Yesterday, it was standing room only at the tiny Enfield Presbyterian church, where, in front of a New Zealand flag made by the Enfield Women's Institute and donated to the Home Guard in 1942, the rural communities of the Waiareka Valley came en masse to remember the fallen of two world wars.
Organiser Colin Murray said the Enfield service was in its 10th year and was a testament to both the community's commitment to those who served overseas and the ''amazing'' contribution made by such a small area to the armed forces.
''It's a very caring service with a very local flavour.''
Mr Murray said local research had shown that 229 men from Waiareka and Weston served in World War 1, and 59 of them died in the conflict.
Another 209 men also served in World War 2, he said.
''It's just amazing that from an area like this, the amount of people who went overseas.
''It is a fantastic number of people; 438 served overseas, and 78 never came back.''
The losses suffered at Gallipoli and in subsequent conflicts remain a very personal hurt for the largely farming communities of the Waiareka, and yesterday's service was a time to remember their men and their losses.
Waiareka and Weston parish vicar the Rev Nancy Parker said the 120-seat church got ''more crowded every year''.
She added that the ''intimate'' event remembered the service of the whole community during the war.
''They wanted home for us to be a safe place.''
