Anzac Day remembrance ceremonies have been planned throughout Horowhenua tomorrow.
Horowhenua will mark Anzac Day tomorrow with ceremonies throughout the district, with remembrance services planned in Levin, Foxton, Shannon, Manakau, Moutoa, Waitārere Beach, Ōhau and Tokomaru
In Levin, ceremonies begin with a dawn parade through Oxford St. People are able to assemble at the Levin RSA in Devon St before dawn and join the march to the cenotaph at Remembrance Park in Cambridge St.
Horowhenua District Council is encouraging the community and visitors to mark the day by gathering in person or online to remember those lost in war and to honour returned servicemen and women.
Ceremonies would be held in Levin, Foxton, Shannon, Manakau, Moutoa, Waitārere Beach, Ōhau and Tokomaru. The Levin civic ceremony will be live-streamed on horowhenua.govt.nz/YouTube.
Mayor Bernie Wanden said it was important that people had an opportunity to pay respect.
“As we bear witness to events unfolding around the world, we see that the human toll of conflict is not confined to the past, nor to a single generation. This Anzac Day, while we pay tribute to the sacrifices throughout our history, we also consider the present.”
“We want people to mark Anzac Day in a way that is comfortable for them. The civic ceremony in Levin will be live-streamed on council’s YouTube channel, giving people who may otherwise be unable to attend the opportunity to be a part of it. We’ll also have special seated areas close to speakers to help people feel comfortable whether they choose to attend online, or in person.”
In the event of bad weather, the Levin dawn service and civic ceremony, and Foxton dawn service, will be moved to their respective RSAs, and the Shannon civic ceremony will be held at the Shannon Memorial Hall.
Anzac Day is New Zealand’s most important day of national commemoration and is observed annually on April 25.
It marks the anniversary of the first major action by New Zealand and Australian forces during the World War I, landing on the Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey.
Anzac is an acronym for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps.