The Te Ākau-Waingaroa Community Centre was opened beside the Te Akau road on 29 March 1980. The facility included playing fields, tennis courts, a nine-hole golf course, polo grounds and a large pavilion.
On 10 September 1995 Canon B.H. Pierard, official chaplain to the Returned Services Association, unveiled a war memorial plaque in the foyer of the pavilion. This was worded simply: “In memory of those / who gave their lives / 1914-18 1939-45 / Let not their sacrifice / be in vain.”
As far as can be ascertained, Te Ākau had not previously had a war memorial or roll of honour. In November 1995 local residents Ruth C. Pilburn and Mavis J. McClure completed the compilation of a district Book of Remembrance, which was placed in an alcove beside the plaque. This listed 119 local people who had undertaken wartime military service, the majority of them in the First or Second World Wars, but also three in South Africa and one in Vietnam. Four women were included amongst the Second World War names, although under their married rather than their maiden names.
The Book of Remembrance was compiled as a single alphabetical list. The names transcribed below have been grouped alphabetically by war. Where initials are unknown, this is indicated by a question mark.
South African War: J. Mahood [also First World War], [?] Seavill Snr [also First World War], B. Yewdell.
First World War: W.E. Anderson, [?] Bigwither, F. Bigwither, F. Bull, J. Burgess, C. Davis, C. Day, A. Duffull, G. Duffull, J. DuFaur [possibly means D. DuFaur], J. Fowler, T. Gison, S. Graham, A. Green [?], [?] Hewitt, A. Kellow, R. Kellow, D. McLellan, R. McClure, A. McDougall, D. McDougall, T. McGuire, T. Morton, B. Neilson [also Second World War], T. Parker, J. Passfield, H. Passfield, H. Paulsen, T. Reid, C. Scott, H. Smythe, P. Snelling, G. Tukua, E. Wapp, [?] Wapp, H. Wheeler, B. Wilson, H. Wilson.
Second World War: R.B. Abbott, D. Allen, M. Anderson, D. Batty, [?] Blyth, W. Bowling, [?] Chandler, B. Connelly, N. Cotching, [?] Crawley, S. Crichton, C. Day, R. Deans, G. Ditchburn, Mrs M. Ditchburn, C. Dixon, B. Duck, D. Fawcett, D. Fox, W. Gibb, A. Green [?], J. Harrison, I. Hodgson, R. Howlett, D. Holl, H. Jackson, L. Jackson, B.D.N. Jurgens, H. Kahura, T. Knight, J. Lerew, S.J. Madill , E. Manson, J. Mataafe, D. Matthews, W.S. McCauley, I. McClure, I.D. McKenzie, H. McLaren, Mrs J. McClaren, J.L. McLeod, C. Metcalf, J. Mildon, W. Moore, G. Muir, E. Nemack, T. Ngahere, H. Nuttall, Mrs F. Ollivier, M. Ollivier, R. Osbaldston, W. Otway, Mrs E. Picot, L. Pilling, E. Priest, R.E. Rathbone, R. Ritchie, M. Russell, K. Salter, G. Saxton, H. Saunders, E. Scown, F. Seavill, A. Seavill, T. Shearer, J. Smail, G. Tennent, R. Tocker, M. Tombleson, E. True, S. True, D. Turnbull, D. Van Houtte, H. Walker, J. Wallace, K. Warburton, E. Ward, T. Wills, C. Wynyard.
Vietnam: B. Wynyard.
Images and information: Bruce Ringer, Auckland Libraries, 2014