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.
BRENDA.HARWOOD@thestar.co.nz
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Otago Daily Times
6 days ago
- 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.
Otago Daily Times
21-05-2025
- Otago Daily Times
Hillside memorial impresses
A Dunedin group dedicated to preserving the city's military history is delighted with a major aspect of the refurbished KiwiRail Hillside Workshops site in South Dunedin. The refurbished site, which was officially reopened last week by deputy prime minister Winston Peters, includes an impressive war memorial and memorial park. The war memorial wall holds large historic brass plaques listing the names of Hillside Workshop workers who were killed in World Wars 1 and 2. The park provides ample room for the public to attend commemorative services and includes a carved Māori sculpture and information panels detailing the site's long history and development. Members of the Otago Military History Group (OMHG), who visited the war memorial and park recently, were impressed by both the design and prominence of the memorial. OMHG co-chairman Peter Trevathan said it was great to see such an important element of Hillside Workshop's long history given prominent and dignified acknowledgement. "Everyone is very impressed with it," he said. During construction of the war memorial and park, KiwiRail operations lead Mike Beaufort and KiwiRail bridge inspector and OMHG member Bernie Flaherty liaised with lead contractor Calder Stewart on the project. Mr Beaufort said Calder Stewart had been good to work with and "very responsive" to design suggestions from the pair. "The memorial wall and the plaques look great, and we have had a lot of positive feedback from members of the public whose attention has been caught by it passing by," he said. "The intention of the memorial and park is to be a peaceful place that also highlights the history of this area and the development of Hillside Workshops from the early days." The free-standing information panels highlight Māori history, settler history, the workshops and local people. Mr Trevathan said the site had hosted its first full Anzac Day service that year, which had been a great success. OMHG member Charlie Boyes, whose great uncle Andrew Colquhoun Boyes is among the names listed on the war memorial, is thrilled with the site. A.C. Boyes was working at KiwiRail when he joined up to go and fight in World War 1 — first at Gallipoli in 1915, where he was wounded by a shell, and later in France, where he was killed by a sniper. "Having his service acknowledged here, on this impressive memorial, is very special," Mr Boyes said. Mr Trevathan said the OMHG was planning a rededication service for the Hillside Workshops war memorial, to be held at 2pm on Armistice Day, November 11. The event would include representatives of the New Zealand Defence Force and KiwiRail management. It was hoped it would involve the descendants of those named on the memorial as well, he said. "We are asking families and descendants to get in touch with us, to share any information they have about the men listed on the memorial, and perhaps any memorabilia," he said. "The more family members we can involve in the rededication service, the better — and KiwiRail staff as well." • Families and descendants interested in attending the rededication service, or who would like more information, are invited to contact Mr Trevathan by emailing petebond058@ Mr Beaufort by emailing or Mr Flaherty by emailing
Otago Daily Times
15-05-2025
- Otago Daily Times
Honouring unrecognised airmen
Preparing for a memorial wall which will be set up later this year at the South Canterbury Aviation Heritage Centre are Sally Crook and Jeremy Talbot. PHOTO: SHELLEY INON Long-forgotten heroes are being remembered by a local organisation. The South Canterbury Aviation Heritage Centre has begun a project aimed at recording and preserving all of the names of the South Canterbury men who lost their lives while serving New Zealand in the Air Force — the majority of who served in World War 2. Organiser and historian Sally Crook said over 230 men from South Canterbury had served in different roles in the war and in many different types of aircraft. Miss Crook said some of the men served in Bomber Command, which she had read had an average life expectancy of only two weeks. "For a long time the contributions of those who served in Bomber Command went unrecognised because bombing campaigns had high civilian losses too." She said there were many airmen with no known grave, and some families had lost more than one member. "I'm certain there are people I haven't found, so we will be leaving space on the board to add to." She said the people on the wall were the "quiet stories". She was hopeful people in the region could help her along with her task by providing more photographs of the men. Whether they had been born in the area, gone to school here or worked here, they would be included. Members from the centre had felt it was important to preserve the names now as it might be the last chance to find photographs before all of the information was lost. The children born to men who had died in World War 2 would now be at least 80. Photographs of relatives from South Canterbury who served with the Royal New Zealand Air Force or other Allied air forces and did not make it home, could be sent to aviationheritagecentre@ If someone had a photograph but were not able to send a copy she asked they got in touch with the group and they would see how they could help. She said the exhibition would be opened with a memorial service later in the year. An open day would be held this Sunday from 10am-4pm. Entry was $5 for adults and $2 for children, cash or bank transfer.
