Technical Storyteller
It was heart-warming and humbling to be part of the 2019 ANZAC Day commemorations at Kaiparoro’s ANZAC Memorial Bridge. Many people from the wider local community and a large number of relatives of those named on the bridge itself were among those in attendance. Dr Kay Flavell joined the gathering for the first time in … Continue reading ANZAC Day 2019
Symbolic memorials were far and away the majority of memorial types erected in the aftermath of World War I in New Zealand. Jock Phillips makes this clear in his summary of First World War community memorials (in To the Memory, 2016) – of the 505 counted, a staggering 176 (more than one in three) were … Continue reading Nireaha’s charming WWI memorial
It is totally fitting that Whakahirahira is my home-from-home while I’m on the ANZAC Memorial Bridge Fellowship. The house in modern and wonderfully luxurious, and I have been very well looked after by hosts Andi and Gray. Located not too far from the bridge itself, the house incorporates a number of concrete features – including … Continue reading Whakahirahira – a modern concrete celebration
Did you know Eketahuna has a second World War I memorial in addition to its prominent war memorial hall? Unlike the hall, this smaller memorial is symbolic, or artistic, rather than functional. It was erected on ANZAC Day 1921 by the Eketahuna Volunteer Fire Brigade as a “peace memorial” to those members of the brigade … Continue reading Eketahuna’s other World War I memorial
At Eketahuna, as at nearby Kaiparoro, the community chose to erect a functional World War I memorial – a hall and public rest rooms. By mid-1924, there was still £300 left to be raised by the Eketahuna War Memorial committee for completion of the building and surrounding grounds. The building was finally opened in early … Continue reading Eketahuna’s war memorial, and a lost dog
I have begun my ANZAC Memorial Bridge writing residency at Kaiparoro! This morning I went to visit the bridge and was treated to a rainbow arching across the sky behind the grand old lady herself. A perfect welcome! The focus for this year’s fellowship is the families of men who returned from the war – … Continue reading ANZAC Memorial Bridge Fellowship with NZ Pacific Studio
Karen Wrigglesworth 