A tribute to Major Henry Te Reiwhati Vercoe, O.B.E., D.S.O., D.C.M., by Kepa Ehau.
An unidentified announcer states that this is a tribute by Kepa Ehau to the late Major Vercoe. The announcer then reads the English portion of the tribute, advising that the full Te Reo Māori tribute by Kepa Ehau will follow; he advises that the Te Reo Māori tribute should be used for broadcast, and that the English version is for information only.
"Major Henry Te Reiwhati Vercoe, O.B.E., D.S.O., D.C.M. died at his home at Otara Marae, Rotorua last evening, Friday 23rd at 10 o'clock. The tangi is being held at the meeting house at Otara Marae. As an elder of rank and prestige of Ngati Pikiao the late Major Vercoe was a well-known figure throughout the maraes of Aotearoa. A noted leader among his people, by whom he was well-loved and respected. It was generally agreed that he was one of the great orators of the Māori race, who was equally at home with the Queen's English and with his own mother tongue. He was Chairman of the Tribal Executive of the Confederation of Arawa tribes, a former member and Chairman of the Arawa Māori Trust Board, and supervisor of the Rotoma Land Development Scheme and was regarded at all times as a valued advisor to the Department of Māori Affairs on all matters affected land development in the district.
The late Major Vercoe was a noted sportsman. At rugby, he represented the Bay of Plenty against Auckland when he was a mere 13 years of age. He played for a New Zealand Army team in South Africa when he was only 16, and was a leading light in the Kahukura club, Rotorua for many years. He rode the first winner of the Rotorua Cup.
As a soldier he was equally renowned. He served in the Boer War when he was only 15 years of age. And at 17 years of age, he was already a Returned Serviceman with a DCM. In 1914 he sailed with the First Māori Contingent and after gallant service at Gallipoli he transferred to the Waikato Regiment and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order. Major Vercoe has lived a full life, always at the forefront of his people. For his signal services to his race and to his country, Her Majesty the Queen conferred upon him the Order of the British Empire during her Royal Tour of 1953-54.
From his sick bed in the Rotorua Hospital early this morning, we recorded this tribute in Maori from his fellow tribesman and countryman, Kepa Ehau."
[Kepa Ehau's tribute - i te reo Māori]
Transcription by Sound Archives/Ngā Taonga Kōrero