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Gate Pa by Peter E. C. Dashwood

SummaryGate Pa by Peter E. C. Dashwood was one of six finalists in the Battle of Gate Pā Poetry Competition (2014). The poem was read aloud at the Prize Giving and Awards Evening held at Elizabeth Café & Larder at 5.30pm on Thursday 6 March 2014. Main Body

Gate Pa

they come

we wait

Rawiri shouts defiance from the earthworks

they have unleashed the thunder

but he is unafraid

in the drizzle

as the light fades

the trap is sprung

they are broken

we move out through the night

creatures of the swamp

passing the 68th

like phantom shadows in the dark

* * *

Mitre 10 Mega

and a bowling green

cover the places where we fought

a little church is on the Big Redoubt

houses for our mokopuna, Kiwi kids,

built in the gully and the recovered swamp

the new New Zealanders do their shopping

unaware of us below

we fought the good fight

brown and white

and now we rest

it should be so

* * *

honour and courage; human virtues

must be remembered through the years

a nation is built on understanding

respect, hard work, and blood and tears

so spare a thought for Henare and Rawiri

and George and Arthur from across the sea

at Pukehinahina they fiercely fought

and made a place for you and me

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AcknowledgementTe Ao Mārama - Tauranga City Libraries

Relates To

EventsTauranga Memories (2011-2021) - EventsBattle of Gate Pā Poetry Competition (2014)

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AuthorPeter E. C. Dashwood Type of ContributionCommunity storyTaxonomyStories | Events

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Gate Pa by Peter E. C. Dashwood