Couple's homage to Gallipoli

REMEMBRANCE: Matt and Nikki Melvin left for a trip to Gallipoli yesterday. PHOTO/JOHN BORREN

History has always been important to Matt Melvin.

He grew up going to Anzac civic services at Memorial Park and watching ranks of World War I veterans marching to the memorial, followed by the men who fought in World War II, then the Korea veterans.

Now the marches are led by the World War II veterans and Mr Melvin wants to do his part to make sure those who are gone are not forgotten.

"The veterans I remember as a kid are no longer there.

"Now there's not so many World War II veterans left. My generation have seen the passing of those two generations.

"But there's so many young people there now. It's really special to see they aren't forgotten and, as New Zealand becomes more multicultural, the people who are attending are reflective of our culture."

He and his wife, Nikki, yesterday left for Turkey for the Gallipoli landings commemoration service.

Their names were pulled out of the Gallipoli ballot on December 16 - one month before they married.

"We sold the boat and everything we could to make sure we could get there."

The couple will spend three weeks in Europe, touring Turkey, France and Italy, and retracing the footsteps of his ancestors who fought in World War I.

"The tragic thing about all of this is Gallipoli and the Anzac memories are clearly etched in our identity.

"In my mind, it's always been so tragic that the loss of so many lives and had so many negative impacts is one of our defining moments as a nation."

As well as going to Gallipoli and seeing where Mr Melvin's great-great-uncle, Charles Gordon Campbell, fought, the couple will travel to France and Italy.

His great-uncle, Albert James Newton, fought and died on the Somme.

"His brother wrote a letter home saying he had heard Albert had been killed and he was going to go out in the dark and try to find his body."

The Melvins plan to travel to Arras in France and visit the town's large memorial for New Zealand soldiers, and also see graffiti Kiwi soldiers left in old buildings and tunnels.

Mr Melvin has a Master of arts with honours in New Zealand history and was a researcher in the 1990s with the Waitangi Tribunal and a research facilitator at Crown Forestry Rental Trust from 2010-13. He is now a history teacher at Tarawera High School and will be keeping in touch with his students during the trip.

As well as fulfilling his interest in the New Zealand involvement in World War I, Mr Melvin and his wife will spend time in Italy and take in Roman heritage.