There are also a variety of preparation events planned in the lead up to Anzac Day.
Anzac Day Services
- An Eve of Anzac Day Service will be held on Monday evening, April 24, from 6pm at St Paul’s Cathedral.
- The dawn service at the cenotaph at Queen’s Gardens will begin with a march-on from Crawford St, at 6.15am, with the firing of the howitzers starting the service at 6.30pm.
The service will be attended by representatives of the New Zealand, Australian, and United Kingdom governments, Dunedin City Council, and Dunedin RSA, with the RSA Choir and Kaikorai Metropolitan Brass to lead the national anthems and hymns.
The dawn service will be followed by a cup of tea at Toitu Otago Settlers Museum.
- The posy laying service will be held at Anderson’s Bay Soldiers’ Cemetery from 9.30pm, with Girl Guides and Brownies to lay the posies.
- In Mosgiel, a parade will depart Mosgiel RSA at 9.40am, marching to the Cenotaph Memorial Gardens for a service at 10am.
- The Montecillo Veterans Home and Hospital service will begin at 11am, with the raising of the HMNZS Toroa Ensign.
- The University of Otago service will be held from 1.30pm at the University Plaza (near the staff club).
- The Green Island service will be held at 11am in the Memorial Gardens, followed by morning tea at the Civic Hall, Howden St.
- Green Park Cemetery services section service will be held at noon.
For a full list of services in the greater Dunedin area, see our Anzac Day feature, pages 12 and 13.
RSA Choir — Anzac Revue
The Dunedin RSA Choir will present its annual Anzac Revue concert at 7pm on Anzac Day at Knox Church.
Conducted by Karen Knudson, the choir will present a mixture of older, songs such as Highland Cathedral and Battle Hymn of the Republic, alongside tunes such as He Honore, He Kororia and Elton John’s Our Song.
Guest artists include Rebecca Ryan (soprano), Calla Knudson (soprano), Otago Girls’ and Otago Boys’ High School choirs, Knox Church Children’s Choir, organist David Burchell, and trumpeter Ralph Miller.
Posy making — April 24
The annual posy making session, to be held this year on Monday from 9am at Dunedin’s Naval Reserve headquarters HMNZS Toroa, in St Andrew St.
Volunteers are invited to gather to make about 4500 posies, to be laid on the soldiers’ graves at the Andersons Bay Cemetery during the posy laying service and ceremony, at 9.30am on Anzac Day.
The main ingredients in the posies are rosemary and red paper, and the call is out for donations of rosemary.
As these cannot be left at HMNZS Toroa over the weekend, donations need to be dropped off on Monday morning.
Tea and coffee will be provided, and volunteers are requested to bring their own scissors and secateurs.
For further information, phone Dunedin RSA on 466-4886.
Knitting poppies
In the lead-up to Anzac Day, Toitu Otago Settlers Museum is hosting a series of free poppy knitting sessions in the Josephine Foyer.
The sessions run daily until Monday, from 10am-5pm, and are open to new and experienced knitters.
The knitted poppies can be worn, or added to the Toitu Anzac 2023 commemorative wreath.
