HONOURING THE FALLEN

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 8, Issue 61, 3 April 1945, Page 4

HONOURING THE FALLEN

CEREMONY AT RUATOKI MEMORIAL TABLETS UNVEILED A representative gathering of the tribes ol Ngati Porou Whanau Apanui and Te Arawa, together with members of the local' tribes, Ngati. awa and Ngati Pukeko took place on Tuesday last at the Rongakarea liuatoki North when tab:ets to the memory of three men of the Tuhoe tribe who were killed in action with the Maori Battalion were unveiled and dedicated. Present in the official party, were His Lordship Bishop Bennett of Waiapu the Hon. Sir Apirana Ngata, Revs! W. Panapa, Manihera, Rangiahu and Major Vercoe, D.5.0., D.C.M.' together with officers of the Maori Lieut. Col. Bennett Major the Rev. Wano, Major Capt. Wirepa and Capt. G. Santon. The ceremony opened with the traditional haka of welcome, by pupils of the Tawcra school which was followed by the customary challenge and lament,. Chief Takarua Tamaru, on behalf of the members of the Arawa people present extended a welcome to the visitors and spoke of the gratitude of the Maori people to Sir Apirana Ngata for his so timely visit. He also welcomed the officers of the Maori Battalion and the other members of the official party. Chief le Pairi } paramount chief of the tribes in the Wahnana district, and Chief Te~ O Hcihei from Waiohou also spoke, warmly endorsing the remarks of the first speaker. Replying, the Hon. Sir Apirana Ngata stated that he wished to express his heartfelt sympathy to the relatives of the Maori boys who had sacrificed their lives for their country.

"I have with me/' he said t "men of the Whanau Apauui tribe. I regret that it was impossible to muster all those men who have just arrived back in New Zealand with the most recent draft. However the time is fast approaching when Ave will have the opportunity of avelcoming back all our boy; avlio will be coming home as the hostilities in the western, theatre of Avar draAV to a close." . He concluded by saying that there [ AA'ere people in the Dominion AA'ho had not, and were not, putting their whole AA r eight behind the Avar effort. The Te Rawhaiti people had made perhaps the biggest sacrifice in this war ( yet there Avere those, who, having not.done, their full share, Avere nevertheless, claiming the same honours. He did not think this Avas fitting.

"You have called us to meet you here on a most solemn occasion " said Bishop Bennett, in extending greetings to the people of Tuhoe. "The occasion is the unveiling of tablets erected to the memory of your three sons killed in the present war." Continuing, he stated that at present the. world and its people were going through times of agony as a result of the war, the wounds and effects of which cut so deeply. To the school children he extended his gratitude for the welcome extended to the party and went on to I say that they would have a big job to do in the future. In their hands lay the responsibility for a better post-war world and they would need to do everything in their power for the benefit of the Maori people in the years to come. A short service was then conducted on the marae His Lordship Bishop Bennett j and the Revs. Pan_ apa (Rotorua), Wharetini Ran«gi (Ruatoki), Rangiaho (Te Puke)

Rangiihu (Tc J. C. J. Wilson (Whakatane) and Wano ofTiciat. ing The dedication of the plaques was carried out in the Church where Lieut. Col. Bennett expressed his appreciation that the honour of the unveiling had been given to them, as officers of the fallen men. [ The tablets to the. memory of Pte. H. Hohua j Pte. P. Rangioha and L. Cpl. N. Rangi were then dedicated and unveiled. The service concluded with the National Anthem. A full hangl dinner prepared by Sgt. Major P. Pouwhare assisted by Mr H. Anderson Avas served and a selection of action songs by the wera .school pupils brought the proceedings to a conclusion.