
Dargaville First World War memorial band rotunda.
On 28 August 1919 a public meeting was held to decide on a suitable war memorial for the Northern Wairoa area (Dargaville Borough and neighbouring Hobson and Otamatea counties). Proposals included erecting a band rotunda, setting up a memorial institute, buying the Dargaville Club as a soldiers’ club, and establishing a memorial park . The last option gained majority approval at the time (see Northern Wairoa Memorial Park). However, the rotunda option was later resurrected. Towards the end of 1927 the Dargaville Borough Council sought tenders for the erection of the rotunda on the town esplanade, alongside the banks of the Wairoa River. Prime Minister Gordon Coates dedicated the completed structure on 16 May 1928. Mrs Coates unveiled the memorial tablet set into its base. This read simply: ‘IN HONOUR / OF THE MEN FROM / DARGAVILLE / WHO MADE THE / SUPREME SACRIFICE / 1914 – 1918’.
Sources: : ‘Dargaville’s War Memorials’, Northern Advocate, 3/9/1919, p. 1; ‘Memorial at Dargaville: Acceptance of Tender’, NZ Herald, 2/11/1927, p. 10; ‘War Memorials ... Dargaville Band Rotunda: Dedication by Mr Coates’, NZ Herald, 17/5/1928, p. 11
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