North Canterbury News: February 24, 2022

Animal sacrifice recognised
By SHELLEY TOPP
Theresa Rosanowski is hoping people
will remember the wartime service of
animals today.
The Okuku woman is an avid supporter
of Purple Poppy Day, which is recognised
internationally on February 24 every
year, and she has been alongtime
campaigner to get the wartime service of
animals more widely recognised in New
Zealand.
Theresa was one of the organisers of a
commemorative plaque, recognising the
wartime service of animals which was
unveiled at the Rangiora War Memorial
Cenotaph last November.
One of the other organisers of the
plaque, Clare Hammond, says New
Zealand is probably one of the later
nations to recognise animals for their
war service.
‘‘There are many very dedicated
animal lovers in New Zealand who have
been working to make the general public
aware of the cost of animals lives from
wars and conflicts.
‘‘But as Theresa and Iwere
researching plaque designs we found so
much has already been done around the
world, in Europe, the United Kingdom,
the United States and Australia. There
are many memorials, very large ones too
in places around the world,’’ she says.
‘‘Our plaque is possibly the first on a
town/city public cenotaph in the world,
definitely the first in New Zealand.’’
However in Hamilton’s Memorial Park
there is alife­size, 300kg, bronze horse
statue Gunner, the War Horse, dedicated
to all the horses who lost their lives at
war, including many thousands of New
Zealand horses sent to battlegrounds but
never returned home.
Clare says Nigel Allsopp, aNew
Zealander now living in Australia, who
founded the Australian War Animal
Memorial Organisation (AWAMO) has
Lest we forget ... Remembering animals
which paid the ultimate sacrifice. PHOTO: FILE
done ‘‘a massive amount of work’’
helping to create memorials in New
Zealand, Australia and around the world,
including the poignant Animals in War
Memorial located outside London’s Hyde
Park, in England.
It is estimated that more than 16
million animals, including horses,
donkeys, mules, camels, dogs, cats and
pigeons served during World War 1and
more than eight million died, but many
other animals have also died in service
during other wartime conflicts around
the world.
The Royal New Zealand Returned
Services Association national women’s
president, Diane Wilson, says there is no
street appeal for Purple Poppy Day.
‘‘We see this as an ongoing project for
our RSA (Returned Services Association)
women’s sections to embrace, along with
their communities, to raise funds and
awareness as well as honouring our fourlegged
veterans.’’
The purple poppy was created in 2006
by aUnited Kingdom charity ‘‘Animal Ai’’
'tocommemorate animals which
were‘`the forgotten victims of war’’.
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