New lease of life for headstones

LONG WAIT NEARLY OVER: Headstones controversially buried by the Cook County Council in a Makaraka Cemetery trench in the early 1980s sit on pallets drying out after 36 years of dirt was washed off. Descendants of the deceased have long campaigned to have the headstones recovered. Picture supplied

The 88 historic Makaraka Cemetery headstones buried in 1982, but finally recovered last month, have been cleaned by firefighters and are ready for viewing by descendants.

Appointments need to be made through Dot McCulloch of Friends of Makaraka Cemetery at wolight829@gmail.com or on 867-6199 or 021 111 5551.

Eight headstones were unclaimed when The Gisborne Herald visited Makaraka Cemetery in May.

Mrs McCulloch said that total had since fallen to three.

Those are the headstones of Edward and Elizabeth Ling, Charles Poulson and Ivan Jakobus Hoiby, who drowned while saving two children.

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Mrs McCulloch said the headstones would require another five-and-a-half months of drying out after being buried for 36 years.

Descendants who had previously indicated they wanted their relative honoured on a memorial wall could change their mind.

Some descendants want their headstone repaired and returned to the grave site.

The cemetery served as Gisborne’s cemetery from 1860 to 1916.