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More thought on headstones
Friday, August 24, 2012 • John Jones
THE thorny issue of buried headstones at Makaraka Cemetery will go back to Gisborne District Council’s operations committee.

The council declined to accept any of three alternatives put to them at yesterday’s monthly meeting.

Commercial property manager Matt Feist had recommended that the council approve a budget of $120,000 for the project of digging up the headstones; leave matters as they have been for the past 30 to 50 years and rescind permission for the Genealogical Society to move the headstones; or agree to build a simple memorial and not disturb the headstones.

Instead, the council decided to have members of the operations committee meet with genealogical society members and other interested parties to prepare a paper for the October council meeting.

Graeme Thomson said he did not see an acceptable solution in any of the recommendations. He wanted an option that would see the families given the opportunity to do something but he did not think it was the council’s responsibility to dig up the headstones.

If it did, it would set a precedent and it could face problems at the Taruheru Cemetery, which also contained many old headstones.

Alan Davidson said the issue had become quite emotive. People liked to think they knew the whereabouts of their family’s headstones. The council should not wash its hands of this.

Roger Haisman was quite happy for the genealogical society to be involved but it should be at no cost to the council.

Pat Seymour said the issue should go back to the operations committee to find a way forward that did not involve spending $120,000. Nothing could be done until February because the ground was too wet.

Manu Caddie said the issue was becoming more complex and the council should proceed with caution.

Chief executive Judy Campbell said there were only two legal parties involved — the council and the owners of the headstones. They could not delegate responsibility to the society. The descendants were numerous.

Allan Hall said the council could only work with those families that were known to it.

Brian Wilson said the motion was a way the council could move the process forward.
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