ANZAC DAY.

Hutt News, Volume 2, Issue 47, 1 May 1930, Page 11

ANZAC DAY.

AT LOWER HUTT,

'Ike Anzae Day celebration was this year confined to one service, at the Cenotaph and was of a purely religious .nature, being conducted by the ministers of the various denominations. The proceedings were presided over by the Mayor (Sir.-Alex. Roberts), who was aceomprftiied on the platform by the .Mayoress, Mr. W. Nash, M.P., and Mrs Nash, borough councillors x and their v/ives and Mr. and Mrs W. T. Strand. The. Municipal Silver Band was in attendance and the Salvation Army Band led the ringing. A large number of returned soldiers parade din mufti with decorations, and the' territorials were paraded under Lieut. Petrie who took the salute at the march past at the conclusion of the proceedings. There were also present the Boy Scouts, Girl -Guides. Cadets, pupils from the Hig-h .School, Chilton St. James and .the primary schools. - The Last Post and Keveille were sounded from the Cenotai>h stops by Lieut. J. McKain. Rev J. MeCaw led the prayer and the scriptural lessons were read by Beys. H. Sharp -and R. T. Wcarne. The Benedictioii ■was pronuounced by Archdeacon A. L. Hansel! and the Rev. J. E. Lopdell delivered the following address:—

Matt. 22. 42!' "What think ye of

■Christ?"

Mr. Lopdell commenced his address by thanking those who were responsible for asking him to take part in t>he service. It was a privilege and a responsibility, he said. Continuing Mr. Lopdell said: —Why are we hofding this service? Is it because of form? Be^

•Tni.sr others are holding similar services? Surely no. ..If we are holding this .service for real and genuine reason*, t-hoii r-.ortain facts are assured. The first is, the great war finished as it did because God the Eternal is at the heart of all things. I have nQ time to point out how t-hat, humanly speak : ' ing, an<l according to all military laws, wo should have failed moire than once, "but tvo did not.. The late _. Earl Haig acknowledged in his addresses again and :igain-the intervention of tiie supernatural, and it is also acknowledged in of our war histories. -Let us acknowledge this morning the God we worship is the God who brought t^safe? }y through the crisis, associated -with the gr^at war. ' • ■ The ,-:ecan<l fact is: 'In out worship let u« remember and do homage to the memory o£ those who paid the'sup r eta c sacrifice. The names af some of these .are written on this Ctenotaph/'and simi-. >ar columns and memorial;'•./tablets throughout the land. What did they; vaceompli.sh-? lam speaking perhaps to a mother who has lost her son; to a father who has lost -his boy; a sister who lias lost her brother; to a lonely woman who has lost -her nia;te, her home and aIJ that is meant with that thought you vtiv wondoi-ing has this TT&ole busi' ncsa bi.'.in a failure? Has it been worth ■kvhile? Has the saerifie'e been too ■*rea't? There are two things at "least Ko romember —things whioh, are real, lend rrhioh are associated ■•; with the Raines of those whose menioxies we Hionour. ■ _ I 1. A world horror of war. The niiniBrouis peace movements since the war Have sprung up as a heritag^ of what Ha.s been won,. The League of Nations ■ith all the difficulties it has" had to Kuce is functioning >,wond'eifully well. Hhe recent London Conference will passBown to posterity as a step in the towai-ds Av^oi'ld peace. One hunHf'cd yeans of propaganda could not fvctiMnplisiied.. this remarkable The first thiiig then which our dead has given to us is. the wit! oorror of war. 5 . , A world determination; that war cease. How is ttia .to ;be done? Xoyes in his '.'Our Task.V put finger on the very spot. :s just one gift that all bur dead desire, He gift that men can give and t&at rs a dream . ;■ , we, too, can burn witli that same fire of sacrifice to the things that seem; , to tkc little hatreds; die to greed; to the old ignoble selves we>knew; to tihe base contempt of sect and creed: . iis« again like these, with, sotiis j^H as true, (since they died before their task w«is'finished) . ; :

Attempt new heights ,bring all their dreams to birth,

Build us that better world, O. not diminished by one true splendour That they planned on earth. And- that's not done by-sword or tongue or pen.

There's but one way, God makes us better men." ,

In what way is ouV determination that war shall cease? "God make us better men." May we breed a race of men who will hate war. and. determine •that war shall cease.

What is the machinery to bring this about? There is no other machinery than that of the Christian Church. Christ has given to His church, a great commission "Go ye t into all the world and preach, the gospel to every -creature." Christ lays hold of life, and ogives a challenge to;every man and woman. These "men whose memories we will never, fdyget, have helped us. to accept that challenge, 'arid to do this work in a British environment. There is no doubt but Gqd could, with. His sovereign power, bring about His own. | ends, in His own goWd way. But how ! much more congenial for us to interpret His mind in th« light of our British ideals, institutions and freedom; with the English, language as the medium, of thought. These men made this possible. Then also these men were great in comradeship. They stood together in tieir common task. What about oii'r comradeship? Can we be as brave and" as enthusiastic far the cause of peace, as w£ have been in the cause of war? Can We stand .together to bring-in that "bejter world* which. is possible. I ask I close, What think ye of Christ ?j Is not t&is service a call from Him?"" A call that needs to be accepted! In,the old days ■vre did not. hesitate to call certain people shirkers who aid not come up to the scratch 6f what iwe expected. Are t-here shirkers to-day in the call of Christ for leaders in the battle of right against wrong; in "the great crusade of' peace. •' Whoso hath folt the spirit of ■ the Highest, ~ ' Cannot confound, or doubt Him or deny, Yea 3 with- one voice, O world though thou deniest Bte.nd thou on tiiat side for. on this | ami."

vIT STOKESj Vl-LLEY

i ilu accordance/* with custom, Anzae Day was commemorated at ji3tokes Vai; lev School Tiytlie scholars, whose numbers "were augmented by ex^pupils and r.esidents . tvJio took the opportunity of loiiouring the memory of the heroes of i Gal.jpoli. At 9:30 a.m. the flag wasnnf> vied to the singing of the National ! Aiithom, after wliic-h. Miss Bunch, the teacher,; laid the school wreath at the i'jot of the flagstaff. The children tiien. liiQil.'past, tjach one' depositing a poky MncT_-tl"ey in turn were followed by repiof:fistativ.es: of ox-pupilsy the Suiin>.y Scl'Opl, Katepayers and Progressive As sco, it lions, Domains^ Boai-d and the Wcmea^s Instmte each, with floral tokeas.. T':.e T\ reaths were later taken to i;Llo .'Conot&ijh in Wellington iind the flowers, to the Hospital. The children were then briefly' addressed by Mr. JoTui Payne, on the lessons to be learned .from Aiizac. c Mr. Payiic, who was pre.sei|lt at Gallipoli as & member of the Main' Body ; N;Z.P.A.,, tthus able to give avfirstThand description of that iiieniorable, ;randing ; and in doing so, .stressed the -fact that Anzae Day is • kept, not in ; remembrance of the horrors of war, biit ;in honour of those w^ho made% the supreme saciilice both, in GalHpoli and- France, that those w^ho came after might benefit. He "drew a lesson.from the fact that the apparently ''Impossible•'' became the '■ Possible" in the. fadt of strong determination and obedience to leader skip, and made van appeal to his hearers to maintain the Mgii standard^ Set by.those who gave their lives oxi April 25th 1915 so that, t^ieir sacrifice was not made ia

vain

Mr. B: A. Bough, chairman of the School committee, also spoke in the same strain, emphasising the paramount importance of obedience to those in command and trust in a leader, whet-lier in, army, school orjioine.

Miss Bunch, the 'tteaeher, thanked both speakers on beiualf of those pre-k sent and tie proceedings closed with the singinig of .the National Anthem v

AT WAIWHETU.

The services at Waiwhetu State School was conducted by Sir. Alex. Roberts and tfi*e headmaster, "Mr. R. N". Wilson. Being fine, it was held in ihe open aiiv and was Well attended by the retuTned soldiers of the district. It was evident by the number of men present and medals worn, that our children will get a satisfactory answer when; men at Gallipoli should never fade. Not they ask ""W&at did you do in the great war, daddy." liiady Bdberts accompanied Sir. Alexander^ an act that was very much appreciated by all "present. The Mayor in this address, chiefly to the children, said that the reason for keeping Anzac Day saci*ed was so that the memory of the deeds done by the only was tiie day to commemorate the dead, but to honour those returned soldiers who had .shared t2re horrors and survived, some to suffer ,all their days. In addition to the sons,'fathers and -husbands, brother and all men who went, they hatl also to remember -the women who left home and safety i;o face such •horrors and conditions as th.o women of New Zealand had never faced, and he prayed God they never would have to face again, unspeakable horrors tlvat the eihildTen present were too young to realise, so that when we speak of Anzac we tSiink of the nurses as well as the .soldiers, .some of whom also gave their lives and years of their service.

The hymns l'O God Our Help in Ages Past," "Oh Valient Hearts," and the National Anthem were sung.

The headmaster read tie 23 Psalm,

f..' The Lord is my Shepherd.^ It was a pleasure to heaT this beautiful psalm read as it should be read; one can s.'e the psalmist's vision as he saw it, Vie green pastures and ''' still waters'' when listening to such. a rendering.

The service coricluded with the National Anthem, and the Benediction, and the Cubs/saluting tire flag.