E au tumutoa no te ipukarea - Commemorating Cook Islands Soldiers to World War I More than 300 proud Cook Islanders packed Te Akapuanga on Sunday to honour the more than 400 Cook Islands Soldiers that served during the Great War between 1914 and 1918. Some came knowing their ancestor had served, others were pleasantly and emotionally surprised to learn of the honourable service of their ancestor as the names of each soldier, their registration numbers, rank and island were read out. The Service was the culmination of almost one year collaboration between the Cook Islands High Commission, Cook Islands MPs Alfred Ngaro and Poto Williams as well as Cook Islanders Tinokura Tairea, Grace Hutton, Vaiata Mitchell and a handful of others. Ngaro explained the catalyst for the Service was his address at commemorative services for Niue soldiers in 2012 which led him to question why there wasn’t a service for Cook Islands soldiers who’d also served during the Great War. On consulting with Matapo, both agreed on the need to commemorate the services of Cook Islands Soldiers from which, a Working Committee was formed with the working title, Hawaiki Nui, in solidarity with the services of other soldiers during the Great War from around the Pacific. During the service, Ngaro read out a message of appreciation from the NZ Governor General. Matapo spoke passionately of the importance of recognising the voluntary services of the sons of the Cook Islands many years ago, all the more poignant when one considers the Cook Islands population around that time was less than 10,000 and the logistical challenge of the soldiers travelling from the isolated Cook Islands to New Zealand to join the New Zealand Maori contingent. Matapo urged the gathering to draw on the tumutoa spirit of those who enlisted and served during the Great War as inspiration for the challenges facing Cook Islanders today. It was an emotional service for many of the families who attended the commemorative service. As each soldiers name was read out, descendants were invited to pin a poppy on a wreath in remembrance of their ancestors. Over 400 names were recited during the course of the evening from all around the islands of the Cook Islands. Kitiona Yala-Tauira had this to say, “I did not realise until this Service that my Great Grand Father served in the Great War. Such an emotional moment for me and my daughters as we placed poppies in remembrance and pondered how he might have felt all those many years ago, being so far away from family and loved ones and in a foreign hostile land.” The Hawaiki Nui Working Committee will meet in two weeks to de-brief and commence preparations for the 2015 Commemorative Service scheduled for April which will commemorate 100 years since the Great War. The Committee is encouraging Cook Islanders to engage with the work of the Committee, in particular gathering further information on the soldiers, including photos. Those interested are encouraged to visit and post to the Committees Facebook Page, see https://facebook/pages/CISWWO/1404752793123459 The commemorative service will be replicated this Friday 25 April in Auckland at the Atiu Hall in Mangere at 1pm.
Posted on: Wed, 23 Apr 2014 02:38:10 +0000
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