Tours acknowledge importance of cemeteries

Timaru District Council is hosting a series of cemetery tours to acknowledge the important part they play in helping us celebrate the lives of those gone before us.

The guided tours, happening on Wednesday and Thursday next week are being held as part of National Cemeteries Week.

Bill Steans, Parks and Recreation manager says that cemeteries are an essential part of our society, providing us with a place to remember and celebrate the people we have lost

“Cemeteries perform a role in acknowledging respect to the dead and also to fulfil the need to mark the actual place of burial, but they also provide oases of calm, away from the bustle of everyday life.

“Cemeteries Week is about celebrating what cemeteries represent as enduring, welcoming places for people to connect with each other and their communities, and to remember their history, heroes and loved ones.

“The guided walks will provide insight into the cemetery and allow you to see for yourself the generations of local people who are remembered there.”

The tours are:

- Geraldine – Wednesday 5 April 10.30 – 11.30am (Thursday at same time if wet), meet at the Huffey Street Lychgate

- Timaru – Wednesday 5 April, 2-3 pm (Thursday at same time if wet) Meet at the Domain Ave Western Gate car park.

- Temuka – Thursday 6 April, 10.30 am – 11.30 am (Friday at same time if wet) Meet at the Milford Clandeboye Road Western Gate.

Timaru District Council offers a cemetery search service, which enables you to pinpoint where people were buried in the district’s various cemeteries. It can be accessed from the council website www.timaru.govt.nz

For more information about cemeteries week, visit https://www.cemeteriesweek.co.nz/

Cemeteries Week is organised by the New Zealand Cemeteries and Crematoria Collective (NZCCC), supported by the New Zealand Recreation Association (NZRA).

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