History – Arch of Remembrance forgotten

What do you think?
Do these two pillars adequately pay tribute to the brave men who fought and sacrificed for our country, or is it time to restore this memorial to its former grandeur, ensuring their sacrifice is properly commemorated?

In the solemn stillness of this year’s Anzac Service, held at Wellsford’s Memorial Gates, a diverse assembly of young and old braved the crisp, wintry dawn to honour our brave soldiers. Amidst the solemnity, my own thoughts were drawn to a memory – a photograph taken at the grand inauguration of the original Wellsford Memorial Gates, known then as the Arch of Remembrance, back in 1937.
In that distant era, the arch stood tall and proud, its stature commanding respect and remembrance.

Now, amidst the echoes of history, I found myself contemplating the fate that befell our beloved arch. What forces conspired to reduce this symbol of sacrifice to a mere fragment of what it once was? What untold tales lie within its weathered stones, murmuring of days long gone and the valor of those who once marched beneath its shadow?

In December 1935, the Wellsford War Memorial Committee began their mission to honour the fallen, rallying locals to donate livestock – cattle and pigs – which were sold at the nearby saleyards. By August the following year, the committee was granted permission from the Wellsford Agricultural and Pastoral Society to build the arch at the showgrounds entrance.

As the project progressed and earthworks shaped the land, excitement rose culminating in a bustling working bee to pave the entranceway with metal in readiness for the unveiling and Anzac Day service on Sunday, 25 April, 1937. In the presence of 70 members of the Rodney Returned Soldiers Association, J. G. Coates, Member of Parliament for Kaipara, commended the committee and the people of Wellsford for their enduring tribute. He emphasised that their efforts served as a timeless reminder that the fallen heroes of the Great War would never be forgotten. The Memorial Committee chairman, R. H. Culpan, also expressed his heartfelt gratitude to all who contributed to the construction of the arch, hoping also that it would be an everlasting monument, and a record to future generations of the sacrifice of those who died.

For two decades, returned soldiers and their families gathered at the arch to pay homage to the fallen until in 1957, the monument’s foundation, crafted from the finest blue stone sourced from an Auckland quarry, began to sink and lean toward the roadway, due to lack of reinforcement. Faced with no other option, a working bee was organised and the gates were dismantled under the direction of Rodney County Council engineer H. W. Elliffe. The estimated £200 needed for reconstruction posed a challenge. Despite having £80 on hand, the War Memorial Committee vowed to secure the remaining £70, with council also pledging to seek a £50 grant for the endeavour. By 1958, the memorial was reconstructed in a different location, but without the iconic arch, marking a significant transformation in its legacy.

In 2013, many of our community were present at the unveiling of our new Wellsford Memorial Library located in Memorial Park. As part of the library project, changes to the entranceway saw the memorial moved once again to its present location and the construction of two smaller pillars, made from the original blue stone.