Lest We Forget

As tens of thousands of New Zealanders, young and old, gathered to pay their respects at ANZAC Services around the country, Saint Kentigern students were both proud and humbled to play significant roles in remembering the fallen.

In Auckland, the Dawn Service at the cenotaph in the forecourt of the Auckland War Memorial Museum is one of the largest ANZAC gatherings, this year attracting almost 18,000 to pay their respects to those who served in the many theatres of war over the last century. The impact of war, and especially the First World War, on New Zealand as a nation, has been great. It has fashioned our nationhood and is embedded in our history and culture. Sacrifice has always been a central theme to these services as we recall those who fought, were wounded and, for a very significant number, failed to return to the shores of our country.

Every year since 1916, dawn services have been held on 25 April as a mark of respect for the soldiers of World War 1, marking the time of the initial landings at Gallipoli. Dawn holds the symbolism of darkness making way for the light of a new day; the services do not serve to glorify war but to honour the memory of those who served.

Head Girl, Laura Porteous and Head Boy, George Shirtcliffe were honoured with the privilege of reading the dedication at Auckland’s Dawn Service. It was a proud moment for Saint Kentigern as their voices rang clear across the gathered crowd and was streamed live on Maori TV to the nation.

In a television interview following the service, Laura admitted that it is was a little ‘nerve-wracking’ but also ‘super exciting!’ Both students said that ANZAC services continue to hold their importance, something they have come to understand more deeply as they get a little older and similar in age to many of those who headed to the First and Second World Wars. Of the service, George said, ‘The moment of silence resonated with me. With the lights dimmed, I really got that moment of reflection, the scale of the war and lives lost.’

Shortly after the service, as members of the official party and veterans made their way from the court of honour into the Museum, the Saint Kentigern Premier Choir, Kentoris, together with a cohort of Old Collegians, performed a concert of dawn-inspired music in the evocative surroundings of the WWI Sanctuary.

A little later in the day, Old Collegians joined with College players to form a combined Pipes and Drums to take part in the service on Stockade Hill in Howick.

Even with the passage time, ANZAC Day is just as relevant to our students now, as it ever was. There is important recognition and an acute awareness that so many who paid the ultimate sacrifice were not much older than themselves.   For our Head Prefects, our choristers and members of the Pipes & Drums, their contribution to this year’s services on behalf of Saint Kentigern represented our tribute to all of those who have served.