A FALLEN branch damaged seven to ten graves at Taumarunui’s New Cemetery about two weeks ago. PHOTO: GRANT BOARD
A weighty branch has damaged graves at the Taumarunui New Cemetery in Golf Rd.
It fell from a tall tree standing near the cemetery’s 1970 Block and its Additional Presbyterian Block about two weeks ago, shattering one headstone and dislodging seven-to-10 others from their mountings
Workers cordoned off the area but details of additional safety measures and repairs were unavailable from Ruapehu District Council, which lacked staff to respond to media enquiries over the holiday period.
A lively social media discussion ensued, including an enquiry from a Brisbane resident, Marion Druce, who requested information as she had family members buried close to the area.
Taumarunui local Michelle Zeeven uploaded photographs of graves Marion was concerned about, showing they were unaffected.
Hamilton-based historian and genealogist, Grant Board, 70, published a map online showing the area of the cemetery affected.
A regular visitor, with parents buried at the cemetery, Grant had previously parked his car under the tree which had shed the branch, a very tall one, he said, “resembling a redwood”.
“Obviously I won’t be doing that now. I liked the way the Taumarunui community pulled together following the incident, reassuring people who wanted to know if a relative’s grave had been hit.
“It was so typical of the best aspects of living in small-town New Zealand,” Grant said.
