More Communities Will Organise Anzac Day In Future

More Local Communities Will Organise Anzac Day In Future

The Newmarket business community is organising its own ANZAC Day commemorations for the third year running, and is calling on the public to take the precious opportunity to join World War Two returned servicemen in the annual commemorative parade down Broadway this morning.

CEO of the Newmarket Business Association Cameron Brewer believes we'll see more New Zealand communities take it upon themselves to organise their own Anzac Day parades and services in the future.

"As we've experienced in Newmarket, in the future we'll see more communities step in as local RSAs are forced to close and amalgamate with bigger clubs. It's sadly going to be a reality, when you consider that World War Two veterans are now mostly in the late 80s. What's more it's getting very hard keeping clubrooms open when operational costs are skyrocketing and membership is dwindling. Thankfully, it's increasingly obvious that local communities would not hesitate to step up.

"Newmarket has proven that you don't need a clubrooms to keep the spirit alive and the commemorations going."

In 2007 the Auckland District RSA decided not to host and organise an official parade or service for Newmarket, following the sale of its Newmarket RSA clubrooms. Since then the Newmarket Business Association has organised and hosted a community service and commemorative parade, with the service last year attracting about 200 members of the public, including veterans.

Mr Brewer says this Anzac Day is extra special.

"It marks the 95th anniversary of the start of the nine month Gallipoli campaign in which New Zealand lost 2,721 men, and a further 4,752 Kiwis were injured."

"This year we're encouraging the wider public to join in the Broadway parade. The opportunities to march alongside World War Two veterans are sadly getting less and less. It's very precious. The Auckland City Pipe Band will be leading the charge.

Newmarket's ANZAC Day parade down Broadway will start from Teed Street at 9.45am, arriving at the Newmarket war memorial in Olympic Park, near the Broadway roundabout, for a 10am service. Veterans and Newmarket Primary School children will be among those who will join in the wreath laying.

“Newmarket’s war memorial stones in Olympic Park commemorate the names the local men who died in both world wars. The former Newmarket Borough Council funded the local memorial which was unveiled by former Prime Minister William Massey in 1924.

“Our forebears went to a lot of trouble and expense at the time to create a local memorial dedicated to those young men who marched down Broadway never to return. The last thing we want to do is stop honouring those in our community who made the ultimate sacrifice for
their country. We just couldn’t bear to ignore our own local heroes on ANZAC Day.”
“Business associations don't normally organise such events but this day is dear to all our hearts. Every New Zealander has a connection ANZAC Day.

Mr Brewer said the business association's community event has the full support of the RSA’s Auckland District President.

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