Katikati RSA Pays Tribute to Last Local WWII Veteran Clive Kenyon

At this year's Anzac Day dawn service in Katikati, the community paused to honour Clive Wilson Kenyon, acknowledged as the town's last World War II veteran. Kenyon died peacefully at home, surrounded by his whānau, on 15 March 2025, in his 101st year.

Katikati RSA president Trevor Gilbert announced that a Clive Kenyon Memorial Scholarship will be established in his memory, to be awarded annually to a direct descendant of service personnel to help them continue their studies or vocation. Gilbert also reminded the crowd that service and sacrifice did not end with the World Wars, calling on attendees to recognise veterans of conflicts in Malaya, Borneo, Vietnam, Bosnia, East Timor, Iraq and Palestine, as well as those currently serving.

Gilbert noted the particular significance of this year's commemoration, falling 110 years after the Gallipoli landing, 80 years since the end of World War II, and 50 years since the conclusion of the Vietnam War. "The wounds that are the result of war and conflict are not always visible," he said.

Originally published in Katikati News (Sun Media).