logo
Service to community

Service to community

PHOTO: SUPPLIED
Otago Military History Group (OMHG) members and friends took part in the New Zealand Remembrance Army's "Cleaning to Remember" day recently, giving service graves a spruce up at Andersons Bay Cemetery.
Volunteers Shona Ledgerwood (left) and Isobel Nicholls were among those who worked to clean headstones in the cemetery's military section before tomorrow's Anzac Day commemorations.
The Anderson's Bay Cemetery will host the Posy Laying service from 9.30am which will culminate in Girl Guides, Brownies, Pippins and Scouts laying rosemary posies on the soldiers' graves.
OMHG member Eleanor McDuff said those who took part in the cleanup "enjoyed the work, and felt they had made a contribution to maintaining the memory of those interred there".
Many OMHG members will also take part in a variety of Anzac Day services across the city, including a service at Upper Junction RSA Reserve at 12.30pm tomorrow.
Services have been held at the site for several years, since the group completed restoration of the reserve and attendance has gradually increased from OMHG members and some locals to include residents of the area, including Opoho and North East Valley.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Simon Strombom on his drive to maintaning the graves
Simon Strombom on his drive to maintaning the graves

RNZ News

time3 days ago

  • RNZ News

Simon Strombom on his drive to maintaning the graves

Cleaning and tidying the graves of former service personnel has become a passion for Simon Strombom. The retired major left the army in 2013 after a career that included a tour in Afghanistan that earned him a Distinguished Service Decoration. Now he has been awarded the New Zealand Order of Merit for founding the New Zealand Remembrance Army, which has worked to identify and restore tens of thousands of graves around the country. To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.

Statue to honour VC war hero
Statue to honour VC war hero

Otago Daily Times

time30-05-2025

  • Otago Daily Times

Statue to honour VC war hero

More than a century after his death at the Battle of the Somme, Oamaru war hero Sergeant Donald Forrester Brown VC is set to be honoured in his hometown with a life-size bronze statue. The New Zealand Remembrance Army (NZRA), led by local advocate Barry Gamble, has announced plans to commemorate Sgt Brown — the first New Zealander awarded the Victoria Cross (VC) for bravery on the Western Front and the only VC recipient from North Otago. The Victoria Cross is the highest award in the British honours system, awarded for gallantry "in the presence of the enemy". "It's all about recognition — honouring this man who is a true blue Kiwi farmer, who spent most of his short life working the land and then bravely fought for his country," Mr Gamble said. Born in Dunedin in 1890 and raised in Oamaru, Mr Brown gave up his farm on Waiareka Rd, along with his horse and dog, to enlist in the First World War. A former student of Waitaki Boys' High School, he was serving with the 10th (North Otago) Company of the Otago Infantry Regiment when he was killed in action at the age of 26. On September 15, 1916 — the opening day of New Zealand's Somme campaign — Brown distinguished himself by capturing key enemy machine-gun positions, helping New Zealand troops break through German lines. Two weeks later, during another assault, he ordered his men to take cover while he single-handedly attacked two enemy trenches chasing the enemy down before he was fatally struck by machine-gun fire. In 1917, his Victoria Cross was presented posthumously to his father, Robert Brown, by Governor-General Lord Liverpool in Oamaru. Mr Gamble believed the statue would serve as a lasting educational and cultural tribute, preserving Mr Brown's legacy for future generations. "Other towns have honoured their Victoria Cross winners with statues and paintings — why not Oamaru? This is something we can be really proud of." Despite his name appearing on the honours board at Waitaki Boys' and a portrait in the Waitaki District Council chambers, Mr Gamble said Sgt Brown had largely faded from the town's collective memory. "It's quite sad. We've got a proud heritage of buildings and some of the best memorial statues in the country. "Yet his story is not well known." The estimated cost of the statue is $160,000. Rakaia man Bob Brown, great-nephew of Sgt Brown, has donated $10,000 towards the project. "They were really stoked that someone was wanting to do this, and they're right behind me." Mr Gamble said he will also be seeking donations from the public and organisations. Renowned New Zealand Army artist Matt Gauldie has been commissioned to create the statue. Mr Gauldie had already produced a detailed miniature maquette for $2000 to aid fundraising efforts. The NZRA contributed $1500 toward the initial concept plan, and the Waitaki District Council has expressed support. Mr Gamble, who has previously led efforts to restore the graves of former soldiers in the Waitaki district, expects the statue to take around 18 months to complete. A final location for the monument has yet to be determined. A book of letters Sgt Brown wrote to his father during the war was published in 1998 entitled Your Loving Son, Don , edited by his neice, Eunice P. Brown. In a letter from Egypt in 1916, he wrote of the camaraderie among Oamaru soldiers: "it's just great the number of Oamaru boys one finds here, and one and all are certain, old Oamaru is quite good enough for us in future".

Medical and military past to be celebrated
Medical and military past to be celebrated

Otago Daily Times

time28-05-2025

  • Otago Daily Times

Medical and military past to be celebrated

Te Kura Hauora o Ōtākou/Otago Medical School will celebrate its 150th anniversary over King's Birthday Weekend. PHOTO: ODT FILES The Otago Military History Group will add some authentic historic flavour to Te Kura Hauora o Otakou/Otago Medical School's 150th anniversary celebrations over King's Birthday Weekend. The celebration, which runs from today until Sunday, will mark 150 years of medical teaching, clinical training, research and innovation across the three University of Otago campuses in Dunedin, Christchurch and Wellington. It will include academic sessions, tours of current facilities, and opportunities for former students to reunite with old friends Otago Military History Group co-chairman Peter Trevathan said group members would create a re-enactment depicting World War 1 and World War 2 field hospitals at the Hunter Centre in Great King St. Members would be wearing authentic uniforms and historic vehicles would be displayed, he said. The public will be welcome to view the displays from 11am on Saturday and Sunday.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store