Year 12 History Wānanga Day
By Kelvin McCrone | Posted: Wednesday May 21, 2025
For our Year 12 History Wānanga Day, we explored several memorial sites around Ōtepoti/Dunedin to better understand the different ways we remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for King and Country.
The boys are currently working on their research internal, investigating an event of significance to New Zealanders. Each student has chosen an old boy from the Archway Roll of Honour who paid that ultimate sacrifice. The way we remember events is one lens through which we judge their ongoing significance—so, on Wānanga Day, we remembered them.
Our first stop was in Brighton, where we visited the memorial erected by the Dunedin RSA to Dickson Cornelius Savage, also known as Richard Charles Travis, or “The King of No Man’s Land.” “Travis’s gang” scouted enemy defences and captured enemy troops for interrogation. He was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for “conspicuous gallantry” on 15 September 1916, the Belgian Croix de Guerre in February 1918, and the Military Medal in May 1918. He was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions at Rossignol Wood on 24 July 1918, where he captured two German machine guns and killed 11 German soldiers in broad daylight. He was killed by shellfire the following day.
Next, we visited the North East Valley Normal School Memorial Gate, where the names of 126 boys from the school and NEV area are commemorated.
Finally, we visited the Upper Junction War Memorial, where volunteer Mr Grahame Jenkins shared the story of how the memorial site has evolved over time into the remarkable space of remembrance it is today. From the gifting of the land, the clearing of the scrub, and the construction of the bridge to the flagpole, the Remembrance Walk, and the preservation and display of war records—this work has all been carried out by volunteers. Grahame spoke of the importance of maintaining such memorials so that the history of sacrifice is not forgotten. His dedicated team of ten volunteers meets two to three times a year to care for this beautifully maintained space, which honours the young men from the Upper Junction area who fell in the Great War.
The boys thoughtfully observed that the Brennan brothers listed on the NEV school gate were also remembered on the memorial wall at Upper Junction.
A sincere thank you to Mr Grahame Jenkins for taking time out of his day to share his knowledge and passion, and to Mr Grant for assisting with the trip.
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