World War II veteran Jack Meehan, 95, was among the first to tour the World War I exhibition at Classic Flyers featuring Tauranga's contribution to war. Photo / Andrew Warner
World War II veteran Jack Meehan, 95, was among the first to tour the World War I exhibition at Classic Flyers featuring Tauranga's contribution to war. Photo / Andrew Warner
A World War I exhibition set to become a huge public drawcard was opened last night at a special dinner in the venue at Tauranga's Classic Flyers.
Many of the city's commercial, civic and parliamentary leaders were among the first to see World War I: From Tauranga To The Trenches,which took months of work by exhibition manager Michelle Whitmore and her team of 12 helpers. The formal dinner's master of ceremonies, The Hits daytime show host Will Johnston, said the exhibition had been put together lovingly, professionally and thoughtfully. He said it was for everyone to enjoy and it was free, so no one had an excuse not to come. Mr Johnston expected the exhibition would bring back memories, make people feel proud and potentially bring back some sadness which he said was "sort of the point".
Ms Whitmore recalled how the exhibition came about. It sprang from Bev Mason's knitting commemorative poppies which in turn led to the Legacy Trust sponsoring the knitting and the question of why Tauranga was not having an exhibition to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the landings at Gallipoli.
"That led to a conversation with TECT which became the anchor funder. We then knew we could put it on."
Almost all the city's schools had plans to visit the exhibition which opens to the public on Anzac Day this Saturday and runs until May 23 from 10am to 3pm. Guest speaker at the sell-out dinner attended by 280 people was Air Marshal Sir Bruce Ferguson, who lived in Tauranga from 1958 before joining the military in 1969, aged 18. Instead of focusing on Gallipoli, Sir Bruce spoke about the 2004 return to New Zealand of the Unknown Warrior killed in battle in France in WWI, in which he played a big part while he was Chief of the Defence Force.
Exhibition visitors follow a pathway, with information about the war. It then turns to the role of Tauranga's soldiers, with a section on Gallipoli provided by cultural heritage co-ordinator Fiona Kean and her team. The exhibition also looks at what was happening on the homefront and the role the Bay of Plenty Times played in war time. "We look at what was happening in the community to support the soldiers. The very last aspect is when peace was announced and how the town celebrated and commemorated," Ms Whitmore said.
The exhibition was also backed by Pak'n Save Tauranga and Papamoa, Holland Beckett, Staples Rodway, Carrus, Tauriko Business Estate, Tauranga City Council, Classic Flyers NZ and Eves. The exhibition is being supported by NZME. through the Bay of Plenty Times and radio stations ZM, Newstalk ZB, The Hits, Radio Sport, Hauraki, and Flava.
