'I regret to inform you...” The chilling opening gambit of another government telegram telling the New Zealand families of World War I and II soldiers that their fathers, sons or brothers had been killed in action, were missing in action, taken prisoner or wounded.

'…we express our profound sympathy” it continued. It was the moment war knocked on the front door.

And it was Norman Patterson's unenviable task as a postman, to deliver those messages. What would people be thinking as they saw Norman walking purposefully, but respectfully, up their garden path with his mailbag of doom and gloom?

'He didn't really talk about it,” says his grand-daughter Sonia Peebles of Gate Pa. 'But we all knew.” And it must have affected him dreadfully – delivering the worst possible news to families he knew, loved and lived alongside. You didn't have to be under enemy fire to feel the pain of war.

Grandad

Sonia thinks of her grandad often as she attaches pins to the ANZAC Day poppies at the Tauranga RSA in Greerton, so in turn they can be attached to lapels in remembrance.

She does thousands of poppies, 500 an hour, day in, day out, leading up to Anzac Day. 'It's a constant reminder of my grandfather and his contribution,” says Sonia.

She's been prepping the poppies for sale for about seven years – carefully and methodically attaching those pins. 'I have Asperger's high functional and this work allows me to get out of the house and connect with people. Otherwise, I'd be sitting around doing nothing.”

But even when she's sitting around, usually at home in front of the TV, she'll still be putting pins on poppies. The work goes on. Charities depend on people like Sonia.

All year

At 500 an hour, doesn't she get sick of poppies? 'I actually have had dreams about poppies because I had been doing it all year.”

You will see Sonia's handiwork in poppy collection boxes in schools, banks, shops, resthomes...everywhere around town.

Last year $15,000 locally was raised towards supporting the RSA community with financial help, advice, employment, mobility, housing and mental health.

Former Tauranga RSA president Heather Waldron says this year, there's only one manned poppy collection stand at Cherrywood. 'We just don't have the manpower capable of doing the job anymore and it's not as safe out on the street as it used to be.

But, says Heather, look out for the collection boxes. They are all over town. And for the first time, the RSA has introduced a QR code for the cashless society. Focus your smartphone camera on the QR code, tap the pop-up link and you'll be taken to the RSA's ‘donate page'. Your donation will help RSA support NZ war vets.