Anzac Day

While Anzac Day is about honouring the dead, it is also an important way for younger generations to hear about what war was like, a Dunedin World War 2 veteran says.

While there was not much to smile about on the battlefields during World War 2, Phil Smith takes pride in the fact that when soldiers did find reason to bare their teeth, he had helped make them shine.

War medals were carefully dusted off and proudly worn by two young Central Otago boys who took part in an Anzac Day parade at Omakau on Saturday.

Speaking at the Anzac Day service at the Enfield Presbyterian Church was particularly special for Waitaki Mayor Alex Familton.

The enthusiasm of younger generations to pay their respects to the men and women who served in the world wars bolstered the spirits of returned servicemen Allan Fisher, Frank Lindsay and Aubrey Nolan on Saturday.

A small west Auckland Returned and Services' Association has been robbed of the $2600 it collected through Anzac Day poppy sales.

Syd Herriott has not missed a dawn parade since coming home from the war - and losing his medals, poor eyesight and a few health "hiccups" are not going to stop him now.

Does New Zealand adequately look after its living roll of honour - the estimated 50,000 war veterans who have served their country in conflicts from WW2 to Iraq? The Law Commission says not, labelling our eligibility and war pension payment systems "very outdated" and "completely inadequate".

Darling, don't wait. For those Allied soldiers who were captured early in World War 2, one of the few freedoms they had behind the barbed wire of a Nazi prison camp was the freedom to release their beloved from bonds of affection.