New Zealand Remembrance Army Waitaki regional co-ordinator Barry Gamble said the structure was hugely important to the region.
"It’s not just a piece of stone ... it tells a story and it’s up to us to remember that story.
"It’s basically a visual promise that we won’t forget those who made the ultimate sacrifice, their families and also those who have served and are still serving."
Mr Gamble will speak about the history of the memorial at the dawn service tomorrow morning.
"This memorial was not built easily. It was shaped by grief. It was forged through debate. It was funded by ordinary people and it endures because remembrance matters."
The memorial was designed by Dunedin architect Eric Miller and the bronze sculpture was entrusted to TJ Clapperton, of the Royal Society of Sculptors in England. His design showed a New Zealand soldier gently comforting a small child.
It was "built not by government decree — but by community will," Mr Gamble said.
On October 14, 1924, Governor-General Lord John Jellicoe laid the foundation stone. Two years later, Lieutenant-Colonel James Hargest unveiled the completed memorial.
"For the next century, this memorial became the focal point of remembrance," Mr Gamble said.
"It watched over dawn services, it heard the Last Post echo through the streets, it bore witness to tears, salutes, wreaths and quiet reflection. It stood through another world war and conflicts throughout the world, through peace, through social change and through generations of Oamaru families passing by its base."
During the 1926 unveiling ceremony, a bronze casket containing the North Otago Roll of Honour was placed inside the memorial. The roll featured more than a thousand names of local servicemen.
In 2003, the roll was removed and transferred to the Waitaki Museum, where it was preserved for future generations.
