Tuesday, 1 July 2025 | Term 1 | Week
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Day | Views 949
Mahurangi College remembers Our Fallen Soldiers
April 28th, Mahurangi College held its Anzac service to remember the 90 servicemen from the local area who lost their lives during the First and Second World Wars. Ryan Turner, a recent graduate of Mahurangi College spoke about his experiences in the army. Members of Yr 13 held crosses and called out the names of all those who died. After the Last Post was played, two students Kelsey and Sami, who were related to some of the fallen laid a wreath in the remembrance garden at the front of the school.
Kelsey Sanderson honours members of her family who lay down their lives
Today I am proudly wearing 2 of one of my great great great uncle’s service medals, Arthur Richards Sanderson who fought in WW1. I am also wearing my great grandfather’s home guard service medal from WW2. I was holding three crosses as two of these men are my great great great Uncle’s, who are brothers, Vivian Roy Sanderson and Arthur Richards Sanderson. The third man is their cousin Eric Rifleman Sanderson. Arthur and Vivian lived in Ahuroa and Eric lived in Tauhoa.
 
These men were at the ages of 21, 24 and 20 when they went off to fight in 1916. Arthur was a railway porter who left to Belgium in January in the 2nd battalion. Vivian was a labourer who also embarked to Belgium in March in the 3rd battalion, and Eric was a farmer who also left to Belgium in November in the 4th battalion. All three men died within two months of each other. Arthur on the 4th of October 1917, Eric on the 14th of October and Vivian on the 3rd of December. They are all buried in Belgium, each at different cemeteries.
 
Obviously I didn’t know these men but it is amazing how I can say that members of family served and fought for our country that allowed us the freedom we have today. Their actions, including all men that fought in the wars, are true acts of loyalty, integrity and courage which I hope are never forgotten. 
 
Sami Hawili honours members of his family who lay down their lives
I think it is a perfectly fair assumption of mine to say that all of us here are lucky. We have all the basic necessities in life and most of us have a lot more than that. We might not all be bathing in cash but the worst news we would expect to receive on a daily basis would be along the lines of a power outage.
This is in stark contrast to the terrible misfortune that brought upon the death of Robert Taylor Morrison, my Great Granddad’s Uncle. He was a keen orchardist, something that has continued in my bloodline. Robert joined the New Zealand expeditionary force in 1917 as a machine gunner at the surprisingly late age of 39. Unfortunately for him, before he could even reach the front line, he was struck down in England by Broncho-Pneumonia, a forerunner of the Spanish Flu epidemic, which in 1918 decimated 6% of the world’s population. Robert was an incredibly brave man for volunteering to take his place in the war, and most certainly did not deserve to die, especially not without family members by his side. Despite not facing a bullet, he is still a war hero and will forever be remembered fondly by myself, my extended family as well as all the fruit growers in the Warkworth area. He was 40.
Richard Edwin Sharp, also known as “Tiger” Sharp, has a different story to Robert Morrison but it features an all too familiar and tragic result. Tiger was my great great uncle. He was the seventh child of ten and left school at the tender age of fourteen. He was incredibly keen on sports and was mentioned frequently in the Rodney Times of years past as an avid cyclist and forward in the Matakana Country rugby team, but it had to be said his most beloved sport was boxing. He even got his nickname ‘Tiger’ from boxing. He was the:
- North Auckland Welter weight Champion
- South Auckland light-heavy weight champion THREE TIMES
- Auckland Middle weight Champion
The last of which he held even after his departure for war as part of the bomber squadron. He found his jobs in New Zealand to be rather mundane especially spending up to 12 hours a day in waist deep water for a month only to earn one pound a day. He signed up for the war in 1939 aged just 21. It seemed likely he joined the war just like many other men because of the lure of “adventure” and unfortunately made the ultimate sacrifice. He was reported missing in action in July 1942 and this was presumably the time of his death. There were in total 55,000 of the Allied Forces Bomber Squadron that perished during the war and of those who died the average age was just 22. Tiger died at the frighteningly young age of 23.
I feel somewhat connected to Tiger because of our similar ages, his love for sport and a sense of adventure that continues to be passed down the generations in my family. These are just two of the selfless Kiwi soldiers that risked it all and lost it all for our freedom and for that I am so incredibly grateful. I believe that no matter your connection to the returned or fallen we should all appreciate the freedom and lucky lives we have thanks to them. We should actively seek to live our lives to the maximum because that is exactly what they would desire in return for their priceless contribution to the comforts of our modern world. C. S. Lewis once wrote “True humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less”. ANZAC Day to me is a chance to not only remember but to consider my own actions and make sure I at least occasionally put others before me. May all those who fought for our freedom rest in happiness as well as peace. I will remember them, will you? 
Thomas Horton speaks to honour those who served as Anzacs
We are here this morning to commemorate the centenary of Gallipoli. It is 100 years ago that soldiers from New Zealand and Australia left behind their loved ones not knowing if they would return to ever see them again. They went off to war to serve and protect their country, our country. Today as we do every year, we take the time to pay tribute to all those soldiers who fought in WWI and WWII. To those who lost their lives in battles, to those who were injured, to those who made it home, to those who worked on the home front and to those who lost the ones they loved. We honor and pay tribute to your memory. We are grateful that you fought to defend our way of life and our freedom. We thank you.
I have no relatives that fought in Gallipoli, or in any of the New Zealand Forces. My family and I are from England and my mother’s heritage lays in Scotland. Her great uncles served in the British Army and Navy during WWII. My Great Grandfather, Thomas Clerkson wasn’t allowed to join the army because his skills were needed at home. During WWII he worked in the Glasglow forge as a plater. He built bailey bridges, tanks and ships, panel by panel to aid in the war effort. Three of his brothers, my great, great uncles John, Ernie and Arthur Clerkson went off to fight in the Far East. John and Ernie were in the Army and were stationed in Rangoon, a city in then Burma now Myanmar where they fought the Japanese in brutal and ongoing battles. Arthur was in the Royal Navy and also served Rangoon. The brothers’ fate: unknown. Undoubtedly, there are so many of us here today which have family or ancestors who fought in many battles throughout WWI or WWII.
So, on this special ANZAC anniversary today, we continue to recognize the achievements of the many thousands of people who fought for us in various roles during both WWI and WWII. Let us not forget all those who worked tirelessly to contribute to every aspect of the war effort either at home or away at war, what you did allows us to live the way we do today.
Thank you.
Let us always remember.
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