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Newsletter No.8 January 2006 In this issue: |
1.
Christchurch
2. Dunedin 3. Our Disappearing Churches 4. Rotoroa Island Cemetery 5. Conservation Tip Of The Month 6. Membership 7. Email Addresses Wanted 8. New Photo Gallery on our Website 1. Christchurch City Care gives new lease of life to old graves City Care carpenter Tom Adams is rightly proud of his work repairing graves in Christchurch’s historic Linwood Cemetery. Tom says it gives him a fantastic feeling to put back together for the benefit of future generations something that has been damaged. “Many people respond very emotionally – they are almost crying when they see that the graves of their family members have been repaired.” Tom’s work is part of the Christchurch City Council’s restoration works for the cemetery where many notable figures from Canterbury’s past have been buried since 1884. The restoration work has been progressing a block at a time over the past 4 years. As well as repairing the gravestones, the City Care team has replaced old cracked seal on pathways between the graves with fresh lime chip paths and new planting displays. There is still much to be done but Tom is mindful of the need to keep the work within the Council’s annual budget allocation for the site. A Tradesman Carpenter, Tom has been responsible for carrying out most of the restoration work himself and has developed methods of reattaching headstones that have been dislodged from their pedestals. Much of the work requires painstakingly piecing together headstones that have been broken into many fragments. As the pieces have often been scattered a long way from their point of origin, Tom says that the best approach is to sort the fragments by thickness. “The colour of the pieces is not a very good indication as the colours can vary significantly depending on just where and how the pieces have been lying on the ground”. In
more recent times Tom has been assisted by City Care stonemason
Dave Saville, who had previously worked on cathedrals and other
historic sites in the UK, and apprentice Gareth Roberts. Once the headstones have been pieced back together using a heavy-duty masonry adhesive, they are re-pinned, screwed and cemented back onto their bases. Some of the gravestones are exceptionally heavy as they are made of solid granite and a specially made lifting device is used to re-position them. In
some cases headstones that were previously upright are cemented
in place horizontally on top of the grave as they are just too difficult
to re-attach vertically. This also helps in the constant battle
against vandalism as it makes it harder for people to damage them
again. The headstones are protected with an exposed aggregate concrete
border and placed on a slight angle so water will run off. top
of page Money has been received from the DCC Community Grant Scheme which will give us sufficient funds to restore the iron fence on the grave of the Reverend Thomas Burns. Green Island Cemetery has been hit by vandals who have broken headstones and sprayed them with graffiti. The standing up of headstones in the Northern Cemetery continues with 25 now completed, and more to come. We
are investigating the possibility of restoring Larnach’s Tomb
in the Northern Cemetery. It is badly in need of conservation and
in December we had a conservation consultant inspect it and he will
be reporting on what will be absolutely necessary to ensure its
future survival. top
of page The
next church to close is another Catholic Church, St Theresa’s
in Mount Somers. The closing Mass was celebrated by the Bishop of
Christchurch Bishop John Cunneen on Sunday November 27 this year.
Taken
from Heritage this Month ,Number 38, December 2005 This
article raises alarm bells in respect to the future conservation
of graveyards attached to operating and deconsecrated churches.
In many parts of New Zealand the early churches are the stewards
of their attached historic churchyards. As congregations dwindle
the upkeep of the graveyard becomes an increasing burden. Some solution
to this growing problem is needed urgently. top
of page The original natural vegetation was largely destroyed in the 1850's and the land converted to arable farming although some remnants of native bush remain. The original farm house (and a later tearooms) have been modified and additional buildings constructed for the treatment and rehabilitation centre and staff housing. The island has been used for farming, horticulture and woodlots ancillary to its principal purpose. However the beaches, cliffs and land within close proximity of the sea are relatively undisturbed. Access to the island by the general public is restricted under the Trespass Act (1980) in order to protect the privacy and security of those under treatment and rehabilitation. A jetty provides boat access for the operations of the centre. The
resource management strategy for Rotoroa Island is to provide for
the continued use and development of the land unit for social and
community purposes, and particularly the addiction treatment and
rehabilitation programme undertaken by the Salvation Army. Whilst
providing for these activities, recognition is also given to the
need to protect the coastline, indigenous flora and fauna, and the
visual character and amenity of the island. The method used to achieve
this strategy is to adopt specific rules which manage the range
of activities, their intensity, and the bulk and location of buildings.
The strategy The
cemetery is an example of an early 1900 burial plot. The earliest
burial is 1898 but there are 25 marked and one unmarked burials
in total - a little piece of New Zealand’s history. It was
used for both patients and staff of the Salvation Army based on
Rotoroa Island. The cemetery is beautifully kept, with white-painted
wooden picket fence and gate. Each grave surround and many crosses
are also painted white. In November 2005 members of the New Zealand
Society of Genealogists photographed and transcribed all the headstones
and have published it all on a very interesting CD. 6.
Membership |