ANZAC LUNCHEON.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 125, 26 April 1940, Page 9

ANZAC LUNCHEON.

VISITORS’ GREETINGS. Per Press Association. * WELLINGTON, April 25. Heightened in significance by the presence of overseas delegates, the Centennial luncheon of the New Zealand ILS.A. in the Town Hall to-day was attended by GOO returned soldiers and official representatives. Representatives present from overseas were Mr E. A. Robb, president of the New South Wales branch of the Returned Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Imperial League of Australia, deputy for Sir Gilbert Dyett, Federal president, and Colonel E. A. Ashe and Lieut.-Commander W. ■I. L. Legg, both of Malaya. There were present also the Prime Minister (Hon. P. Fraser), the Minister of Finance) lion. W. Nash), the Minister of Defence (Hon. E. Jones), the Chief Justice (Sir Michael Myers), the Primate of New Zealand (Most Rev. C. West-Watson), the Bishop of Wellington (Rt. Rev. H. Holland), the Chief of the General Staff (Major-General J. E. Duigan), the High Commissioner for the United Kingdom in New Zealand (Sir Harry Batterbee), the Consul for France (M. Bouquet), the Australian Trade Commissio *'r (Mr C. E. Critchley), the Officer Commanding the Fifth Infantry Brigade, Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force (Colonel J. Hargcst), and the Mayor of Wellington. Proposing the toast of the Empire Service League, coupled with the names of Mr Robb and Colonel Ashe, Hon. W. Perry (Dominion president of the R.S.A.), who presided, said the league was a mighty organisation of volunteer workers whose object was to see that the Governments of the countries in the Empire played the game by the ex-servicemen. Mr Robb said lie replied not only on behalf of the organisation in Australia, from which he brought greetings to comrades in New Zealand, but also on behalf of other parts of the Empire. That morning at the dawn parade the Australians had remembered New Zealand’s 17,000 dead, and they knew that the New Zealanders had ■ remembered the GO.OOO who had not returned to Australia. Returned soldiers lind been privileged to serve their country and Empire between 1911 and 1918, and must still render service. “To-day we are in the shadow of war,” Mr Robb concluded. “We know not what lies in front of us, but as we march through the streets of the capital city of this Dominion this afternoon 1 know there will ho gazing at us eyes from across the Tasman wishing that they wore with us again. So we shall march side bv side again.” “Armed forces of the British Empire and onr Allies” was proposed by Colonel A. Cowles (president of tbo Wellington R.S.A.), who said that the spirit which carried Britain and France to victory in 1918 had in no way diminished. Responding briefly, Major-General Duigan said the armed forces would carry on in this war as in the last, and ho would not hesitate to say that the second N.Z.E.F. would maintain the high traditions Ills hearers had set in the Great War.