Straight from city council A personal view, by Councillor Steve Morris

This week the order for Papamoa's war memorial has been placed with the stonemasons. I'm so humbled to be part of such a generous community. In the two short months since we kicked off fundraising for Papamoa's own tribute to our nation's fallen, we've already exceeded our target – without a single dollar from the ratepayer. Because of your generosity, the memorial has grown to 3m of black polished granite on a plinth donated by local concrete firm, Burrows Concrete.

The memorial will now be of a scale befitting a community our size and a place for future generations to reflect on the sacrifices made so that we can live in peace and freedom. We've discovered the names of two local men from our once little village to put on the roll of honour: Alfred Harris, killed in action in France in 1917 and Bruce Dickson (whom I believe Bruce Rd is named for), killed in action in Korea in 1951.

My thanks to the crew of HMNZS Te Kaha, Barrett Homes, Pak N' Save Papamoa, The Blue bar & eatery, ZB Homes, Classic Builders, Papamoa Lions, Conder Marine, Legacy Trust, Elliotts Funeral services and members of the public. We still need additional funds for the landscaping for our new, larger, memorial so keep your donations coming to the Papamoa War Memorial account: 12-3407-0074451-00.