25 April 2011, ANZAC Day address, St Heliers service: When my grandfather’s brother, Corporal Jim Slater, was killed on the Western Front in Belgium in 1917, my great grandmother’s grief was profound. It didn’t matter that she had 14 other children and two other sons survived the First World War. Her 20-year-old Jim would never be walking though the farm gate again.
My great grandmother was of course not alone. Nearly 17,000 New Zealand mothers lost their sons between 1914 and 1918.
And over the next few years with a series of centennial commemorations planned we will be hearing more about New Zealand’s unrivalled contribution and sacrifice to the First World War.
At the time New Zealand had a population of just over one million, yet 103,000 New Zealand troops and nurses served overseas.
A staggering 16,697 New Zealanders were killed and 41,317 were wounded during the First World War. That equated to a 58 percent casualty rate with New Zealand having one of the highest casualty and death rates per capita of any country involved in the war.
A further thousand men died within five years of the war’s end, as a result of injuries sustained, and 507 died whilst training in New Zealand between 1914 and 1918.
For a young small country, its demographics and identity would be changed forever.
It has often been said that the First World War was a coming of age for New Zealand and I believe nearly a century on that many of those courageous and selfless ANZAC traits can still be found when the chips are down and our backs are against the wall.
The Christchurch earthquakes continue to test the Canterbury people’s resolve but they continue to rally… and in a few short months the world will get another taste of the Kiwi mate-ship, spirit, and fair mindedness with the hosting of the Rugby World Cup.
While many New Zealanders lost neighbours, cousins, uncles, fathers and brothers in the first and second world wars and in other campaigns for freedom over the past century, these men, and women, have gifted us a big part of New Zealand’s true character that will continue to be counted on in good times and in bad this century and next.
Their lives may have been short, but they continue to guide us, to give us strength and to bring us together.
Their mothers who died broken hearted could never have foreseen that their young sons’ legacies would in fact outlive us all.
Today we say thank you.
Ends
Cheers, nice to there are some gud guys here to support Sanath. Some guys are tlkniag like donkeys. they dont kno about Sanath. He was the No 1 batsman & he was the most successful captain in Sri lanka. Am i right??? so just think about that he was a worrier for last decade he sometimes fighted alone to protect our team from loses so now they are not tlkniag about that.i dnt like the captancy of Sanga(only wat i see) eventhou he handles the pressure when he is batting he cant handdle the pressu
Cheers, nice to there are some gud guys here to support Sanath. Some guys are tlkniag like donkeys. they dont kno about Sanath. He was the No 1 batsman & he was the most successful captain in Sri lanka. Am i right??? so just think about that he was a worrier for last decade he sometimes fighted alone to protect our team from loses so now they are not tlkniag about that.i dnt like the captancy of Sanga(only wat i see) eventhou he handles the pressure when he is batting he cant handdle the pressu
Cheers, nice to there are some gud guys here to support Sanath. Some guys are tlkniag like donkeys. they dont kno about Sanath. He was the No 1 batsman & he was the most successful captain in Sri lanka. Am i right??? so just think about that he was a worrier for last decade he sometimes fighted alone to protect our team from loses so now they are not tlkniag about that.i dnt like the captancy of Sanga(only wat i see) eventhou he handles the pressure when he is batting he cant handdle the pressu