Te Awamutu’s World War 1 memorial in Bank Street, with some of its early Anzac Day commemorations.
Te Awamutu and surrounds adapted to a lockdown Anzac Day well, says Te Awamutu and Districts RSA president and ex-serviceman, Lou Brown.
He joined many others in town who stood on their driveway at 6am on Anzac Day, then moved on to mark the occasion at 7am and 11am, one at the First World War memorial in Bank Street and the other at the sunken cross in War Memorial Park, off Mangahoe St.
Flags were raised, the sounds of bugle and bagpipes were heard, and special words recited. Attending one of them was Waipa District Mayor Jim Mylchreest and a handful of others, with the small group observing social distancing throughout. Lou and his wife later laid a wreath at the war memorial in Kihikihi.
“Despite the lockdown, I feel very strongly that Te Awamutu did us proud in marking Anzac Day. My own street had a one hundred percent driveway turnout at 6am, and people all over town displayed about 300 crosses and a lot of specially made poppies that they would normally have laid at the memorials.”
