Latest news with #ArmisticeDay
Otago Daily Times
21-05-2025
- General
- 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
American Press
17-05-2025
- General
- American Press
The Informer: Opening of port brought rejoicing to Lake Charles
Ships crowd the docks of the Lake Charles Port on Oct. 27, 1930. (American Press Archives) 'Only once before in the history of Lake Charles — Armistice Day, Nov. 11, 1918 — was there such general and genuine rejoicing in the city,' reads the Dec. 3, 1926, American Press. 'And never before has any one achievement meant so much to the popular mind in Lake Charles as are the formal port and water opening ceremonies here today.' Lake Charles had been a port of call since the early 1800s for sailing vessels navigating the shallow river to pick up cargoes of lumber. The Intracoastal Canal connecting the Calcasieu and Sabine rivers was later completed in 1915. It was 20.5 miles long and 12 feet deep, with a 90-foot bottom width. In 1922, voters in Calcasieu Parish approved a $2.75 million bond issue to deepen and widen the Calcasieu River from the Intracoastal Canal to Lake Charles. The intent was to provide a navigation route through the Intracoastal Canal to the Sabine River and to the Gulf of Mexico. From their, the vision became larger. On April 1, 1925, commissioners met with representatives of the three rail lines serving Lake Charles —Southern Pacific, Kansas City Southern and Missouri Pacific — to discuss facilities and the role the rail lines would play in the future of the Port of Lake Charles. A special election was called for July 7, 1925, for $500,000 to build wharves, docks, warehouses, railway facilities and elevators for use in connection with the construction of the port. On Dec. 3, 1926, the dream became a reality. The American Press said trains, yachts and tug boats brought delegations by the hundreds from distant cities just to partake in the opening festivities. Long before the 9 a.m. ceremony began, Lake Charles began to hum with activity and music from 'the finest bands in the South,' including the Magnolia Refining company group from Beaumont, Texas, and the Centenary Cadets from Shreveport. Gov. Oramel Simpson and representatives of Gen. Edgar Jadwin, who was then chief of Army Engineers in Washington, D.C., were among the celebrated guests. 'The day opened clear and crisp with not a cloud in sight to dampen any one's aspirations and enthusiasm, and on schedule time formal ceremonies began with the grand parade from the Kansas City Southern deport at 10:20 a.m.,' the newspaper reads. 'From that hour on during the remainder of the day, one big event has followed another with a swiftness and magnitude that have eclipsed any celebration ever before attempted in Lake Charles.' Mayor Henry J. Geary presided at the opening of the formalities and introduced the Rev. R.H. Wynn, pastor of the Broad Street Methodist Church, who gave the invocation. 'After delivering the address of welcome in which he extended the keys of the city and of the port to the distinguished guests and to the visitors, Mayor Geary expressed greetings on the occasion, which he said is the outstanding epoch in the history of Lake Charles.' Nearly 100 years later, the Port — more formally, the Lake Charles Harbor and Terminal District — accounts for a large percentage of local economic revenue and more than $34 million in annual Lake Charles tax revenue. It covers more than 200 square miles in Calcasieu Parish and operates 5,400-plus acres.
NZ Herald
14-05-2025
- Business
- NZ Herald
Sliding bank impacting Whanganui's highland pipe band hall
The hall is at the bottom of Pukenamu Queen's Park, home to the Davis Library, Alexander Library and the Sarjeant Gallery. In his submission to the council, Gaskin said the band were subject to rates and lease fees levied by the council and 'the clear impression' was that the remaining retaining work would be completed during the redevelopment of a walkway adjacent to the hall, from Bell St to the Sarjeant. However, the walkway work was never carried out. In 2023, the council chose to landscape around the gallery only, with subsequent phases of the park's design plan put on hold because of cost. The Whanganui Highland Pipe Band was formed in 1918 as the City of Wanganui Highland Pipe Band, with its first known parade on Armistice Day in November that year. It owns the hall and has occupied the land at 1E Bell St since 1951. Gaskin told councillors that running the dehumidifier cost about $5 a day. 'Extending the retaining wall gives us a chance to dry out the room and protect our equipment, namely kilts and instruments the band owns,' he said. Band patron Robert Allen said the hall was the 'centrepiece of our existence'. 'The band has such a deep and long history with the city of Whanganui,' he said. 'We want to keep it going. 'Every Monday at 7pm, the band is at the hall and the doors are open.' On another side of the park, the Repertory Theatre has also battled a slipping bank. During last year's Long-Term Plan (LTP) process, the council agreed to sell that building to the current tenants (the theatre) for $1 and stabilise the bank around it. In the LTP, that work was estimated to cost $250,000. During hearings this week, Whanganui Mayor Andrew Tripe said a time would be organised for elected members to inspect the bank around the band hall. Mike Tweed is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.
IOL News
14-05-2025
- General
- IOL News
On this day in history, May 14
964 Said to have been the 'most wicked of popes', John XII, 29 dies. His pontificate was infamous for depravity and worldliness and his lifestyle was more suited to the secular prince that he was. He was depicted as a coarse, immoral man in the writings which remain about his papacy, whose life was such that the Lateran Palace was spoken of as a brothel. 1607 Colonists establish Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in America, unaware that they had landed amid the worst drought in 800 years. Only 60 of the original 214 settlers survive. 1800 The process of moving the US capital from Philadelphia to Washington, DC, begins. 1873 The Ohrigstad River area in the Lydenburg district is proclaimed a gold field after the discovery of gold in the Selati River. 1918 Following the death of his eldest son, Reginald, on the Western Front, Cape Town Mayor Sir Harry Hands inaugurates the Two-minute Silence to honour the loss of life in conflict. Impressed, Sir Percy FitzPatrick, who wrote Jock Of The Bushveld, writes to Britain's Lord Milner about it . The idea is taken up after Armistice Day in London in 1918 and has been celebrated each year on Armistice Day commemorations. 1944 German generals Rommel, Speidel and von Stülpnagel attempt to assassinate Hitler. The failed attempt costs them their lives. 1948 Israel is declared an independent state, but the next day, Arab states attack it. 1961 The Freedom Riders (US civil rights activists who rode buses into segregated areas) have their bus fire-bombed in Alabama, and are beaten by an angry mob. 1973 Patrick Laurence, a journalist from The Star, is charged by Apartheid authorities after publishing a statement by PAC President Robert Sobukwe. 2018 Using specially designed artificial legs, Chinese double amputee Xia Boyu, who was crippled on the world's highest peak 40 years before, finally summits Mt Everest. 2018 The US moves its Israeli embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. 2018 The successful memory transfer in snails achieved by scientists from University of California is detailed in the journal eNeuro.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
CNY vets disagree with POTUS renaming Veterans Day
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — Local veterans are speaking out, after President Trump announced he would be renaming Veterans Day as 'Victory Day for World War I.' 'I don't agree on him changing that,' said Dan DiFlorio, a Vietnam veteran. 'I don't believe that it should be done,' said Charles Johnson, a Navy veteran and who retired from the US Army Corps of Engineers. 'I'm totally against it,' said Richard Madden, a Vietnam veteran. The president made the announcement just last week. 'I think that's probably the dumbest idea that I've ever heard from that man today. I think it's incredibly insulting to the rest of the veterans in our country,' said Madden. The federal holiday, which is observed annually on November 11 is a day to honor all veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces. Veterans Day was initially known as Armistice Day. It was renamed in 1954. 'It's not a victory. It's Veterans Day, and that encompasses all veterans. Whether they were World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, all of them,' said Johnson. But not all veterans are against the president renaming Veterans Day. 'I don't have a problem with it. Memorial Day was originally to memorialize the veterans of the Civil War, that's largely been forgotten about,' said Reg Ameele, an Air National Guard veteran. President Trump also says he wants to celebrate May 8 as 'Victory Day for World War II.' 'I don't agree with that. I just don't agree with it. I want to just keep it the way it is, where we all are going to be all one,' said DiFlorio. The White House is now saying Veterans Day will not be renamed. Instead, it will be an added proclamation, that will go out the same day. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
