Hana Mae Pilkington and her group sang Purea Nei and Auahi Rere Nei at the Anzac concert in Dannevirke.
Hana Mae Pilkington and her group sang Purea Nei and Auahi Rere Nei at the Anzac concert in Dannevirke.
Review
When the Dannevirke Town Hall doors opened on Anzac Day organisers of the Dannevirke Community Anzac Concert were delighted as the public flooded in, especially programme organiser Amy Mcdonald-Te Huki and Lions president Barbara Ferguson because it justified their decision (with others) to persist with the concert when all things looked lost.
The crowd left after a concert, thrilled with the nearly two-hour programme that mixed items which referenced Anzac with the sheer enjoyment of performance. It left the coffers jingling with $640 of donations which Lions forwarded to the Dannevirke and Districts RSA.
Gloria Macdonald wrote this review:
“Dannevirke’s Community Anzac Concert 2024 proved once again to be a wonderful showcase for local talent and a fitting way for the community to come together at the end of a special day of reflection and remembrance.
Opening the programme were Mabes and Steve Wilson-Mundy. With Mabes on guitar, they presented The Soldier’s Hymn and Te Piriti their beautiful harmonies delighting the audience and setting the scene for what was to come.
Hana Mae Pilkington and her group endeared themselves with their rendition of Purei Nei which was followed by a medley of wartime favourites.
The thought-provoking ballads Christmas 1915 and I was only Nineteen were performed by the Lions Club Mane Men and continued the Anzac theme.
Sarah Milham read two poems To My Brother and For the Fallen were a further reminder of the significance of Anzac Day.
Benson Te Huki sang He Kakano Ahau.
Vocal solos were performed by three emerging young artists. Reuben Te Huki’s beautiful baritone was well suited to Fly Love while his brother Benson chose He Kakano Ahau as his offering.
Molly Pawson flew from Christchurch to sing Fake Plastic Trees and Halls.
Dannevirke songbird Molly Pawson flew from Christchurch especially for this concert. She has been a regular contributor since the age of eight. With a borrowed guitar she delighted her hometown audience with Fake Plastic Trees and her own composition Halls.
Also contributing again was the Viking Choir. This year’s chosen songs were You Raise Me Up and an interesting and rather beautiful arrangement of Amazing Grace.
The musical items were interspersed with performances from the Origin Studio dancers.
Sarah Milham’s contemporary dance solo was entitled Coming Home and this was followed later by a show-stopping toe-tapping group rendition of Anything Goes.
Abi Max and Reuben Te Huki danced Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.
Abi Max and Reuben Te Huki donned tap shoes for Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy and senior students presented Lest We Forget in dance form.
Piper Harvey Sattrup played a haunting lament before the close of proceedings - The Ode by Major Richard Short and The Last Post and Reveille with Steve Wallace.
