Ōrākei Local Board member and Heritage Portfolio holder Colin Davis has documented an important part of Ōrākei’s history.
‘World War I Roll of Honour for the Ōrākei Local Board area’ commemorates service personnel who died during the First World War.
The Roll of Honour was first published by the board in 2014 to commemorate the war’s centenary. With the close of the official commemoration period in 2018, Mr Davis has revised and re-published the roll.
The names of 196 men are included on the roll along with photographs and details of their lives before and during the war. A schedule of known local war memorials and rolls of honour associated with these service personnel has also been included in the revised edition.
Mr Davis spent many months of research to ensure publication would be in time for Armistice Day 2018.
"For me it was a 'labour of respect'. Not a single community in the suburbs which comprise our local board area today was left unscathed by the devastating effects of this war."
"It is important that we, and future generations, remember the sacrifices made by so many so we can enjoy the freedoms and quality of life we have today,” he says.
Copies of the publication have been given to St John's Theological College Library, St Heliers, Ellerslie, Remuera and Kings schools. These were the only schools in existence in the Ōrākei Local Board area at the time of the First World War.
St Heliers and Remuera Libraries and the Auckland War Memorial Museum Library have also received copies. The book will be available at these libraries once it has been catalogued and added to their inventories.
It is intended to make the publication available on Ōrākei Local Board’s website. Currently, the 2014 version is available on the site.
Ōrākei Local Board welcomes additional information from the public on this project. Please contact orakeilocalboard@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz if you have information to contribute.
