In the lead-up to Poppy Day, to be held nationwide next Friday, local businesses, schools and organisations have taken deliveries of more than 20,000 poppies to sell.
And on Poppy Day itself, volunteers from local groups and businesses will staff 14 poppy street collection stands at prominent sites around the city, from 8am-4pm. Cadets will also hold a collection at the Otago Farmers Market on Saturday.
Poppy Day is the Royal New Zealand Returned and Services Association’s main fundraising activity, with donations collected on Poppy Day helping to improve the health and wellbeing of New Zealand veterans of all ages.
This year marks 101 years of the Poppy Appeal, with close to one million poppies sold each year for a gold coin donation.
Dunedin RSA Welfare Trust administrator Sally Turner said the Poppy Day collection was returning to normal this year, alongside other Anzac Day related events, after three years of disruption because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
"It’s good to be able to hold our commemoration events again, and to have the opportunity to raise funds for the welfare of our veterans."
Alongside boxes of poppies, there will be posters displaying a QR code, which people could scan to make a donation to the Dunedin RSA.
Posy making
Another feature of the lead-up to Anzac Day is the annual posy making session, to be held this year on Monday, April 24, 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, following the Dawn Service at the cenotaph.
The main ingredient in the posies is rosemary, and the Dunedin RSA is putting out the call for donations of rosemary from local gardens.
As these cannot be left at HMNZS Toroa over the weekend, donations will need to be dropped off first thing on the morning of April 24.
"We want to have enough rosemary to make the full complement of posies, so all donations will be gratefully received," Mrs Turner said.
