Katikati Cemetery in need of clean-up for Anzac Day

Val Baker is looking for help to clean up the cemetery before Anzac Day. Photo / Rebecca Mauger

''You can judge a town by the way it treats its dead.''

Katikati Cemetery is looking worse for wear and Val Baker is looking for volunteers to help bring it up to scratch.

''It's scruffy. I am a strong believer that you can tell a lot from a community on how it looks after its dead. And you would hope that someone would look after your grave when you're gone,'' said the Legion of Frontiersmen J Troop Lieutenant Colonel.

The idea is to get the cemetery up to scratch again before Anzac Day celebrations.

It's been 12 years since the cemetery on Hot Springs Rd had a good clean-up. That restoration included the installation of white crosses for previously unmarked graves and the repair of many historic headstones. The Legion of Frontiersmen won the 2010 TrustPower Western Bay of Plenty Community Awards for the restoration.

But now weeds are creeping up through cracks in the concrete graves, agapanthus need deadheading and headstones need a clean in the old part of the cemetery which dates back to 1878.

Baker says it's a quirky little cemetery.

''Our cemetery was part of an Irish settlement... so the Anglicans go down the hill, the Presbyterians are up the hill, Catholics, Methodists and everyone else is at the front.''

It also has some very interesting numbering, she says.

Baker says the first stage of the clean-up will be weeding, then spraying followed by cleaning the headstones.

Marble headstones are starting to go black and a special chemical is required.

Baker says many of the departed there have contributed to the community. She has a number of relatives including her parents buried in Katikati Cemetery.

''There's so many up there who have played a massive part in the community and a lot of them don't necessarily have a family who is still alive. It's all very good having youth in town but you have to look after the old people as well.''

Phone Val Baker on 027 2859 714 if you can help.

• Check out Katikati Advertiser's April 21 edition for more Anzac Day events.