Anzac Day services in Porirua
A relaxing of Covid-19 restrictions means Anzac Day could be a busy day in Porirua.
Two dawn services are planned in the city on 25 April, at Titahi Bay and the Porirua RSA in McKillop St (both from 6am), with the Porirua civic service to be held at the Peace Memorial at Te Rauparaha Park from 9am. The parade will begin to gather at 8.30am. Commemorations will take place at St Alban’s Church, Pāuatahanui (10.15am), Takapūwāhia Marae and Titahi Bay, Whitehouse Rd, (10.30am) and Pukerua Bay Community Hall (11am, which is then followed by a wreath-laying at Whenua Tapu Cemetery from noon).
The public are welcome to attend any dawn parade or service but due to Omicron’s continued presence in the community it is hard to predict the numbers of people, Porirua Mayor Anita Baker says. “We respect that some people may wish to stay home, with Covid-19 still out there, and high daily case numbers,” she says. “But for those that feel comfortable, we want to offer an opportunity to get together and mark this special day for our country. “I’ve always looked forward to the dawn parade and Porirua’s civic centre ceremony – it’s a chance to come together, and I especially love seeing the number of young faces that are attending Anzac Day. “It’s about pride and nationhood and our tamariki understand that more than ever.” Since 1916, services have been held around the country to mark the landing of Australian and New Zealand soldiers at Gallipoli in Turkey on 25 April 1915, acknowledging the sacrifices and hardships made there and in subsequent conflicts around the world in the name of freedom.
Porirua’s civic service will be livestreamed on Facebook, for those who prefer to watch from home, and it will have a sign language interpreter.
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
Worst Xmas ever?
There's a a lot of planning that goes into Christmas day and sometimes things just don't go to plan. But it can be a good thing - a family mishap or hilarious memory that you can laugh about in Christmases to come.
Whether you burnt the dinner or were stranded at an airport...
Share your Christmas mishaps below!