Luke Kirkness: I never appreciated Anzac Day but now I understand, you should too

OPINION:

It's official.

We live in one of the greatest places in the world, according to me.

Sure, there are a couple of things wrong here and there but the Bay of Plenty, well, New Zealand, is a great place to live.

And we owe much of our gratitude to the men and women who have served in conflicts all over the world.

This weekend we commemorate New Zealand and Australian troops and I think the entire population needs to turn out in force.

Events have affected the way we have marked Anzac Day over the past few years. Many services throughout the country were disrupted in 2019 following the March 15 Christchurch terror attack.

And last year the Covid-19 enforced lockdown meant we were unable to gather together at memorial sites.

A member of the honour guard stands to attention at the cenotaph overlooking the beach at Mt Maunganui. Photo / Alan Gibson

Instead, the Returned and Services Association asked Kiwis to congregate at the end of their driveways at dawn.

RSA national president BJ Clark earlier this week told me he was surprised at how many people he saw when he got to his gate.

"As I stood out at my gate and looked across the road, it was very emotional to see all of the people who stood at the gate to be part of that remembrance.

"I would hope that the public will come back out in force this year because it's important that we remember. If we don't ... we might make the same mistakes of the past.

"Why I say that is that no one who has served will ever glorify that service, never glorify war, they go as a feeling of duty."

Clark said veterans felt their sacrifice was worth it and their service was valued when large crowds attended Anzac Day services.

I had never thought about it before. It makes an awful lot of sense.

Last year, I was tucked up in bed when thousands throughout New Zealand woke up early and commemorated Anzac Day together — somewhat differently than normal.

It's not that I did not respect the Anzac tradition or the Kiwis who went away to defend our freedom in conflict, I just didn't fully appreciate why we recognised the day.

I've attended services in the past, even taken place in a march to our local Cenotaph, but even then I attended reluctantly.

Never again. I'll be at this year's service to acknowledge their sacrifice, their sense of duty and their courage in defending our freedoms.

We wouldn't be able to enjoy the spoils of New Zealand without the sacrifices of the Anzacs. Photo / Alan Gibson

I hope you'll join me and hope you'll join me in waking up early and head out to your local memorial service. There is plenty of information online for services countrywide.

Take the time to do some research and really think about what you love about this country.

Think about those who sacrificed life and limb so that we could live in a time of peace.