ANZAC Day 2015 Commemorated in Belgium

The following link is from the blog of Freddy Declerck, a very good friend of New Zealand, and it records some of the events about the time of this year’s ANZAC Day.

http://thebelgianshavenotforgotten.blogspot.be/

The municipality of Zonnebeke includes the Polygon Wood and Buttes New British cemeteries which commemorate New Zealanders and Australians who died in this area near Ypres (Ieper) during World War I.

Freddy Declerck is a former Belgian naval officer and the recently-retired director of the Passchendaele Memorial Museum in Zonnebeke, which features a section on New Zealand.  He is, as you would expect, extremely knowledgeable about New Zealand’s involvement and is a wonderful guide.

Waimakariri has a twinning relationship with the Municipality of Zonnebeke, the area of which includes the site of the Battle of Passchendaele and other battles at about that time.

ANZAC Day at Tuahiwi …

The blog has been a bit quiet for a few days because I have been in Australia doing a bit of grandad duty (our only grandchild, Imogen, is now 11 months old).  We got back yesterday, in time for ANZAC Day.

I was involved in three services today: in Kaiapoi, Rangiora and Tuahiwi. Each was different but all were impressive in their own ways. There were very big crowds in the two main towns and a much smaller gathering, as one would expect, at Tuahiwi. There were other services in Oxford, Cust-West Eyreton and Fernside and at Rangiora High School. As has become the practice, an Ohoka service took place yesterday.

The memorial at Tuahiwi exemplifies what goes on all over the country and in Australia.

ANZAC Day

As has become the norm in recent years, there were large crowds across the District yesterday.  I was at the Rangiora, Fernside and Tuahiwi services and all were impressive.

As some of you know, I was the speaker at the Rangiora service.  One or two have asked for a copy of what I said, so I have put it on a page under ANZAC Address 2010 to the right of your screen.