They were joined by staff from Fulton Hogan, the Remembrance Army and RSA members.
Verdon College head girl Maia Garret said helping with the cleanup was more than a community outreach.
‘‘These people sacrificed their lives for our future.
‘‘This is just a wee token we can give back to appreciate what they’ve done for us.
‘‘Even just giving up our time for a couple of hours makes a big difference.’’
During the process, students had access to military records.
‘‘We look up their service numbers and learn who they were and what they did — it makes it more real.’’
Awarua RSA president Ian Becker said he was encouraged by those who had turned up to help — especially the school students.
‘‘It’s what needed to happen. Us old buggers need to be handing over the reins to the younger ones.’’
He was heartened by the students who were digging deeper into the background of the servicemen and women, especially when they discovered the plaque did not match the military honours given.
‘‘To earn something like a distinguished conduct medal and not have it recorded, that’s pretty harsh.
‘‘They should be remembered.’’
