At 210pm on the 26th April (the day after ANZAC Day) above New Plymouth Boys High School, 3500 schoolboys, staff, old boys, families and public will witness the Spitfire from Ohakea Historic Flight buzz the school in tribute to Sgt Bert Wapiti (WW2 Maori Fighter Ace).
The Spitfire will be sponsored by BioShield and AMP. The plan will circle Hawera earlier and then fly over all of the Taranaki towns, in tribute to the boys killed from across the province.
The event will be one of the most significant ANZAC week events for the region since the original gates were unveiled in 1923.
Bert Wipiti – Wikipedia
This will open the ceremony to unveil the new memorial gates of 226 old boys killed in WW2.
The Minister of Veterans Affairs at 12pm will unveil a plaque commemorating the day, celebrating Captain Dan Thompson (former boarder and old boy ) who died two weeks after returning from Cribb 20. The family and the Minister will unveil the plaque to a Boarders haka.
The main ANZAC Ceremony will start at 2pm. The guest speaker is Major Simon Strombom DSD ED, the only decorated Afghanistan veteran from Taranaki and a former old boy. Two of his great uncles listed on the gates, killed in air operations.
The HMNZS Aotearoa crew is supporting the event. The Captain of Aotearoa Dave Barr alongside Roy Roper (All Black 515 and the oldest living All Black and old boy) will unveil the Navy plaque. The Army plaque will be done by WO1 (Retired) Bob Davies MNZM (former SM NZ Army) , The Chief of Air force Air Vice Marshall Andrew Clark will unveil the Air Force Plaques alongside Max Carroll from the school and Jeff Ruscoe CE of AMP.
The gates were sponsored by AMP, Ministry of Veterans Affairs memorial fund, New Plymouth and Waitara RSAs. The school has worked with the NZ Remembrance Army over the past 12 months to get the $45000 gates installed.
The event will see a full school haka, once the plaques are unveiled and then a fly past by the RNZAF.
Earlier in the day at 9am, a portrait of Bert Waipiti painted by Matt Gauldie, will be presented to the school by his family and will be on permanent loan from the NZ Remembrance Army.
The event will conclude at 3pm.
