School War Poets to Help Launch WW1 Project

6 March 2015

Waikato Museum aims to feature a World War 1-inspired poem written by a local student as part of the launch for the major World War 1 exhibition For Us They Fell to open on Anzac Day, 25 April, this year.

Waikato Museum Director Cherie Meecham says the aim of the Waikato Museum School War Poets Competition was not only to have a young voice at the launch event, but to get students thinking about the significance of World War 1 and give them an opportunity to be involved in the For Us They Fell project.

 “This is an extraordinary opportunity for students to become part of a significant World War 1 exhibition and to gain a deeper understanding of this period in our history.”

The competition is open to year 3-8 students from the greater Waikato and Coromandel region. The winning poem will be read by the author or a representative from the school at the exclusive opening ceremony for For Us They Fell on Friday 24 April 2015.

The winning school will receive a free class trip to For Us They Fell and selected poems from each participating school will be presented in a special display at Waikato Museum.

Entry closes on 2 April, 2015. Entry details and terms and conditions can be viewed on waikatomuseum.co.nz/education.

About For Us They Fell

For Us They Fell is an exhibition about the people of the Waikato and World War 1. To open on Anzac Day 2015 – the 100th anniversary of the landing at Gallipoli – the exhibition will run until the 100th anniversary of the Armistice in November 2018.

For Us They Fell is a living exhibition which will continue to evolve during the World War 1 centenary years.  An interactive website, ForUsTheyFell.org.nz allows people to add information and imagery of loved ones, family members or people in local communities who served in the war. This content will also form part of the exhibition.

The exhibition follows a broad chronology, taking the visitor from Waikato as it was just before the war, through the major campaigns and events, and finally to the aftermath and on to the present day. At each stage the story is told mainly through the experiences of the ordinary people of the Waikato who lived through it – or died because of it; where they fought, where they fell and what happened at home.

For Us They Fell is supported by a Lottery World War One Commemorations, Environment and Heritage grant.