On Tuesday 12 November 2024 the Council will be flying our NZ flag at half-mast to to mark the burial of Sir Robert ‘Bom’ Gillies KNZM, the passing of the last of the 28th Māori Battalion, and in acknowledgement of the service and sacrifice of the more than 3,500 Māori men who fought as the 28th Māori Battalion during the Second World War.
Sir Robert Gillies was the last remaining member of the 28th Māori Battalion and served in B Company during World War 2 from 1942 to 1945, across Africa, Europe and the Middle East, and primarily in Italy. Over more than 20 years, Sir Robert represented the men and service of the Battalion at national and international events. In addition to annual dawn and civic Anzac ceremonies, this included many individual occasions including Ngarimu Scholarship presentations in Wellington and laying the wreath at the ceremony in Italy in 2019 to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the Battles of Cassino. He was recognised as a Knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic in 2019. He had been Trustee of the 28th Māori Battalion B Company History Trust since 2013. He had been an active member of the Te Arawa Returned Services Association, holding several roles. He led the 75th anniversary celebration of the return of the B company to Tamatekapua in Rotorua following WW2. He had long been active with his iwi Ngāti Whakaue, and continued to work on the marae, maintain the war memorial, and participate in iwi affairs. Sir Robert was a member of Waikite Rugby Club and was instrumental early on in establishing the current clubrooms.
Information and photo: https://gg.govt.nz/image-galleries/9381/media?page=0, published under CC BY 4.