Katikati remembers its fallen

Katikati RSA President Peter MacKay led the Dawn Service. Photo/Chris Steel

Hundreds in Katikati were greeted to a brisk, clear morning today to mark Anzac Day - a day when thousands of young men, far from their homes, stormed the beaches on the Gallipoli Peninsula.

The moon shone at this morning's dawn service at Memorial Square where Katikati RSA President Peter MacKay welcomed a large crowd of more than 500 to the commemoration. He told the crowd there were two new pieces at the Square - a Memorial Stone and a mural of a soldier - to "remind us of our fallen."

Katikati's dawn service drew a large crowd today. Photo/Bruce Cooper

Mr MacKay also acknowledged a contingent from the naval vessel HMNZS Hawea, which is in Tauranga as part of the Royal New Zealand Navy's 75th Anniversary and Anzac Day commemorations.Hundreds in Katikati were greeted to a brisk, clear morning today to mark Anzac Day - a day when thousands of young men, far from their homes, stormed the beaches on the Gallipoli Peninsula.

The moon shone at this morning's dawn service at Memorial Square where Katikati RSA President Peter MacKay Due welcomed a large crowd of more than 500 to the commemoration. He told the crowd there were two new pieces at the Square - a Memorial Stone and a mural of a soldier - to "remind us of our fallen."

Mr MacKay also acknowledged a contingent from the naval vessel HMNZS Hawea, which is in Tauranga as part of the Royal New Zealand Navy's 75th Anniversary and Anzac Day commemorations.

Famous war poet Mike Subritzky braved the chilly morning to read his poem, the Spirit of Anzac, which appears on plaque on the Memorial Stone.Main Street Katikati was unusually quiet as SH2 was closed allowing space for people to spill onto the road.

A representative of the HMNZS Hawea laid a wreath at the Dawn Service. Photo/Chris Steel