Matakana War Memorial - ANZAC Day Service

Features: Guest Speakers, poetry reading, Solo guitarist, Choir and a Piper.

We haven’t held an official ANZAC Day Service at the Matakana War Memorial for the past two years. Cancellation was the word - Christchurch Mosque shooting and a pandemic forced us to act in clandestine ways. At dawn, bagpipes were heard throughout the village, a haunting bugle sounded the Last Post, and a tender Waiata sent us on our way. On those cold April mornings that ANZAC Spirit arose and We remembered.

This ANZAC Spirit originated during the First World War on the Gallipoli Peninsula. The British commanders recognised unusual attitudes and deeds performed by the New Zealand and Australian soldiers. A quick Google search and we see that the ANZAC Spirit is defined as: straight-up; classless; tolerant; courageous; enduring; clever; creative and trusting.

other words we get the hard jobs done in our own special way, without nonsense, snobbery or whining.

The soldiers listed on the Matakana War Memorial expressed these characteristics. At Tel el Saba Major Chas Ashton and his men of the Auckland Mounted Rifles dismounted and charged the Ottoman Machine guns without question or fear. These men kept charging until they took that hill and silenced those guns. The aftermath of their action was an epic victory for the Australians at Beersheba.

Private Eric Ingram, a young farmer from the Whangaripo Valley, woke on Thursday 4 October 1917 to face the worst day of his life - the Battle of Broodseinde Ridge. Historic records cannot do justice to the gallant acts, or accurately recount what happened that morning.

Our losses are so overwhelming that we refer to that day as the “Black Day of October”.

Rifleman Charles Leeds of Tongue Farm used his unique mining skills gained at the Waihi Gold Mines to help the Australian Tunnelling Corp at Vimy, Ypres and Messines. For two years he lived underground digging those famous tunnels under the German lines.

As a young nation there have been many bumps in our road of history and today we stand here as proof that this ANZAC Spirit still lives within us as another victory is achieved.

An official ANZAC Day Service will (hopefully) be held at the Matakana War Memorial on Sunday 25 April at 10 am. Email: matakanafokgv@gmail.com