Conservation
Management
Plan
The
Conservation Management Plan for Dunedin’s Northern and Southern
Cemeteries was completed early in 2005 and has been endorsed by Dunedin
City Council management and we are now working through the development
of protocols to put into effect the recommendations of the Plan. We
have run familiarisation tours for all City Councillors and were very
pleased with their encouragement for our cause.
Tours
Tours
were held as follows during the year
Port Chalmers
19 Sept 2004, was poorly attended because of very bad weather.
Southern
10 Oct 2004, 56 persons enjoyed this tour.
Southern
21 October 2004, for 22 members of Dunedin East Probus Club
Southern
28-10-04, for 20 members of University of Otago Staff Families
Assn
New
tours are being prepared for Dunedin’s Northern and Southern
Cemeteries.
Standing up headstones
We were very encouraged by generous funding
received from the St Kilda Tavern Trust for restoration work in Dunedin
cemeteries. We have worked closely with Dunedin Monumental Masons
and I Bingham and Co to select 25 monuments where the foundations
are satisfactory and which could be stood up. Stainless steel pins
have been used in all joints to eliminate future damage. Already the
Southern is looking better.
R A Lawson Memorial
The discovery that the grave of Robert Arthur
Lawson, Architect, had no memorial, and he being someone who made
a nationally significant contribution the architecture of Otago’s
and especially Dunedin’s built heritage, we initiated a project
to raise a fitting memorial to Lawson on his grave in the Northern
Cemetery.
The design, in the form of a grey/green granite obelisk,
was approved and accepted by the Lawson family and the dedication
and unveiling took place on Sunday 3 April 2005 at 2pm.
The New Zealand Master Monumental
Masons Association agreed to contribute to the cost of supplying the
stone, form the footing, engrave the memorial, and erect the stones,
as part of their 2005 celebration of 60 years as a professional trade
association. The balance of the cost, $3,000 was contributed equally
by the Lawson family, the NZ Institute of Architects, Southern Branch,
and New Zealand Historic Places Trust, Otago Branch. Thanks to the
Southern Heritage Trust for supplying afternoon tea at the Sextons
Cottage.
Lawson
Book
Following
on from research undertaken for the memorial unveiling we concluded
that Lawson deserved to have a book written about his life and work.
We are currently searching for someone who would be able to do justice
to this project.
Stephen
Deed book
Stepehen
obtained his MA degree on the strengths shown in his thesis on “Cemeteries
in New Zealand”. We have approached the University of Otago
Press and they are keen to see Stephen re-write the thesis in a form
suitable to be published in book format. Wendy Harrex is reading the
thesis and discussions will be ongoing.
Speaking
Engagements
This year
we have spoken to the following groups -
St Andrew’s Home Group, 23 April 2004
Dunedin West Probus Club, 1 June 2004
St Clair Women’s Club, 6 September 2004
University of Otago Staff Families Assn, 14 Oct 2004
Christchurch Heritage Week at Holy Trinity Church, 16 Oct 2004
Caversham A.P.W Group, 18 October 2004
Otago Ladies Coffee Club, 21 October 2004
Otago Ladies Coffee Club, 2 December 2004
Probus Club- Dunedin South, 2 February 2005
Dunedin Rotary Club, 3 February 2005
This
list suggests that we have communicated our aims and objects to well
over 600 persons.
Newsletters
Our
Newsletters continue to be well-received and this year we sent them
out in June, November and January. It is a very good way of keeping
everyone in touch with what is happening in the world of cemetery
conservation.
Stories
in Stone
Our
column in each Saturday’s Otago Daily Times continues to attract
favourable comment, and help readers to gain some insight into the
proud heritage we have in Dunedin’ forbears.
Magazine
articles
During the year we had major coverage in both The New Zealand Genealogist
and Heritage magazines.
Lawrence Friends Group
This
group is active and they have held their first public cemetery tour
which was successful.
Auckland Waikumete
In
December 2004 I visited Waikumete Cemetery and had a close inspection
of the old area. Waitakere City have a Conservation Plan and there
is an active Friends Group. I am concerned about the state of the
old part of this cemetery and there is a considerable amount of work
required to begin its conservation.
Lawson Lecture
The
New Zealand Historic Places Trust Lawson Lecture for 2004 was presented
by Christopher Betteridge. Chris has a special interest in cultural
landscapes, particularly historic parks, gardens and cemeteries. He
has been Chairman of the Gore Hill Memorial Cemetery Trust and a member
of the Joint Committee of Necropolis Trustees for Rookwood Cemetery,
the world's largest Victorian-era burial ground. Chris was Cemeteries
Advisor to the National Trust of Australia (New South Wales) for six
years and has worked on conservation management plans for several
significant historic cemeteries in NSW.
Chris
and Margaret, his wife, have since completed the Conservation Management
Plan for Dunedin's Northern and Southern Cemeteries for this Trust.
Wellington
I
visited Wellington at the invitation of the Wellington City Council.
He visited Bolton Street Memorial Park, Karori Cemetery and Mount
St Cemetery. Discussions with WCC staff focused on Best Practice and
the proposed Conservation Plan for Bolton Street.
A tour of Bolton Street Memorial Park with the Friends group was most
interesting historically, yet worrying from a conservation perspective.
Parts of Bolton Street are in good condition but some major areas
have begun the slide back to nature. I communicated to the Council
my concerns over its conservation.
The
Friends of Mount Street had been in recess for some years but it was
obvious that Mount St Cemetery was in some urgent need of resurrection
before it was reclaimed by nature. After fruitful discussion with
the Catholic Diocese (owners of Mount St) Vaughan Stagpoole has agreed
to assume responsibility for re-awakening the friends group, addressing
the issues in their Conservation Plan, and getting something done
on the ground.Karori Cemetery is an amazingly beautiful setting. Again
it is well kept in some areas and wilderness in others. They have
in place a well prepared Conservation Plan and WCC are working along
its recommendations.
Christchurch
Heritage Week
We took this opportunity to make a public presentation of “Do’s
and Don’ts of Cemetery Conservation”. This was held in
Holy Trinity Church, Avondale, attended by a an audience of about
25 people and followed by a tour of the attached graveyard with historian
Richard Greenaway – in the pouring rain!
Addington Historic Cemetery and Linwood
Historic Cemetery
Meetings have been held on site with Christchurch City Council officers
and agreement reached that they have proceeded to let a tender for
a Conservation Plan for Addington Cemetery.
General
It has been a very busy year with conservation enquiries coming in
regularly from all over New Zealand. I extend my thanks to our trustees
without whom we would not have been able to maintain our present momentum.
The time is rapidly approaching when we will have to add more resources
to adequately handle all the enquiries for help and advice which are
coming in. Thanks also to Hope and Sons for assistance with printing
of leaflets, and to Dunedin City Council, counselors and employees
for their support in many ways
Stewart Harvey
Chairman 26th April 2005
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