Younger generation among hundreds at Maketu dawn service

Western Bay of Plenty Mayor Garry Webber and Te Puke-Maketu ward councilor Kevin Marsh lay a wreath at the dawn service at Maketu this Anzac Day. Photo/Stuart Whitaker

The morning chill was no deterrent for the hundreds who made their way to Maketu for today's Anzac dawn service.

Led by Rev Manu Wihapi, the service got underway as the morning light began to creep across the sky.

Hundreds gather at Maketu's Rock of Remembrance for Anzac Day as dawn breaks over the seaside town. Photo/Stuart Whitaker

Guest speaker Western Bay of Plenty Mayor Garry Webber recalled hearing the words Lest We Forget from a leader when he was a military cadet in the 1960s and reflected on the words, saying brute force and aggression were never the best way to solve differences.

Webber acknowledged the presence of a group of students from Te Puke High School and said he hoped they represented a generation that would learn from the past, and see dialogue and respect as ways to resolve disagreements.

Te Puke High School head girl Ashleigh Ngow reads In Flanders Field at the dawn service at Maketu. Photo/Stuart Whitaker

Maureen Waterhouse from Maketu Rotary Club spoke of her father, who served in the Pacific as an engineer in Catalina Flying Boats during World War II, and her mother, who was a nurse in Tauranga, and how they met at Mount Maunganui during the war.

Waterhouse also remembered her grandfather, who served with the Canadian Mounted Frontiersmen during World War I.

She recalled the importance of Anzac Day and the Anzac spirit to her family as she grew up, and of stories told to her by her family. She said it was important for such stories to be passed on to the younger generation.

Patriots New Zealand members Harold Morris and Patriot Wayne Tapsell also spoke at the service.

As the wreaths and poppies were laid in front of the Rock of Remembrance overlooking Maketu Estuary, Te Puke High School head girl Ashleigh Ngow read In Flanders Field before the parade was brought to attention by Master of Arms Morris for the Last Post and Reveille.

Maketu Community Board chairman Shane Beech and community board member Wendy McFadyen at the Maketu Anzac Day dawn service. Photo/Stuart Whitaker