Anzac Day observances honour fallen Marlburians
Cadet Benjamin Corban serves as a cenotaph guard for Marlborough’s Anzac Day United Memorial Service. Photo: Evan Tuchinsky.
True to the commitment that “we will remember them”, Marlburians gathered for observances across the province to honour the military’s fallen, culminating in Marlborough’s Anzac Day United Memorial Service at midday on Saturday in Blenheim.
Veterans joined active servicemembers in parade formation, bracketed by over a thousand attendees standing quietly on sidewalks and in Seymour Square, as the War Memorial Clock Tower’s noontime bells heralded the flypast of two fighter planes from Woodbourne Air Base.
Mayor Nadine Taylor delivered the welcoming address, then invited words from Marlborough RSA President Sandy Snell, Royal Australian Navy POMT Anothony Borg, and Padre Terry Terrill.
Members of Parliament, District Council, community groups, schools and, of course, military placed wreaths on the tower. In pairs, people lay red poppies into RSA’s wooden box and paused to pay respects.
Fifty minutes past the flyover, the mayor led a procession into Town Centre to rendezvous with the parade marchers. Tea capped a day of remembrances that began before dawn in Picton and continued through the morning.
