Taumarunui RSA, Mayor Weston Kirton, and members of the public gathered in Mansons Gardens yesterday to mark Armistice Day with a Ceremony of Remembrance at 11am.
The service honoured the moment the guns fell silent on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918, bringing an end to the unprecedented carnage of World War I.
The ceremony included a poignant two-minute silence, the laying of a wreath by the RSA, and the placement of poppies by returned service members and members of the public.
Reflecting on the significance of the day, Mayor Weston Kirton said, "Armistice Day reminds us of the extraordinary sacrifices made during the Great War and the costliest conflict of its time. New Zealand lost over 18,000 of its people, the highest loss per capita of any nation.
From our own Taumarunui District, 137 brave troops left to serve their country and never returned home. Their legacy lives on in our hearts and in the freedoms we cherish today."
Mayor Kirton highlighted the transformative impact of World War I, stating, "By war’s end, the scale of this global conflict profoundly altered New Zealand's understanding of itself and its place in the world.
At the time, it was called ‘the war to end all wars.’ Though that hope was not to be, we continue to remember and honour those who served and the values they fought to protect."
The commemoration served as a reminder of the immense human cost of war and the enduring importance of reflecting on the sacrifices made by those who served.
"By remembering them," Mayor Kirton added, "we not only pay tribute to their contributions but reaffirm our commitment to the values that define us as a nation."
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