reflect on the
services so many men gave our country," Mr Banks said.

He said ANZAC day was viewed with a "mixture of pride, respect
and sympathy".

Other parts of the country marked Anzac Day in their own unique ways.

In Hamilton, veterans marched across the bridge to Memorial Park where about 3000 attended the service beside the floodlit Cenotaph.

A contingent of World War 2 veterans led the dawn parade into Cathedral Square in Christchurch.

An estimated 10,000 people packed the square for the service led by Canterbury Malayan Veterans' Association president Paul Tau.

A similar number attended the dawn service in the capital at which Prime Minister John Key was present.

In Mt Maunganui, Rev Chris Haines asked New Zealanders to keep their recession hardships in perspective and not look for somebody else to blame.

"The inevitable cycles of less than plenty have much more to do with our common obsession with self-interest than with a particular person or political party," he said.

"We can, individually and as a people if we will, remember the gifts of freedom and peace that was brought to us by so many thousands of young New Zealanders who, on the sharp end of war and terror and death, gave us their second chances."

Events to mark Anzac Day were set to continue throughout out the country this morning, among them the national wreathlaying ceremony at 10.30am in Wellington.

New Zealand troops in the Solomon Islands and Afghanistan were also due to mark Anzac Day, while Governor-General Sir Anand Satyanand and cabinet minister Judith Collins were among New Zealanders at Gallipoli.

Category:

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[blUdz18]

Happy ANZAC to all my fellow Kiwi's and Aussie's out there!

[mattyo30]

great to see the kiwis support anzac day as much as aussies

[rockape560]

at least one asshole there m8...but we all remember ...from a brit

[ac130ugunship]

@COMMUNISTPHILOSOPHY

Phar cough shyte head

[COMMUNISTPHILOSOPHY]

what a joke lol, silly old fools

[DEVRIMCI2007]

rest in peace for the soldiers who died , its where nations where born

[Annasavi]

we where not here in NZ for ANZAC day last year . my mom and i got a chance to go to Gallipoli at Gabi Tepe to see my grand poppas resting place and we all took letters they had sent home and read them out .i was crying so much my mom had to finish it . I have a lot more respect for ANZAC day now than i ever have

RIP grandpoppa Williams and to all that served and had fallen there =(

[theturkzeus]

Those heroes who shed their blood and lost their lives, you are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. therefore rest in peace. there is no difference between the johnnies and the mehemets to us where they lie side by side in this country of ours.

you, the mothers who sent their sons from far away countries wipe away your tears, your sons are now lying in our bosoms and are in peace. after having lost their lives on this land they become our sons as well.

Kemal ATATURK

[metricNZ]

Lest We Forget...

[TFBOTI]

I was surprised and impressed to see south korean soldiers at the auckland dawn parade this morning, thanks for the support guys. we WILL remember them!!