Ashburton Courier: April 30, 2020
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
Page 4, <strong>Ashburton</strong>'s The <strong>Courier</strong>, Thursday <strong>April</strong> <strong>30</strong>, <strong>2020</strong><br />
Local news at www.starnews.co.nz<br />
Morethan aname on aheadstone<br />
Twentysixyearold Thomas<br />
Joseph Goldsmith was farming at<br />
Lauriston, near <strong>Ashburton</strong>, when<br />
he enlisted to fight for his new<br />
home country.<br />
Born at Braddan, in the Isle of<br />
Man on December 18, 1889,<br />
Thomas had made his way to New<br />
Zealand and settled in Mid<br />
Canterbury.<br />
At 6foot tall, with aframe of<br />
around 80kg (176lbs), Thomas, who<br />
had passed the Fourth Educational<br />
Standard or equivalent at the time<br />
of enlisting, had brown hair, grey<br />
eyes and aslight stammer in his<br />
speech.<br />
He was single and with no<br />
dependants when stirred to duty by<br />
joining the infantry of the New<br />
Zealand Expeditionary Force on<br />
June 28, 1916.<br />
His next of kin when he enlisted<br />
was his friend, C. Goodwin, of<br />
Clovelly Farm at Lauriston, New<br />
Zealand.<br />
Private TJGoldsmith, 29162 was<br />
assigned to the 2nd Canterbury<br />
Infantry Battalion.<br />
The Canterbury Infantry<br />
Regiment was one of four regional<br />
infantry groups (the others were<br />
Auckland, Wellington and Otago)<br />
and served on the Western Front<br />
from 1916 until 1918.<br />
This was where Thomas was<br />
headed when he embarked with<br />
other 18th Reinforcements, and<br />
12th and 9th New Zealand Rifle<br />
Brigade, on the Tofua from<br />
Wellington on October 11, 1916.<br />
Two and ahalf months later,<br />
having spent Christmas Day on<br />
board the troopship with thousands<br />
of other soldiers, he disembarked at<br />
The tale of Anzac Private Thomas Goldsmith<br />
<strong>Ashburton</strong> RSA vice-president Allan Johnstone lays awreath for Anzac Day <strong>2020</strong>.<br />
Plymouth, in the south west of<br />
England, on December 29 and<br />
marched into Sling Camp for<br />
training on the same day.<br />
It was two days before New<br />
Year’s Eve.<br />
He was there for just over a<br />
month before moving on to France<br />
and the first battle of his life.<br />
Thomas arrived at camp in<br />
Staples, France and amonth later<br />
was led into the field of battle; it was<br />
March 3, 1917.<br />
Soldiers on the Western Front<br />
fought the war living in trenches<br />
which were long, narrow ditches dug<br />
into the ground.<br />
The trenches were muddy and<br />
smelly with food scraps, overflowing<br />
toilets and the bodies of deceased<br />
soldiers which attracted rats. There<br />
was also lice, brought in on frogs<br />
when the trenches flooded,<br />
attaching to clothing and causing<br />
the men to itch and suffer from<br />
trench fever (which lice spread).<br />
Threeandahalf months after<br />
first arriving in the trenches,<br />
Thomassuffered from about of<br />
diarrhoea so severe he had to be<br />
treated twice by fieldambulance.<br />
He went on to do Western<br />
European service throughout 1917<br />
and 1918, was woundedmultiple<br />
times in action, including an<br />
accidental injury in July 1917 and<br />
was also disciplined at leasttwice;<br />
oncefor being missinginactionfor<br />
45 minutesonNew Year’s Day<br />
1918.<br />
Thomas served his country for<br />
three yearsand 159 days,which<br />
included two years and 345 days<br />
posted overseas.<br />
He was eventually discharged<br />
The recently-cleaned headstone<br />
of Private Thomas Goldsmith, in<br />
the <strong>Ashburton</strong> Cemetery.<br />
from service on December 3, 1919<br />
as no longer being physically fit<br />
becauseofwounds received in<br />
action.<br />
He was awardedthe British War<br />
Medal on November 21, 1921, and<br />
the Victory Medal on May 16, 1922.<br />
It is not known what Thomas’ life<br />
was like returning to New Zealand<br />
after the war, but he died at<br />
Burnham, on November 19, 1950.<br />
He is buried alongside other<br />
Anzac soldiers at <strong>Ashburton</strong><br />
Cemetery.<br />
Lockdown bubbles shower Carlyn with love<br />
Despite the tough financial times<br />
many people are finding<br />
themselves in due to the Covid<br />
19 situation, an <strong>Ashburton</strong><br />
family rallying to reach an<br />
$87,000 target for unfunded<br />
cancer drugs is reeling by the<br />
outpouring of love and support it<br />
is receiving.<br />
Family of <strong>Ashburton</strong> woman<br />
25yearold Carlyn Reed began a<br />
Givealittle fundraising page on<br />
Anzac Day (<strong>April</strong> 25) to help<br />
raise funds for immune therapy<br />
treatment she needs to help save<br />
her life.<br />
Since the age of 14, the former<br />
<strong>Ashburton</strong> College pupil has<br />
courageously been fighting<br />
Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Over the<br />
years, despite numerous<br />
chemotherapy treatments,<br />
radiation and astem cell<br />
transplant, the cancer keeps<br />
returning.<br />
With no public treatment<br />
options left, Carlyn’s only hope<br />
for acure rests with aNew<br />
Zealand Governmentapproved,<br />
Carlyn Reed and her family are fundraising for unfunded<br />
cancer drugs.<br />
but unfunded drug, called<br />
Pembrozlizumab.<br />
Family member Julia Dohmen<br />
said aquote from St George’s<br />
Hospital in Christchurch for<br />
Carlyn’s immune therapy<br />
treatment and care costs was<br />
received on <strong>April</strong> 24 and the<br />
family set to work to create a<br />
fundraising page to support<br />
Carlyn’s cause.<br />
“Within the first 12 hours,<br />
$<strong>30</strong>,050 had been raised which<br />
just blew everyone away.<br />
“Carlyn, her mum and siblings<br />
were in their respective house<br />
bubbles staying in touch virtually<br />
watching the donations flow in<br />
and reading the many messages<br />
of support.<br />
“There were lots of tears,<br />
happy tears. It just shows the<br />
power of the people in times like<br />
these,” she said.<br />
Mrs Dohmen said that by the<br />
end of day two, the fundraising<br />
total had reached $41,000 –just<br />
shy of the halfway mark.<br />
It had reached $50,000<br />
yesterday.<br />
“We still have awee way to go,<br />
but are heartened by the<br />
outpouring of love and<br />
generosity from people in their<br />
bubbles both here in New<br />
Zealand, and even from across<br />
the ditch in Australia. It gives us<br />
ahuge amount of hope that this<br />
target is totally possible,” she<br />
said.<br />
People can read more about<br />
Carlyn’s story and donate to her<br />
cause via the Givealittle website<br />
–Help Carlyn kick cancer to the<br />
curb, at https://givealittle.co.nz/<br />
cause/helpcarlynkickcancertothecurbdollar87000<br />
www.auricelectrical.co.nz<br />
• Domestic electrical services<br />
• New house wiring<br />
• House rewiring &maintenance<br />
SUPPLIERS AND INSTALLERS OF LEADING BRANDS<br />
• TV &Datawiring<br />
• Solar installation<br />
• HeatPumps<br />
Call todayfor an obligation free quote<br />
0800287 423<br />
2269129<br />
Be crime savvy<br />
Police are reminding<br />
people to keep their<br />
property and valuables<br />
secure, even if they are at<br />
home.<br />
With more people<br />
returning to work, it is<br />
timely for areminder<br />
about keeping property<br />
safe because burglars are<br />
still active.<br />
Doors and windowsleft<br />
open provide aperfect<br />
opportunity for thieves to<br />
snatch items without being<br />
detected and valuables<br />
should be out of sight from<br />
passersby. People<br />
workinginthe garden or<br />
away from the front door,<br />
should makesure doors<br />
are locked.<br />
Remember to lock your<br />
car, even in the driveway.