{"id":31380,"date":"2013-04-26T03:20:17","date_gmt":"2013-04-25T17:20:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=31380"},"modified":"2020-12-18T16:08:41","modified_gmt":"2020-12-18T06:08:41","slug":"a-mateship-forged-in-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2013\/04\/26\/a-mateship-forged-in-war\/","title":{"rendered":"A Mateship Forged In War"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Kingaroy<\/a>
Major Allan Kerr leads the benediction from the Memorial Park Rotunda\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

April 25, 2013<\/strong><\/p>\n

New Zealand is sometimes the forgotten part of the word “Anzac”, but not at today’s Kingaroy Anzac Day celebrations.<\/p>\n

Guest speaker in Memorial Park was Warrant Office Brian O’Connor, from the New Zealand Army.<\/p>\n

He told the crowd the Anzac legend had been forged under fire.<\/p>\n

“New Zealanders and Australians blended into each other so they couldn’t be told apart,” he said.<\/p>\n

To reinforce the message, stirring renditions of the two countries’ national anthems were performed: “Advance Australia Fair” by the Kingaroy State High School Choir; and “God Defend New Zealand” by Kingaroy resident Eri Carey.<\/p>\n

Kingaroy’s morning Anzac Day Commemoration Service always draws a large crowd to Memorial Park but there seemed to be even more people than usual this year.<\/p>\n

South Burnett Mayor Wayne Kratzmann said there had also been a record turnout at the Dawn Service, possibly because of the build-up of interest ahead of the Gallipoli centenary in 2015.<\/p>\n

The Kingaroy Anzac Day march is always the region’s largest, and today was no exception with marchers, bands and vintage cars stretching down Haly Street.<\/p>\n

At the head of the procession was Josh Wolski, the winner of this year’s Anzac Day essay competition. Josh, a Year 7 student at St John’s Lutheran School, was presented with an Australian flag as a memento of the occasion.<\/p>\n

Also involved in the commemorations were Kingaroy State High School captains Maddy Payne and Sam Johnston and vice-captain Lauren Cross, who read the Loyal Resolutions.<\/p>\n

Service organisation, community groups and the public laid wreaths while the Roll Of Honour was being read and the Lament was being played on bagpipes.<\/p>\n

Mayor Kratzmann, who delivered the closing remarks, noted that sounds of children playing in the park and the peace of the service were what the Anzacs had fought to preserve.<\/p>\n

“The Anzacs would be looking down from heaven and would be pretty happy,” he said.<\/p>\n

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