Mourners follow David Stevens to his final resting place.
Mourners follow David Stevens to his final resting place.
When his time came, screenwriter David Stevens hoped to be buried naturally, with little fuss.
The 77-year-old, who lived in Whangārei, had a long career in the film industry, was nominated for an Oscar in 1980 for Australian film Breaker Morant.
He was one of many who wanted the WhangāreiDistrict Council to establish a natural burial ground in its native forest area at Maunu Cemetery.
David Stevens talked with the Northern Advocate about his plans in May this year. Photo / John Stone
''The idea behind it is that you give back to earth or nature, what you have taken from earth or nature,'' the terminally ill Stevens told the Northern Advocate in May.
Stevens was a strong supporter of local dramatic arts.
Aware of the growing trend for natural burials, the Whangārei council had worked for some time to satisfy the Ministry of Health, which administers the Burials and Cremation, about its burial specifications and proposed location.
A natural burial means the body, which must not be embalmed, is buried in a relatively shallow grave, wrapped in a heavy shroud or put in a shallow box made from cardboard or other untreated woods or fibres.
The first uncasketed burial among the trees at Maunu Cemetery.
There is very little in the way of marking who is buried there, with no headstones. The graves are 800cm deep, where the active layer of soil will enable the body to return to the earth relatively quickly.
