Anzac Day commemorated at Maketū and Te Puke

Eight year old Isla Grylls at the Te Puke cenotaph with the wreath she made at Te Puke Baptist Church the day before Anzac Day.

At dawn on Anzac Day, about 400 people gathered at "the rock" at Maketū's waterfront for a traditional commemoration.

Later in the morning, Te Puke Memorial Hall was full for the town's civil service.

At Maketū, as the sun rose, Te Puke High School head girl Faith Eru recalled stories of her great-great-grandfather, and great-grandfather's wartime experiences.

They were far from the only whānau members who saw service in wartime.

"My great-great-koro Winiata Rewi Tapihana enlisted for World War I at age 22," she said.

He served alongside his father, brother and uncles, and was initially sent to Egypt.

He was at Gallipoli and then the Somme, Messines and Passchendaele on the Western Front.

"According to military sources, the first man into Le Quesnoy [a French town occupied by the Germans for over four years] was an unknown pioneer who actually made it into the town.

"The man was later revealed to be my great-great-koro - who was on reconnaissance to find food because he and his comrades were starving."

He went on to become a Māori All Black and to father 21 children, living to 84.

When World War II broke out, Christie Kereti Rolleston, Faith's great-grandfather, enlisted with three of his brothers. A fourth was to follow.

He, too, went to Egypt and from there to Greece.

Te Puke High School leaders at Te Puke Anzac Day commemorations.

On Crete, he was shot in the leg.

"The word went out to leave all wounded and he was captured by the Germans."

At a prisoner-of-war camp, his leg was amputated "with a saw, and no anaesthetic, just whisky".

"His new leg was made from a crutch and that's where he got the name Pegleg."

Christie formed a kapa haka group at the camp.

All five brothers returned from the war.

"At family reunions, I have been told many stories, for example when my grandmother was mad with koro, she would grab his leg and throw it in the swamp."

Former All Black Graeme Crossman was the guest speaker at the Te Puke commemoration.

He said he was humbled to be asked because he had never served, but wanted to share some insight into what he knows about countries in conflict.

"Today that is being brought into sharp relief because of the images we see every night of the war in Ukraine.

"[Ukraine] trying to preserve its status reminds us of the people we remember today.

"They have left us with a country that has got the freedom to do lots of things that we enjoy and we should respect and make use of."

Born in 1945, he also recalled military training being intertwined with the teaching at New Plymouth Boys' High School.

"The peak of the year was Anzac Day when the entire battalion of schoolboys would dress in their army gear and would march from the high school on a 4 or 5km route march to the cenotaph. On Anzac Day there were 1200 boys in their army uniforms, well trained by this stage, who would go and commemorate with the community."

Bugler Peter Cranson sounds The Last Post at Te Puke's civic Anzac Day commemoration.

A recent visit to Ruatoki reminded him of the impact of the war on the Māori community and the 28th Māori Battalion's losses during World War II.

"In a rural community, I can only imagine what the impact was."

He also recalled the All Blacks' tour of South Africa in 1976, how the host country was under threat both externally and internally, and how that affected the country's desire to see South Africa win the test series.

Te Puke High School head boy Takabwebwe Kabuati moved to New Zealand with his mother and sister when he was 7.

"She brought us to New Zealand so we could have better education opportunities, learn English and connect with family already here."

He said Anzac Day was a time when people came together to commemorate and remember "those who fought for us".

'"It is important to also consider what they sacrificed for our freedom. As a migrant, to me this means I was able to move to New Zealand, a peaceful country, where I have had the opportunity to get an amazing education and strive to achieve my goals."

Te Puke Intermediate School head students Te Koha Kete-Kawhena (left) and Teina Williams.

In Flanders Field was read by Te Puke Intermediate School head students Te Koha Kete-Kawhena and Teina Williams, while Rotorua MP Todd McClay read the poem We Shall Keep the Faith, written in 1918 by Moina Michael.

Western Bay of Plenty Deputy Mayor John Scrimgeour reminded everyone of the courage of the first Anzacs and those who followed.

"To them, we are greatly indebted and our lives have been enriched by the freedoms we enjoy as a result of their selfless actions."