WHAKATANE REMEMBERS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 3, Issue 298, 28 April 1941, Page 5

WHAKATANE REMEMBERS

ANZAC COMMEMORATION SERVICE ..IMPRESSIVE CEREMONY AT THE ROCK In sparkling sunshine many hundreds of Whakatane and district residents gathered at the ■ Great War Memorial on the . greensward fronting, Pohaturoa -on Friday to, with simple but impressive reverence, commemorate the twenty-sixth anniversary of the landing of the New Zealand and Australian troops • on the Gallipoli and) in a truly dignified manner honour those men who laid down their lives for Empire in the Great War of 1914-18. As usual the firsit part of the • cereanony was to have been held in the Grand Theatre, but owing to the great number present this was Impossible, the seating accommodation being not and the gathering at the Rock. The proceedings opened! with • ; a parade of various units which . proved; to be exceptionally large.. Many Organisations Parade. Headed by the Pipe Band, return•ed soldiers numbering over 100, the local platoon of territorials, Home "Guardsmen three hundred! strong, more than' 100 members of the Wo;men's War Service Auxiliary, Boy ■Scouts and Girl Guidies made up a procession totalling ever 600 in number. 11l turn each unit took up its position at the Memorial' where on the platform His Worship the "Mayor presided. The Whakatane Boys Band made its first public appearance: and the service opened! with the singing o* thq National Anthem. This was followed by the singing of the hymn "Old Hundredth" after which an inspiring prayer was delivered by the Rev. H. Hogg and a Scripture reading by the Rev. G. V. Thomas. Kipling's Recessional was taken up .by the congregation with feeling and preceded the address delivered ."by the Rev. S. G. Ciaulton. Mr Caulton's Address, In his address Mr Caulton stated that all were profoundly aware of the way in which history was repeating • itseilf and how the glorious •episodes of 25 years ago were be:ing repeated by the sons of the . heroes of 1&14-18 and were adding fresh lustre and honour to the glori- • ous name, won at Gallipoli. He said 'that at such a service there were many things of which to think, but stressed that to the thoughtful man <the war was a searching thing. I! "•was not only a matter of military and naval movements but made one think below the surface! to the spirit undierlying it.

More than ever before had been .driven to think of God. There were those Avho turned to God for intervention; there were others who •could see in war the working out of the pufpose of God according to :ancient prophecies. The speaker saidl he did not condemn such views, but felt that the time demanded word of warning. If war lead to the belief that it was the fulfilment of God's pre-ordained plan there was the danger of people coming to -a fatalistic attitude. "My message to you to-day is that >of courage," he said. "Courage is net' merely a military virtue, but also a Christian virtue." He continued that Jesus Christ had exhibited the supreme courage and had instilled this quality into his dist- • ciples as the< scriptures frequently illustrated. Throughout could be found such passage as "Be of good • cheer . . andi "Let not your heart be troubled . . ." Courage was the most powerful weapon of. all io wield against a foe. "We at home feel thai we can do very little in comparison with those -overseas,"* he added?, "but we a great deal by the fulfil our ordinary duties the the ordinary ways of life," It was the duty of those at home to keep :alive the spirit of ordinary living. The courage was needed:, of one confident of the right of the caiisc and who believed that the struggle was in the defence of the Almighty ■ —that of one who believed he fought on God's sid;e. Difficulties, dangers and disappointments* were ever the lot of those on the side' of God. We had not been promised -ease but difficulties, dangers and tribulations. Mr Caulton continued that all were confident of final victory and should pray to God for the bringing about •of victory and in that way we would be best worthy of our boys who were following the example of • their fathers.

The hymn "Our God our Help in Ages Past" and the pronouncing of the Benediction concluded the service. Military Ceremonial. The second! part of the ceremony followed opening with the Boy.s Band rendering The National Anthem and immediately after the congregation sieging the hymn "Abide With Me." As four members of the territorials took up guard! at the cenotaph; with, arms reversed the notes of "The Last Post" rang clear. Two minutes silence followed: and | then again the bugle sounded the Reveille. "The Grand Slow March" was played by the Boys Band and' one by one the official: wreaths we're placed on the cenotaph, the re- - turned soldiers passing by to place on the green turf poppies which formad a brilliant cross in the bright sunshine. The March Past To conclude the, ceremony the organisations represented marched! past the cenotaph in the order in which they previously paraded, the salute to the glorious dead being given.