On Sunday evening, young Arrowtown local Patrick Edwards (12) sat with family, cleaned his great-grandfather’s medals with vinegar, and learned about what happened during the war.
His great-grandfather, William Strong, was in the Navy and had been awarded the Pacific Star and three more service medals, which Stewart wore yesterday.
Originally from Dunedin, Mr Strong was mainly involved in surveillance at sea.
His daughter, Avis Healey, had travelled from Invercargill to be at the service.
"[Mr Strong] was very staunch about observing Anzac Day," Mrs Healey said. "We had to have our shoes polished."
For Patrick, Anzac Day was particularly potent this year because of the conflict in Ukraine.
"I kind of didn’t really think much about [Anzac Day] until I heard about [Ukraine]. I thought it was just in the past, but now it’s quite a big deal, especially learning about my grandfather last night," he said.
