Vietnam veteran Donald Roa (Tainui, Ngāti Maniapoto) was not expecting to see 20 odd people this morning as he made the 30-minute walk from his home to the war memorial monument in Manurewa.
“I was just incorporating this visit into my morning exercise,” he said, as he addressed the small crowd at 6 am this morning, dressed in formal attire, sporting his war medals symbolising over 20 years of military service.
Roa was accompanied by Victor Timu (Ngāti Tūwharetoa), a former SAS trooper, who offered a karakia and mihi to those in attendance.