Whangārei man Frank Lundberg would have been playing the last post at Whangarei's Cenotaph tomorrow, but all commemorations have been cancelled due to the Covid-19 lockdown.
Whangārei man Frank Lundberg was hoping to perform the Last Post on his bugle for the Anzac Day Dawn Service tomorrow.
But, with the event cancelled, Lundberg will instead perform the poignant piece at home at 6am tomorrow, as part of the nationwide Stand at Dawn campaign.
And Lundberg has recorded a video of him performing the Last Post that has been posted on Facebook pages across Northland, including rest homes, so people can play it tomorrow, if they wish.
Because of the Covid-19 virus lockdown, the RSA cancelled Anzac Day commemorations around the country. With older people particularly at risk from the virus - and many of them expected at Anzac Day events - services were called off.
But that doesn't mean the day cannot be marked by the country, with the RSA in conjunction with the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF), commemorating Anzac Day with a 6am virtual dawn service.
As part of Stand at Dawn, the RSA wants people around the country to stand at 6am on April 25, whether it be in their homes, on their driveways or gardens - subject to safe social distancing.
Whangārei RSA President Kevin Peachey said the Anzac Day service at Whangārei was an incredibly popular and poignant occasion, with about 6500 attending last year's commemorations.
There will be no massed Anzac Day Commemorations at the Whangārei Cenotaph,above, tomorrow, but Northlanders are being urged to Stand At Dawn to mark the occasion at 6am. Photo /File
Peachey said while many would be disappointed they could not attend a dawn service this year, the Stand at Dawn campaign was a good replacement, under the circumstances.
The service will be broadcast on Newstalk ZB, iHeart radio or National Radio from 6am.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will be taking part in Stand at Dawn and has urged all Kiwis to do so if they can.
She will be standing at her driveway at 6am to show her support, saying it was important to pay tribute to those who lost their lives and those who served.
And while Lundberg is disappointed he can't perform the Last Post at the Cenotaph, he said the Stand at Dawn initiative was a great replacement.
He joined the armed forces in 1971 as an electrical engineer apprentice and did two tours of duty in Southeast Asia. Playing the Last Post at the Anzac Day commemorations was a way of honouring his fellow servicemen and women across New Zealand and around the world.
He bought the 1907 bugle he uses in Hungerford, England, and has performed with the NZ Army Band and is a member of NZ Veterans Band.
Veterans are encouraged to wear their medals tomorrow, just as they would for the official public gathering.
''Coronavirus has thrown our plans into neutral, but we can still have a pretty good pseudo-service through Stand at Dawn. Our veterans are very sad about not being able to have our dawn service, but they will be heartened that people will still be marking the sacrifices they, and every service person, made," Peachey said.
"As they stand in their own homes or driveways, it will be a very poignant moment for them to know so many other people are doing the same."
