Cemetery upgrade oversight

File photo of a totally different cemetery.

The omission of a start date in a newspaper notice for a Gisborne services cemetery headstone upgrade at Taruheru was an oversight, the company doing the work says.

The upgrade includes replacement of deteriorating concrete bases under servicemen’s memorial plaques. The metal plaques will be cleaned and reinstated. The upgrade is expected to be complete before Anzac Day on April 25. During this time, individual memorials will be replaced a row at a time.

But the advertisement gave less than 24 hours notice for a blessing ceremony held before the upgrade began.

“We do regret and apologise that no start date was placed in the notice. This was an oversight on our part,” said Chris Fraser of Bronze Plaques NZ Ltd.

'Only three days notice'His comment was in the wake of a complaint to The Gisborne Herald about the omission of a start date for the upgrade of the cemetery. In the advertisement on December 16, people were asked to remove non-compliant memorabilia from the site before work began at the cemetery. Work on the upgrade began three days later on December 19.

“Only three days notice and a busy Christmas week,” wrote Gisborne woman Barbara Barwick in her letter to the Herald.

As project managers for the upgrade, Bronze Plaques NZ Ltd arranged for an advertisement about the work, said Mr Fraser. The company planned for the notice to appear in the newspaper earlier in the week but unforeseen circumstances meant this did not happen.

“Gisborne was without power for two days due to an aircraft accident that resulted in the tragic loss of two lives.”

The Herald was not able to run the ad until the Friday because of the power situation.

Removing memorabiliaOn December 21, Mrs Barwick collected family memorabilia from the grave of her late parents-in-law.

“Further along, in the front row, I observed a contractor at work,” she wrote. “There were removed plaques lying on the grass along with memorabilia. Hopefully, the plaques and memorabilia are cared for correctly and not muddled. There did not appear to be a sign to let visitors know what was happening.”

Mr Fraser said Bronze Plaques NZ Ltd reassured families and the community that the upgrade work was conducted with respect and dignity.

“It is our intention to honour the veterans and their families in completing this work. We are committed to working closely with any families, and with Veterans Affairs, on this upgrade to ensure a positive outcome.”

Work on one berm had been completed at that stage. Any remaining non-compliant memorabilia had been carefully removed, said Mr Fraser.

“These have been individually labelled and stored securely and will be returned to any families who identify themselves to us. We have had no inquiries regarding any removed memorabilia.”

“One berm has been completed. We are proud of the standard that has been achieved, and expect the remaining berms will be completed to the same standard.”