It was a bittersweet day for faithful war memorial board restorer Ann Robbie as her latest restoration project – the Fernhill war memorial board – was handed over to the Winton RSA earlier this week.

She and Southland District Council publications specialist Chris Chilton had spent many months organising the board to be released from the Southland District council archives, and Winton RSA president Chris Crossley was to have been there to see it being handed over on Tuesday. 

Except he wasn’t.

On October 4, Mr Crossley suddenly and unexpectedly died and didn’t get to fulfil his wish of hanging the board in the Winton RSA where it belongs.

Mrs Robbie said Mr Crossley was instrumental in seeing the board released.

“He kept pushing me to keep going… he was right behind me the whole way,” she said.

“It was very sudden and very sad. He was only 60… he was a lovely guy.”

In was then organised that, in his place, his son Michael Crossley would be invited to hang the board.

Except Mr Crossley had to quickly fly home to England as the country’s second lockdown was announced. 

So, when the board was ready, Mrs Robbie quickly took the board around to the Crossley family, so they could see the board all together before Mr Crossley had to catch his flight to the UK.

“It was very much an emotional time,” said Ms Robbie, but an important and special time too.

Sergeant Zane Langford was then selected to hang the board in his place. 

It was Sergeant Langford’s last his last official day of duty before he moved to Samoa to live with his wife, so Mrs Robbie said it was very special to give him such a send-off on his last day. 

Mrs Robbie also thanked Mr Chilton, who helped hugely in “cutting through red tape” and getting the board released from the council archives. 

The board is now safely homed at the Winton RSA for all to view. 

Mrs Robbie has restored more than 50 boards now, and said the work was still not done. 

She will not stop until she has to, or every board in Southland is found, restored and rehomed to a safe place.

Mrs Robbie said she feels this is the least she can do to pay her respects to those who gave their lives for our freedom today.

“For the time, money, and effort that I spend on these boards, it’s nothing compared to what these guys went through,” she said.