They could well be labelled the forgotten servicemen but Otago's Korean War veterans will again have a presence on Anzac Day, despite dwindling numbers.
Otago Korean War Veterans' Association member and former Royal Navy man Ken Wright (80), who served on HMS Belfast, said many people did not know a lot about the the Korean War and ‘‘they don't ask about it''.
‘‘It's a long story and I suppose everybody has their own stories about the horrors of it,'' Mr Wright said at his Mosgiel home yesterday.
‘‘I like to tell [children] what we did.
‘‘It's amazing what comes out of it.''
The New Zealand branch of the association was set to close at the end of the year, as there was no-one to run it because ex-servicemen and their wives were dying.
‘‘[In 2014] their total was about 596. Last year, it went down to about 450.''
However, the Otago branch would continue and still boasted 12 ex-servicemen and 10 widows of men from the Otago area who served.
‘‘We're going to keep going as long as we're still around,'' he said.
‘‘We have our meetings every month. We send out a newsletter.
‘‘The [women] are really good. They always come to our meetings and support us.''
Anzac Day was a significant day for the members and Mr Wright said most would be marching from the cemetery to the cenotaph in Mosgiel on Monday.
‘‘Most of them get in there [march]. It's usually quite a good turnout really.
‘‘I have always carried the Korean flag.
‘‘A couple of kids from Taieri College are going to carry the flag for us this year,'' he said.
Otago Korean War Veterans' Association president Ted Chirnside (88), a chef in the New Zealand Army during the Korean War, said the group hoped to have a member travel to Auckland for the final New Zealand association reunion and conference in October.
He was upset it would be discontinued but hoped people would be prepared to help in the future.
