Placed side by side with photos of Australian soldiers, local Annie Soutter’s father fought with the New Zealand Army in WWII, following in the footsteps of his own father, an Anzac in WWI. 

Annie said it meant a lot to see her own family honoured alongside the Australian soldiers. 

“There was no hesitation from Michelle (Maxwell), she just put them straight up there,” Annie said.

She said Anzac Day was just as special for the New Zealand people as it is for Australians. 

“It’s the same in New Zealand as it is here. I mean, ‘Anzacs’ –  it’s Australia and New Zealand that makes the word. We’re together in one word,” she said.

Despite her family’s long involvement in the army, with soldiers on both sides, Annie said her father rarely talked about the war. 

“I found out myself,” she said. She followed the records of his battalion online and learnt more about his experiences.

“I managed to get his war records from the New Zealand Army and I found out that he was wounded twice. I thought he was only wounded once. The last wounding he got his big toe shot off, so he got sent back because he couldn’t march.”

Annie has continued to pass on the family legacy, giving pieces of her father and grandfather’s war memorabilia to her nephew, the only one to carry on the family name.