April 25 is Anzac Day. It commemorates the anniversary of the landing of Australians and New Zealanders on the Gallipoli Peninsula in 1915.
First observed in 1916, Anzac Day commemorates New Zealanders killed during the First World War and honours returned and serving servicemen and women.
On this day, memorial services are held in various towns and cities throughout NZ. Among the 87,000 soldiers who lost their lives were 2779 New Zealanders and 8,500 Australians.
Covid-19, like most events, has disrupted the Anzac Day ceremonies as well, which are traditionally held according to rich traditions of military funerals.
Almost all the ceremonies were cancelled in the year 2020. The year 2021 saw the ceremonies coming back but in a scaled-down version.
As the pandemic continues, the ceremonies will again be subdued this year.
In Christchurch, traditionally, a field of remembrance is established in the Cranmer Square. Due to the raging pandemic, the Anzac Day dawn service has been cancelled this year and the crosses will not be displayed in Cranmer Square.
As the Omicron variant spreads, the RNZRSA have decided that lower-key commemorations would be more appropriate this year.
Jim Lilley of the Christchurch Memorial RSA is encouraging the community to commemorate in other ways, “The Returned Services Association has made the difficult call that there will be no dawn service this year because of Covid-19, but there are other ways that we can commemorate the lives that were lost in World War 1 and the wars that have sadly followed.”
“You can lay a poppy at your local war memorial – there are several of them located around Christchurch and Banks Peninsula. Or you can stand in silence at the end of your driveway at dawn, as many of us did in 2020 when the whole country was in lockdown.”
Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel is hopes that despite the pandemic, people will take time on Anzac Day to make a personal act of remembrance.
“Covid-19 may have caused the cancellation of most Anzac Day events, but we can still hold fast to the tradition of remembering and commemorating our fallen soldiers and veterans,” the Mayor says.
Live streaming of the Anzac Day Citizens Service in the Transitional Cathedral will begin at 10am.
NZRSA Canterbury district president Stan Hansen said, “Anzac Day has certainly not been cancelled as such, but it will certainly be scaled right down to conform with Covid requirements. There will be no crowds, no parades.”
“It’s extremely disappointing. It’s sad we can’t pay homage on our special day, but we have elderly members, we don’t want to put them at risk or put members of the public at risk by having big gatherings.”
“We’re suggesting members of the public go and lay their tribute at a cenotaph or memorial in their area at a time of their choosing,” he said.
Poppy turns 100
The annual poppy day appeal which started in 1922 has its 100-year anniversary this year.
Royal New Zealand Returned and Services’ Association national president, BJ Clark, of Kaiapoi, said: “Over the past 100 years we have been able to do an amazing amount of work to ensure that those who served can continue their lives later on.”
You can still support RNZRSA raise fund by purchasing poppies which are on sale from April 16.
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