Letter to the Editor - Tuesday August 14, 2012

Cemetery solution

In response to Sue Lunjevich (Still nothing, letters July 17, Gone and forgotten, August 19).

It is disappointing to read comments made by Sue Lunjevich regarding the lack of effort to sort out the damaged headstones at the Kaitaia Cemetery, caused by a roof being blown off an adjacent building by a mini-tornado in early August of last year.

On August 9 last year I met with the families involved, plus representatives from the Far North District Council, Geard's Funeral Home, Stonecraft and Glen Adair from Kaitaia Abundant Life School, which owns the building. I made it quite clear that the damaged headstones were not the responsibility of the FNDC, which everyone, including Luke and Sue Lunjevich, agreed to. Glen Adair did say that every effort would be made by their insurance to cover the costs.

To the three families involved, I did make the comment that if Abundant Life's insurers did not come to the party we may need to take them to court.

Sue Lunjevich is wrong when she says I made the comment that there is money in the council for this, and that I would take them to court if we had to. She is also incorrect in saying council needs to demolish the building that did the damage. The council does not own it, and it's not their responsibility.

Then she attacks Mayor Wayne Brown and Cr Monty Knight for their lack of response. Does she not understand it's got nothing to do with them?

Over the last 11 months I have made countless phone calls to Abundant Life's insurers, ACS, both in Wellington and Auckland, at my own cost. It can be difficult to get money from insurers when they are stubborn.

However, the good news is that ACS has only recently agreed to contribute to fixing the damaged headstones.

My great grandparents' headstones have been damaged, and I am grateful to ACS for their efforts to solve this matter.

I made it quite clear to Sue Lunjevich that this decision had nothing to do with her moans.

To the families involved, a meeting will be held at the Kaitaia Cemetery with Geard's Funeral Home at 4pm Friday, August 17.

MATE RADICH

Sweetwater