Anzac Reflections — the man, the donkey, and the quail

The Man with the Donkey, Pukeahu National Memorial Park, Wellington, NZ (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0), via Wikimedia Commons)

The bronze sculpture of The Man with the Donkey, by Paul Walshe, depicts New Zealand Medical Corps stretcher bearer Richard Henderson and his donkey carrying a wounded soldier from the battlefield at Galliopli in 1915. Henderson continued his work at the Battle of the Somme the next year. He repeatedly rescued the wounded while under heavy fire and was later honoured with the Military Medal.

Pohutukawa tree in flower. (Credit: Lainey Myers-Davies)

The statue sits beneath a stand of Pohutukawa Trees. Also known as New Zealand’s Christmas Tree, their red flowers bloom in December and provide magnificent displays up and down most of the country. Close by is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which contains the remains of a New Zealand soldier who died on the Somme during the First World War.

Californian Quail. (Image: Canva)

In early November 2005, a Californian Quail was reported to have taken up a periodic sentinel by…