Former military man urges relatives to don medals for Anzac services

Leith Comer is the guest speaker at this year's Anzac Day Civic Service. Photo/File

One hundred and two years after the Gallipoli landings Rotorua is gearing up to remember those who gave their lives for their country.

Rotorua's two main Anzac Day services attract thousands of people to Muruika War Cemetery at Ohinemutu for the dawn service and to the Civic Service later in the morning at the Sir Howard Morrison Performing Arts Centre.

Former commander and honorary colonel of the Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment's 2nd/1st Infantry Battalion, Rotorua's Leith Comer will give the keynote address at the Civic Service.

He said he wanted to encourage people to wear the medals of their relatives on the left side of their clothing to help honour their military service.

Mr Comer commanded his battalion on peacekeeping duties in the Sinai Desert in Egypt and was a graduate officer of the Cadet School in Portsea, Australia and also received the Eisenhower Award for academic excellence from US Army graduate college at Fort Leavenworth.

"One of the things I want to do this Anzac Day is to talk about how important it is for each of us to be able to share stories about our whanau who have served in various wars over the years and I want to endorse family members parading their loved ones' medals on the left side of their jackets.

"Those personal things are very important."

He said his paternal grandfather served in the Maori Pioneer Battalion in World War I as a 17-year-old, his maternal grandfather was an artillery warrant officer in World War I and was awarded the Military Medal, and in World War II, his father and two uncles served in the 28th Maori Battalion.

"My story is not unique, as many families can relate stories like this.

"Anzac Day is a day for us to commemorate and celebrate the brave men and women who went overseas and fought on our behalf, some of whom died, and honour those who returned.

"It's also about the sheer scale of our country's military involvement in World War I and II.

"For such a small country we deployed so many people, more than 100,000 in World War I and 140,000 in World War II.

"It's very hard for New Zealanders today to envisage that sort of commitment to a military operation overseas and the fact we lost more than 30,000 people in those wars is still pretty shocking.

"We can celebrate the bravery of our men and women, but we must never ever celebrate war and one of the things we must do is remember the horrors and ravages of wars, the great loss of innocent lives and destruction."

He said war must always remain the last option.

Guest speaker at the dawn service is international speaker Ngahi Bidois who featured in an article in last week's Rotorua Daily Post.

The Civic Service will also include the reading of the Governor General's message and a speech by Western Heights High School deputy head girl Shanayla Barrett.

Bugler Ken Douglas will play The Last Post and Reveille.

Music will be performed by Rotorua Brass, the City of Rotorua Highland Pipe Band and the Western Heights High School Choir.

Anzac Day services
When: Tuesday, April 25

Dawn service at Muruika War Cemetery, Ohinemutu
- Parade and veterans assemble 5.30am
- Public assemble from 5.45am
- Service starts 6am
- Guest speaker Ngahi Bidois

Civic Service at Sir Howard Morrison Performing Arts Centre
- Memorial Drive parade meeting time 8.50am
- Parade leaves Memorial Drive 9am
- Parade arrives at Sir Howard Morrison Performing Arts Centre 9.15am
- Service begins 9.30am, ends at 10.30am
- Guest speaker Leith Comer