Broad Bay woman Laurel Dunn said a visit to her uncle's grave at the Sangro River Cemetery in Italy five years ago made her think something had to be done at Portobello to remember the local men who died at war.
"I thought I've just got to do something about it.
"I felt they needed a more public memorial."
So Mrs Dunn, with the support of the Otago Peninsula Museum Historical Society, of which she is secretary, has organised a new war memorial for Portobello.
It will be unveiled at a special Anzac Day service.
The memorial rock, on the Peninsula Museum grounds in Harington Point Rd, has on it the names of seven soldiers from Portobello who died in World War 2.
There was a plaque inside the Portobello Coronation Hall but the hall was usually closed to the public.
The new memorial would not replace it, but would be more accessible, she said.
The community had supported the plan, and she hoped for a great turnout for the 9am service on Anzac Day.
She had tried to reach family of all seven men, and was aware that relatives from as far away as Whangarei and Tauranga were planning to attend.
Fifteen relatives of one of the men were expected from Ashburton.
They planned to add a plaque for the World War 1 war dead when there was enough money.
Otago Peninsula Community board chairwoman Irene Skurr said the board, which helped fund the memorial, thought the memorial and the special service were great ideas and she expected many would attend on Anzac Day.
• A service will also be held at Taiaroa Head this Anzac Day.
Royal Albatross Centre acting manager Shirley Thornbury said Taiaroa Head had links to the military going back to the 1880s and hundreds of people had trained at the head, where radars, search lights and gun placements were located, in both world wars.
"We thought we could show our appreciation of that."
The service will include the Last Post, hymns and first-hand accounts of what life was like at Taiaroa Head during wartime.
People could lay wreaths.
The service will be held at Saddle Battery from 10.30am to 11.30am on Sunday.
