Wall earmarked to go as relatives sought

Masterton District Council is appealing to the public to find relatives of four people who have plaques in the unsafe cremation wall in Riverside Cemetery before it is demolished.

The wall was built in 1987, but was assessed by engineers and deemed unsafe in the long term, according to property and facilities officer Charlie Fairbairn.

A decision was made about 2006 to remove the wall and so far at least 120 relatives have been contacted.

Mr Fairbairn said there had been no trouble contacting most families, but people move around a lot these days and often overseas, which increases the difficulty of finding a direct relative.

He said it was important they were found so the council can let them know of its plans and ask for permission to move the ashes. "If for some reason we haven't found any relatives of the deceased, we have taken steps to advertise our intention to remove the plots," he said.

"If there is anyone who can shed any light on the whereabouts or contact details of the remaining relatives then that would be very helpful."

He said the ashes would then be moved to the lawn plots and a record made within the cemeteries' database.

The wall will be demolished and the area levelled with a project budget of about $40,000.

The demolition is expected to be completed this financial year, and there are no plans for a replacement wall.

Do you know the relatives of these people?

Enid Corella Beever Kebbell Pavit (07.09.89)

John Cyril Maurice Smith (18.05.87)

Jean McNair Preen (14.03.97)

Frederick Arthur Morgan (08.03.88)

Contact Charlie Fairbairn urgently on (06) 370 6300.