All Blacks in history: Katikati Primary School students feature in documentary in time for Anzac Day

Andrew Mehrtens at Dave Gallaher's grave talking to Katikati Primary School via Zoom. Photo / Homegrown Television

Three Katikati Primary School students have helped honour the memory of past student and first All Blacks captain David Gallaher.

In time for this year’s Anzac Day, the documentary All Blacks at War - featuring a special segment honouring at Gallaher’s grave - has screened on RNZ and TVNZ.

Students Monty Groenewald, Scarlett Colquhoun and Blake Cousins were selected to represent the school in the documentary hosted by former All Black Andrew Mehrtens. All Blacks at War is a 44-minute video documentary produced by Jude Dodson’s production company Homegrown Television and released on Anzac Day.

Mehrtens travels to the Western Front for the doco which highlights the stories of 13 former All Blacks who died in World War I. He goes from grave to grave talking about the men and was at Gallaher’s grave in Belgium when he interviewed the children via Zoom.

The children chatted with Mehrtens about Sergeant Gallaher’s association with the school.

“He played wing forward,’’ Monty said.

Scarlett mentioned Gallaher’s mother was a teacher in room two (Gallaher and his siblings attended the first day of the school on June 1879 and mother Maria was the school’s first teacher).

To meet the time zone differences, the children met at 5.15pm New Zealand time to conduct the interview at 7.15am local time in Belgium.

The children finished the interview singing Tutira Mai Nga Iwi and Merhtens left a poppy on Gallaher’s grave on their behalf.

Katikati Primary School students got a taste of television production when they were interviewed last year. Photo / Chanelle Sharpe

Born in Ireland, the Gallaher family were part of the Irish settlers who arrived in 1878 aboard the Lady Jocelyn. He grew up in Katikati and played rugby - going on to be a wing forward and hooker and captain of the 1905 New Zealand rugby team. He played 26 games on tour.

Gallaher volunteered for the Boer War and WWI and died in 1917 during the Battle of Broodseinde. He is buried at the Nine Elms British Cemetery in Belgium.

All Blacks at War came about when producer Dobson was in France twice in 2023 due to her involvement in the newly opened New Zealand Liberation Museum - Te Arawhata. She took the opportunity to stay on and film with Mehrtens at the All Black graves around France and Belgium in the hope it might be picked up by NZ On Air to fund later in the year.

Dobson says she was thrilled the kids were able to connect with Mehrtens on a video call.

“He loved talking to them. It was so wonderful to see them remember their fellow pupil and sing a waiata for him. We all got rather teary at the other end.’’

Dobson has loved getting to know more about the 13 All Blacks.

“They are a bit like old friends to me now. Every man provides an opportunity to tell something different about the war itself, and I think that together Mehrts and Chris [Dr Christopher Pugsley] tell the story of our men beautifully.”