Praise heaped on Anzac helpers

THANKS: The RSA is "humbled" by the success of the white cross project.

Masterton RSA president Bob Hill is "humbled" by Wairarapa's response to the Fields of Remembrance white crosses project and he wants to thank everyone who supported it so strongly.

"I'm so pleased and amazed the community came together for the fields," he said.

He had wondered, prior to the project starting, how it would work with the community, and there were fears of vandalism after the crosses went down.

"I didn't know what to expect," he said, "but I had a bit of faith.

"It was the way families took ownership of the crosses, placing little mementoes.

"There was one guy who came up, he had three relatives [in the Masterton field], and he wanted to find out more about them."

He said their "wonderful community" also go behind their programme of decorating service graves after they ran out of poppies.

"We put a call out on the radio, and people brought flowers from their gardens.

"Our grateful thanks to the Masterton RSA Women's section for placing sprays of flowers on the Returned and Services persons' graves."

Mr Hill praised Wairarapa College student Shayla Farley, who delivered the Anzac Day address, David and Lynette Dew who provided the Anzac-service sound system free of charge, and Trust House for the use of its big screen.