HUTT CITY COUNCIL NEWS RELEASE

31 MARCH 2017

Issues of Grave Concern

Next week is Cemeteries Week from 3 – 9 April.

Organised by the New Zealand Cemeteries and Crematoria Collective (NZCCC) it is time for kiwis to think about cemeteries and the role they play in our lives. Events such as heritage walks and open mornings are being scheduled at cemeteries across the country.

Connections, community and curiosity are the key aspects Shelley Donoghue, the Hutt City Council officer tasked with caring for all things cemetery-related in Lower Hutt, wants the public to think about this week and at other times of the year.

Donoghue, who is also a board member of NZCCC says, “While there is a reluctance to talk about death and dying, the end of life is an important time and if a family is not prepared, making decisions at a time of grief can be very difficult.”

On Thursday 6 April Donoghue has a public talk ‘Dead End Job’ from 10 – 11am at the Petone Library and welcomes all visitors with any questions they have about the end of life planning, cemeteries and plot maintenance. She will impart some interesting facts and trends about cemeteries.

“A trend nowadays is people wanting to organise their own or their loved ones funeral. They want more of a say in the service, choice of coffin and other details and these should be raised with the provider they choose for the funeral.

“Many people also do not know councils are only responsible for general maintenance at cemeteries, while the maintenance of covered plots and headstones is the responsibility of living descendants.”

Donoghue is also interested in the history of Lower Hutt cemeteries.

“The oldest burial at Taita Cemetery was for 36 year old Kate Bertha Honey Bell on 30 March 1892 in the St James section. Not much is known about Kate Bell and if anyone knows any history about her, I’d like to hear from them.”

Other interesting graves in Taita Cemetery include the Captain of the Wahine, Hector Robertson, who died in 1973 and Narissa Love, who died in the Tangiwai disaster on the way to see her fiancée, cricketer Bob Blair on his return from playing cricket in South Africa. Bob Blair, who lives in England, still visits her grave on return trips, the most recent being this year.

ENDS

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