More than 90 soldiers from Waimea West and Spring Grove who fought in overseas hellscapes and never returned will be commemorated at Brightwater on Saturday.
The village’s Anzac Day service is an occasion with pathos, and the attendance is increasing year after year as young people grasp the futility of war and the courage and sacrifice of those men and women before them and those who continue to pursue peace today.
Organiser Diane Drogemuller says school teachers, farmers, carpenters, electricians and grocery assistants from the district put on a uniform and were sent to fight in places far from the security of home in World War One and World War Two, with the impacts rippling through Brightwater.
“When you look at what a lot of [the soldiers] did it would have been a big loss to the district not just to their families, but to the economy and the rest of it, as it was losing people who had a wealth of information,” she reflects.
“For the kids that are coming along [to the service], they're learning the history of what never used to get talked about much, and it's a community occasion for everybody to get together and have a chat and come in for a cup of tea afterwards.”
Formalities at the Brightwater War Memorial will include Brightwater Anglican Church vicar Brad Wood sharing the significance of Anzac Day, the national anthem being sung, and the Brightwater Scouts reading the roll of honour for those fallen soldiers now memorialised on the gates and stone.
The Ode of Remembrance will be read, bugler Barry Burgess will call The Last Post, and wreath and poppy laying will see the memorial stone emblazoned in red.
This year’s Anzac Day also carries added significance following the passing of the Anzac Day Amendment Act 2026, which formally recognises other conflicts and people who have served New Zealand in times of war or warlike conflicts at Anzac Day commemorations.
The Brightwater Anzac Day service begins at 9am at the Brightwater Domain war memorial.
