An honourable line up

This week is National Volunteer Week, a chance here in Hurunui to celebrate those people in our communities who do their bit to help others… because they want to.

If you drive down Hawarden Waikari Road heading towards Hawarden, cast your eyes to the left and you’ll see a line of 53 oak trees, at the base all with a plaque standing on a plinth, to honour those in the area who fell in The Great War.

Hawarden resident Richard Todd is the mind behind this well respected gesture.

Todd was driving down Hawarden Waikari Road just after the centenary of the beginning of World War 1 in 2014, and counted 53 oak trees.

“I thought to myself, that number seems familiar.”

He realised 52 is the number of soliders from the area who were killed, never to return home.

Through the Hawarden Waikari Community Trust, of which he is a trustee, fundraising was undertaken for the plinths, plaques and earthworks. He designed and built the mould for the plinths to be cast.

“It took a couple of years to get underway, we began the project in 2015 and it was completed in time for the marking of the centenary of the end of WWI on November 11, 2018.”

Each plaque reads the name, rank and home location of the fallen soldier, and the middle oak tree in the line honours all the horses that never returned home.

Poppies are placed next to the plaques each ANZAC Day, thanks to local efforts.

Todd keeps the plaques tidy, and has been thrilled with both the local response to the efforts, and visitors who remark on how lovely the tree line looks.

His enthusiam has continued, and in the last month he has finished planting 27 oak trees between Pyramid Valley Road and Waikari township.

“That tree line represents the number of local soldiers who fell in WWII.”

He has plans to repeat the feature of Hawarden Waikari Road by placing plaques and plinths at the base of these trees.

“It’s good to do, it gives me such a thrill to give back.”

Todd, a retired deer farmer, has been a familiar face around many groups in the area over the years.

He’s had 25 years with Land Search and Rescue, 25 years with Fire and Emergency New Zealand Hawarden volunteer brigade, he is a committee member of the Hawarden A&P Association, a Trustee of Hawarden Waikari Community Trust, Deputy Chair of Waipara County Historical Society, Deputy Chair of Hawarden Waikari Menz Shed, a committee member of the Hawarden Reserve Advisory Group, has been the convenor of the Hawarden Waikari ANZAC service, and is a Justice of the Peace.