‘Marines @ Mahia’ has been launched as an annual commemoration of US Marines landing on the beach at Mahia Peninsula in 1943. They did this to practice for island landings in the Pacific during the war with the Japanese.
A Wairoa group is working towards a 75th anniversary celebration in 2018; a promotional 72nd event is planned for Labour Weekend 2015.
Marines @ Mahia Museum Club coordinator Ross Hedley says rural landowners may be unwittingly harboring wartime artifacts of value in the celebrations.
“We have no idea what’s out there but… when you go around farms, particularly those that were government balloted after the war, you can find military pieces.
“Those working the farms now might remember their grandfather using an old piece or their father driving one around before it broke down and was put in a shed. People might not be sure if they are of any real value but they are in preserving our war history.
“The war wasn’t just about guns and bombs. Many others pieces of machinery and hardware are worth donating for restoration.”
These could include Jeeps, Canadian Military Pattern (CMP) trucks, General Motors Corporation (GMC) trucks or Bren gun carriers.
“Farmers used some of these vehicles for carting things and to pull ploughs and discs instead of horses…. Although there’s a year until the 2015 celebration we need to be getting the word out now.”
Hedley says a love of the military runs in his blood; his grandfather served in WWII. Hedley has served in the army territorials and did a tour of duty in Fiji during the 1980s. His personal experience of the military and stories he has heard motivate Hedley to give time to the Marines @ Mahia campaign.
“This is the history of our war effort… and all the New Zealanders who took part and people from other countries…. We’re trying to preserve the things that can still be seen and touched and experienced.”
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