ANZAC SERVICES "DANGEROUS TALK"

Chronicle (Levin), 14 September 1946, Page 4

ANZAC SERVICES "DANGEROUS TALK"

"A lot of liot air and dangerous talk

has been going on about the observanee of Anzac Bay, a lot of it witliout foundation, " said Mr. H. B. Burdekin, a member of the Dominion executive council of the N.Z.R.S.A., speaking at the quarterly meeting of the R.S.A. in Wanganui. After all, Anzac Day concerned those who fought in the 1914-18 war, he said. That was what the present Anzac Day . Aet applied to. Kealising that such a day might now have wider scope, the R.H.A. decided at the last conference to make recommendatio.ns. regarding a cammemoration that would be national ,i'a form, embracingaall wars. That was ivvhere the; mattij^siqod, 'and the 'R.H.A. was now in theiprocoss of draffing" a 1'orm of service for a national day of eommemoration that will be aceeptable to all denominations. Such form of service would be sent to local R.H.A. branches and, if approved, would become a national R.H.A. form of service. "But it will not be maudatory," Mr. Burdekin added. "Any local R.H.A. will be able to use its own form of » service should it so desire. "We are one bodv, represeniing all parts of the community, and are nonparty, non-political and uudenominational," he said. "So long as we hohl those planks we will go on from strength to strength and will not allovv any outside bodv to split our ranks. "