Poppy Day is traditionally the Friday before Anzac Day and this year falls the day before - the same day posies are traditionally made to lay on the graves of soldiers at various Anzac Day ceremonies.
Dunedin's posy-making convener, Roy Thompson, said this year cadets who were volunteer posy-makers would instead be collecting donations for the Poppy Day appeal, which could leave the posy-making effort a little short.
He expected the usual volunteers, from various garden and floral clubs and others, would help make the 3753 posies required, but put a call out to anyone else who wanted to help to simply turn up at the United Servicemen's Club at the corner of Prince Albert and Bayfield Rds in South Dunedin any time between 8.30am and noon tomorrow.
"We never turn down a volunteer."
Donations of flowers would also be well received after an earlier-than-normal flower season had reportedly left supply short, he said.
Regular flower provider Noel Barkman said to help out the RSA he had allowed volunteers to pick flowers from his garden for the past two years .
A member of the RSA Choir, he was disappointed to be missing this year's Anzac Revue in Dunedin for the first time in 30 years, because his son, who was born on Anzac Day, was celebrating his 50th birthday in Christchurch on Saturday, he said.
People could give flowers either by calling the Dunedin RSA office, or dropping off smaller flowers, for example, carnations, roses, nerines, daisies, chrysanthemums and rosemary, to the RSA offices at 1 Prince Albert Rd from today, Mr Thompson said.
Annual poppy sales were going well, with nearly $3500 already collected by Monday, Dunedin RSA president Jenepher Glover said.
Four cadet groups would be selling poppies around Dunedin tomorrow, Poppy Day.
