Anzac Day 25th April 2007

[Stephany]

Another article about the event.
I agree with the last sentence i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif

CROWD EXCEEDS LAST YEAR'S ATTENDANCE
26 April 2007
Dominion Post
© 2007 Fairfax New Zealand Limited. All Rights Reserved.

Thousands of people crammed around the Cenotaph in Wellington to catch a view of veterans and observe a solemn Anzac Day dawn service.

The crowd was packed around the memorial, young children crouching at the front and people craning their necks to catch a glimpse of the ranks of about 150 veterans.

Army Chaplain Colonel Margaret Hay told the crowd they were part of a "vast company" of people who had gathered at Anzac services around the country to honour the efforts of servicemen and servicewomen.

Ambulance staff were called to help several veterans who became faint during the ceremony. The service finished with the voice of Hayley Westenra echoing around the Cenotaph, as she led singing of the national anthem.

[/b]

Sarah Moles took her three daughters, aged 5, 4 and 2, to the ceremony, where they watched as their father Bryan, a former artillery gunner, marched past. "We want them to grow up being aware of Anzac Day."

Vietnam veteran John Meredith said it was humbling to see so many young people at the dawn service. "It's lovely to see the honour citizens are paying."

Wellington RSA Anzac Day convenor Trevor McComish said the crowd exceeded last year's attendance of 2500 people. "The younger generation are really embracing Anzac Day."

Many would have also come to hear Westenra, he said. [/b]
[/size][/quote]

[Stephany]

Hi everyone,
Here is another article. They briefly mention Hayley's meeting with a WWII veteran.

ON PARADE WITH MATES WHO ARE GONE
26 April 2007
Dominion Post
© 2007 Fairfax New Zealand Limited. All Rights Reserved.

A 4am start is hard when you're 90, but Basil Buckley wouldn't have it any other way. Adam Ray spent part of the morning with him. -------------------- HE HOLDS himself straight amid the ranks of veterans, fighting back tears.

Basil Buckley, a 90-year-old who fought in World War II, was trying to hide his emotions during the Anzac Day dawn ceremony in Wellington yesterday.

But the tears well in his eyes as his thoughts drift back to the war and his comrades who did not come home.

"You're on parade with all your mates that are gone, your memory goes back to the time," says Mr Buckley, who fought with the New Zealand Division in Italy as an anti-tank gunner.

He had got himself out of bed at 4am and dressed carefully, adjusting his tie and making sure his medals were properly pinned on his jacket, before a breakfast of baked beans, toast and a cup of tea.

It is getting harder for Mr Buckley, a widower, to make the dawn ceremony but he will not even consider missing it. It is his chance to remember his fallen comrades and the battles they fought.

"I thought of all the guys and what had happened, they were all good jokers -- they're all gone."

Along with the solemn memories, the dawn service is a chance to meet fellow veterans and other people.

As the ceremony finishes, Mr Buckley and about 100 other veterans march to nearby Pipitea Marae for a cup of tea and a chat.

It is a short trip but Mr Buckley, who suffers from Parkinson's, is helped by Colin McLeod, another Italy WWII veteran.

"I didn't know him before -- we just met this morning," says Mr McLeod. "He just needed a hand, that's all."

At the marae, after a cup of tea and biscuit and a chat with serving army officers, Mr Buckley is introduced to singer Hayley Westenra, who had stunned the crowd at the service when she led the singing of the national anthem.

Like Westenra, Mr Buckley hails from Christchurch, and they chat about growing up in the city.

Westenra is due to fly to Auckland later in the day but he tells her it is not a nice city. "I got in trouble there once."

[/b]

As the morning light hardens and the crowds drift off, Mr Buckley tires and feels the need to go home, tend to his budgie, watch Anzac Day coverage on television and rest up.

It has been a long morning, full of memories.

[/size][/quote]

[Dave]

ross said:

Too see the TV 3 news item on Hayley go to the following address and select the ANZAC commemorations around the country video. You can see it in broadband or dialup. Hayley singing the anthem didn't go well with some people who thought the occasion should have been more solemn.

www.tv3.co.nz/News/NewsArchive/tabid/193/Default.aspx

Thanks for that Ross, it's a nice segment about Hayley!

It doesn't look like I will be able to record the video from that one, only the audio.

Edit:

Panic not, I have it now. I just forgot to switch on my brain before trying...

Cheers, Dave i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif

[graemek]

Our Heroine sings NZ Anthem at Wellington's Dawn Service Yesterday.

Source: scoop.co.nz
Did someone say gorgeous^2 ?
Graemek

Edit : I reduced the size of the image because it was too large for the screen ~ Stephany

[Stephany]

Hum...gorgeous x 2 = MEGA GORGEOUS !!!
Thanks for the great find, Graeme !

[scoobedoo]

Hi Graeme,
there is just one mistake whoever reported that item

I thought Hayley was in Wellington not Auckland


I know our Hayley gets around but to be in two places at once I don't think so i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif


Rodders

[Stephany]

Hi Rodders,
You have a very good eye !!
And I wonder what is the paper in her hand, surely she doesn't need it for the lyrics ?
Best wishes,
Stephany

[elizabeth786]

Hi Stephany
Thanks very much for the link and for the video stills. I especially like picture from the NZ herald as you can see the intensity and focus in Hayley's eyes and facial expression when she's performing. Thanks again

[scoobedoo]

stephany said:

Hi Rodders,
You have a very good eye !!
And I wonder what is the paper in her hand, surely she doesn't need it for the lyrics ?
Best wishes,
Stephany

Hi Steph.err probably not but it could be the order of service or other notes she was handed.But then...............with all her travelling lately i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif
Hayley may have had it just incase,but then I dunno

cheers,

Rodders

[Eric]

Hi Graeme,

Thanks for the picture. I am sure she has been waiting a long time to sing the NZ anthem again! {I hope that those in attendance recognized her devotion to her country and fellow Kiwis.} It was not to promote "Treasure," for what sales would further result? It was not to introduce herself to her country, for her country already proudly stands behind her. Why did she sing so boldly the anthem that morning? I believe that she truly wanted to honor her country, those who have served her country, and those who continue to do so! It is not often she is able to share the deepest loves of her heart with the public like that! {Again, I do hope that radical journalism does not stand in the way of a beautiful, honest, and pure event.} In my opinion, she did her country proud (again!) on April 25, 2007...and my guess would be that the majority of NZ'ers (and Aussies) truly appreciate her devotion and sincerity, though they may not have a pen with which to tell the world!

But then again,
These are just a country boy's thoughts


P.S. His views may be a little "Hayley-skewed"

[Dori]

Hello,
I bought today's paper, and it had an ANZAC article with something about Hayley....
Hope you can read it! If not, I'll find the article on the website!!





Dori

[graemek]

Hi Rodders,
"I thought Hayley was in Wellington not Auckland "
Doh!!!
I fixed it so nobody'll know i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif

[graemek]

stephany said:

Hum...gorgeous x 2 = MEGA GORGEOUS !!!
Thanks for the great find, Graeme !

Hi Stephany,
That was meant to be gorgeous raised the the power of 2.
ie. gorgeous x gorgeous = gorgeous squared.
hhhhmmmm....megagorgeous is a good way to put it.
graeme

[graemek]

ericd03 said:

Hi Graeme,

Thanks for the picture. I am sure she has been waiting a long time to sing the NZ anthem again! {I hope that those in attendance recognized her devotion to her country and fellow Kiwis.} It was not to promote "Treasure," for what sales would further result? It was not to introduce herself to her country, for her country already proudly stands behind her. Why did she sing so boldly the anthem that morning? I believe that she truly wanted to honor her country, those who have served her country, and those who continue to do so! It is not often she is able to share the deepest loves of her heart with the public like that! {Again, I do hope that radical journalism does not stand in the way of a beautiful, honest, and pure event.} In my opinion, she did her country proud (again!) on April 25, 2007...and my guess would be that the majority of NZ'ers (and Aussies) truly appreciate her devotion and sincerity, though they may not have a pen with which to tell the world!

But then again,
These are just a country boy's thoughts


P.S. His views may be a little "Hayley-skewed"

NO ERIC. Your impression of Hayley is about dead right.
Graeme

[Stephany]

graemek said:

Hi Stephany,
That was meant to be gorgeous raised the the power of 2.
ie. gorgeous x gorgeous = gorgeous squared.
hhhhmmmm....megagorgeous is a good way to put it.
graeme

Yes, I know Graeme, that's why I tried to find a word for that i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif
Eric, I agree at 100% with you.
Rodders, you are probably right about the paper Hayley has in her hands.
Elizabeth, I also really like the NZ Herald picture.
Dori, many thanks for the scans. We can read the article easily.
Just in case, the original article is the following :

Photos: Thousands pay their respects
Thursday April 26, 2007
By Staff Reporters and NZPA



This year could have been the biggest turnout of Kiwis ever in honouring their war dead, Anzac organisers believe.

Thousands of people, young and old, attended services of remembrance around the country and overseas in a graphic illustration of the strength of the Anzac spirit.

Yesterday marked the 92nd anniversary of the landing of Australian and New Zealand troops on Turkey's Gallipoli peninsula at the start of an ill-fated British-led assault that cost this country more than 2700 soldiers over eight months.

In Wellington, thousands packed in front of the Cenotaph as about 150 veterans and their families led the dawn parade the short distance along Lambton Quay.

Christchurch's internationally renowned singer, Hayley Westenra, sang the national anthem before a pipe band led the marchers off towards Pipitea Marae.

Wellington Returned Services Association president David Moloney said: "It's much larger than we have had for some years. I think Hayley Westenra helped pull a lot of them in."

"It was very special," the singer said. "I didn't expect so many people would be there."

A protest, calling for New Zealand troops overseas to return home in the grounds of Victoria University's law school that resulted in two people being arrested, struck the only sour note in Wellington.

A record crowd of more than 12,000 attended the dawn service at Auckland's War Memorial Museum, which was also the scene of anti-war protest. In Mt Maunganui, people were treated to an airborne spectacular as Harvard warbirds, piloted by RSA members, flew across the sea from the east, passing over the white cenotaph by the Mount beach in the first, cloudless light of day.

About 4000 people attended the dawn parade in the Bay of Plenty town, making up for last year, when wind and rain forced the cancellation of the service for the first time in more than 30 years.

Mount RSA president Ces Hughes said the turnout was growing every year and this year was among the biggest yet.

"We see all these youngsters come along," he said, adding that talks given by old soldiers about Anzac Day had fuelled schoolchildren's interest. "We tell them to try and get their parents to bring them down."

Mt Maunganui is home to the country's largest RSA, with 5000 members, 900 of them returned servicemen and women.

The oldest is in his late 90s and 150 marched in the dawn parade.

However, the hill up to the cenotaph proved difficult for one old soldier with a walker, but his companion joked that he would be fine to "run over a few toes".

On the march down, another veteran fell, taking several colleagues with him, but all got to their feet uninjured and carried on.

Vietnam veteran Terry Verrall had missed the parade only once in 36 years, last year when it was cancelled. "It's always good to see the kids here turning up," he said. "It's good to see nearly all the Vietnam boys out too."

The Mount RSA has 25 Vietnam vets and 50 who served in Malaya.

Mr Verrall's son, Dean, a former member of the Infantry First Battalion at Linton Army camp, had attended the parades with his father since a child. "I always turn up to these Anzacs to keep the remembrance of the soldiers who have fallen," he said. "It's a tradition that's going to carry on for a long time."

In Patea, south Taranaki, however, vandals desecrated the site set up for the town's dawn service, smashing and knocking down crosses arranged around the town's cenotaph.

Patea Returned Services Association president Ken Howe said six or seven of the 80 crosses were smashed, with a number pulled out of the ground.

In Christchurch, RSA president John Suttie estimated 8000 turned up on a clear day for the dawn service in Cathedral Square.

"It would be the biggest turnout we've had for a few years," he said.

Among those were a large number of veterans from Vietnam, Malaya and later conflicts, as well as good turnout of World War II veterans.

Prime Minister Helen Clark attended a morning service at the Mt Albert War Memorial.