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Newsletter No.2 February 2004 Trustpower Awards - Dunedin The annual Trustpower Awards were announced in Dunedin on 3 December 2003. Despite its relatively low profile the Historic Cemeteries Conservation Trust was runner-up in the "Heritage" category. In line with the policy of the Trust the awarded sum of $250 was added to the Conservation Plan account. Grant from A A W Jones Trust In November 2003 a grant of $5000 was received from the A A W Jones Trust and this sum was also added to the Conservation Plan account. The generous support of that body is sincerely appreciated. Funding from the Community Trust of Otago for the Conservation Plan In December the Community Trust of Otago awarded a grant of $15,000 for production of a Conservation Plan for the Dunedin Northern and Southern Cemeteries. The Plan will cost in excess of $35,000 to produce, but now that the required funding is in hand or promised the Historic Cemeteries Trust can negotiate a start to the work. Conservation Plans for Dunedin Cemeteries It is expected that this work will begin in March and that the plan will be completed by the middle of this year. The contract has been let to MUSEcape Pty Ltd, who have been responsible for major conservation projects in Australia. The detailed plans will include analysis of the state of the two historic cemeteries, assessment of their significance, and a summary of the work needed to conserve the heritage value of both sites. In due course the plans and proposals will be placed before the City Council and the people of Dunedin for action. The Trust intends to sponsor a one day seminar/conference on issues relating to cemetery conservation and heritage management while the principals of MUEScape, Chris and Margaret Betteridge, are working in Dunedin. Karori and Makara Cemeteries Draft Management Plan The Wellington City Council is to be commended for its extensive and detailed management plan for the Karori and Makara cemeteries. It is a significant model for other local bodies to emulate. The call for submissions that accompanies the plan states the likely cost of restoring significant graves but does not recommend a policy of restoration. It does, however, propose classification of the Karori Cemetery as an Historic Reserve. Lawrence District Cemetery At the invitation of interested local people, two members of the Trust visited the Lawrence Cemetery late in 2003 to discuss work already completed there by the local Friends of the Cemetery group. The work accomplished to date is impressive and both Trust members were heartened by the enthusiasm and hard work of the volunteers. Matters of mutual interest were covered, and the care and cleaning of grave architecture was discussed at some length. The Trust is keen to hear from parties interested in the restoration of local cemeteries, preferably before any more vigorous cleaning of headstones takes place. Dunedin North Cemetery Website http://www.canny.co.nz/northerncemetery/home.html This well-constructed site is the work of Otago Polytechnic Students in Dunedin and was done under the auspices of the Southern Heritage Trust. They have accessed records from the DCC database of cemetery records, and their web site is well worth a look. It is currently funded and hosted by the Polytechnic, and that support will continue for the next 12 months. Photos are by Derek Smith, who is very talented, and the historic research is by Jane Davidson. Symonds Street Cemetery, Auckland Last December Stewart Harvey spent an interesting afternoon with officers of the Auckland City Council, who kindly supplied the following article. Protected Trees vs Gravesites As a result of uneven maintenance since the mid 1800s, some gravesites are occupied by mature self-sown trees, mainly pohutukawas, which are now protected under the General Protection provisions of the Auckland District Plan. The gravesites are also protected by the District Plan and the Historic Places Act. It might be assumed that one of the roles of a Cemetery Conservation Plan should be to reconcile conflicts between protected elements. The Symonds St Cemetery plan (1996) refers to this conflict in general terms: POLICIES 1.2: "Factors causing deterioration of the fabric of the cemetery should be identified and arrested and their reoccurrence prevented" Uncontrolled vegetation is then listed as one of a number of causes that can lead to the deterioration of the fabric of the cemetery, without elaborating on the nature of that vegetation. Further in the same section, under "Specific Guidelines: Historic Fabric and Built Landscape Features", one of the condition assessments listed is "damage to monuments caused by tree roots". Recommendations are that "Unless category (4) (i.e. Loss/fragmentation of monument/surround fabric ... No conservation measures) or when a tree contributes to the botanical themes identified in this report, tree roots should be cut and tree removed" Appendices VII, "Design Themes" and VIII, "A Garden History" give a clue as to what these design themes might be. The original vision derives from the post-Picturesque movement, specifically the ideas of J C Loudon, which accentuated the rectilinear, cultivated look and a preference for evergreen trees such as pines, firs, cypress and yew. Pohutukawas are not evident in an 1880 photograph, featured on the Conservation Plan cover. This suggests that either they were planted after the Presbyterian section of the cemetery had become well-established or are self-sown. It has been decided that the best way to reconcile the conflict between the gravesites and the trees growing in them is to apply for resource consent to remove ten trees, where the continued growth of the trees is likely to result in further damage to the gravesite. Reports from the Council's Heritage City Planning Manager and the Historic Places Trust will weigh in with the application to remove these trees. The application is likely to be heard by an independent Planning Commissioner, given Council has an interest in the protection of both the trees and of the gravesites. Simon Cook comments. "With regard to existing mature and semi-mature specimen trees in the Symonds St Cemetery I intend to try and maintain the status quo as much as possible. This means keeping wilding and planted pohutukawa, oak, elm and other trees. We do regular maintenance on a number of the trees around walkways etc (dead-wooding, crown lifting etc). Obviously the retention of many specimens is at odds with those who wish to maintain the graves and their surrounds. The trees have been allowed to grow significantly over the last few years and removal of any of the larger specimens will require a notified consent (I am assuming this is so - as a scheduled site). Planning needs to occur now, with planting to mitigate later removals (Graham's responsibility as Parks Officer). Small wilding plants are removed from graves and surrounds which will avoid conflict in the future. A number of the original trees are becoming senescent so will require removal over the next few years! Trees such as the Italian cypress are becoming more and more ragged, due to cypress canker, and may also require replacement soon. This cemetery without its trees would a very barren environment, and where would the vagrants hide? My overall objective is to keep what we can and let the souls of the dead live on in these amazing trees." Procedure for repairs to take place without the approval of the descendants Graham Marchant comments. "Legally speaking, the rights of the deceased expire after 60 years, in my understanding. I believe there have been no complaints from families of interred persons; in my experience there have been no problems arising from restoration work and in a few cases we work with families on specific graves, sharing costs. In general, in accordance with the Conservation Plan, headstones are placed upright and reinforced by a 10mmm thick galvanised backing plate, screwed into the base plinth, if they are unlikely to remain erect on their own. The average cost of each repair, including plates, is around $750." Vandalism damage Graham Marchant comments. "Since the introduction of increased security measures in April 2003, the incidence of vandal damage has decreased. Patrols check the entire cemetery on a random basis. Static guards also check all sections. This service, costing approximately $52,000 per year, was introduced to combat unacceptable levels of damage to gravesites, especially with the current restoration programme in place, as well as to make the cemetery a safer place for the public. One of the more disturbing aspects of vandalism here has been the action of one mentally deranged person who has so far damaged over 80 headstones. He attacks the inscriptions on headstones, chiseling letters, apparently at random. In some cases, entire inscriptions have been obliterated. This person has been under medical treatment but is evidently again at large. A trespass order against him is current and police and security personnel have a photograph to identify him, should he strike again." Historically, vandalism has been documented in the cemetery back in the 1870s, at least, when youths were seen pushing over tombstones - no doubt the great great grandfathers of the current vandals. Public Education The Auckland City Events Management Section runs the highly popular annual "mystery walks" over the cemetery as part of its regular "Urban Safaris" programme. The next scheduled walks are on Wednesday, 4 February and Sunday, 14 March 2004. David Verran comments as follows. "I think cemetery tours is the main one I can put my hand up for. These are currently running at between 6 and 8 a year - in the summer months - take around 2 hours each and involve normally 40 to 50 people per tour. I have been involved with the tours of the cemetery since the mid 1990s, and while the numbers of tours have been reduced slightly over that time, strong interest remains". Ground Penetrating Radar The Heritage Division has employed consultant specialists to use this technique to determine the extent of burial sites and unmarked graves. In the last eighteen months investigations of Maori urupa on Waiheke Island revealed the location of one isolated grave at Matiatia Bay and a group of graves at Piritahi/Blackpool. This technique has great advantages, particularly in giving accurate subgrade information without any ground disturbance. Online Records Mention should also be made of another initiative - our online cemetery records - which enable people to try to locate at least some of those buried there, and which gets hundreds of "hits" a month. Here is the URL for the online Symonds Street Cemetery database: http://www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/dbtw-wpd/symondsst/sscem.html Thanks to: Graham Marchant, Parks Officer, Recreational & Community services, telephone 09 353 9560, fax 09 353 9573; Simon Cook, Arborist, Recreational & Community Services, telephone 09 353 9560, fax 09 353 9630; David Verran, Local History Librarian, telephone 09 307 7741, fax 09 307 7772; and Ian Grant, Specialist Senior Architect/Planner, Heritage Division, telephone 09 307 7395, fax 09 307 6022. Featured Grave: Thomas Bracken Irish born Thomas Bracken has been variously described as poet, politician, journalist and fierce campaigner for the Irish. His best known poem, the words of the New Zealand Anthem, were written over the nom-de-plume "Paddy Murphy". A protestant by birth he nonetheless gave strong support to the foundation of the Catholic weekly "The Tablet". In later life he became a member of the Catholic Church. A determined socialist, he succeeded J B B Bradshaw in parliament where he was friendly with Sir George Grey and Robert Stout. His grave, in the south-eastern corner of the Northern Cemetery in the city of Dunedin, bears the inscription: Sacred to the Memory of Thomas Bracken Poet Journalist Legislator Born in Ireland 1843 d at Dunedin 1898 Not Understood How many breasts are aching For lack of sympathy, ah day by day How many hearts are breaking How many noble spirits pass away Not understood. O God! That man would see a little clearer Or judge less harshly where they cannot see O God! That men would draw a little nearer To one another They'll be nearer Thee - And understood. |