Volunteer’s grave problem
Wakapuaka Cemetery headstone restorer at odds with council
A volunteer headstone restorer is undaunted by a challenge to his work at Nelson’s historic cemetery.
Brian McIntyre and his team of volunteers spend their mornings at the city’s Wakapuaka Cemetery. Over 21⁄2 years, they’ve cleaned and restored headstones, some dating back 150 years. They also maintain the sprawling site, including weeding graves and mowing the grass.
However, the Nelson City Council (NCC) has sought legal advice to determine whether volunteers can work on monuments where the deceased person’s family cannot be contacted.
They have also expressed concerns about McIntyre’s methods.
‘‘Council staff . . . felt [lawyers], especially for graves from before 1900, would ensure the advice we are giving the group is correct,’’ said NCC group manager for community services Andrew White.
McIntyre said the age of the graves meant most relatives of the deceased were either long dead, or unaware that their ancestors were buried at the cemetery.
He said he had placed advertisements in newspapers and posted on Facebook, asking people to get in touch if they wanted their family headstones left untouched. This usually resulted in more people asking for long-dead relatives’ graves to be shown a little love.
However, White said not everyone was happy.
‘‘The complaints have related to the group touching family memorials after they had been asked not to, the quality of the work, and health and safety issues.
‘‘Historic headstones have been inadvertently damaged, and the cleaning methods being used may work well in the short term but can result in a faster decline of a headstone overall.’’
McIntyre denied that any damage had been done. He said he had fielded just one complaint so far.
‘‘One lady complained. When we showed her what we’d done, she was quite happy.
‘‘We have received heartfelt thanks from family members when they have seen what we have done to their headstones.’’
New Zealand Master Monumental Masons Association president Lisa Morton has met with the cemetery volunteers via Zoom.
‘‘I think what the group are doing is awesome,’’ Morton said. ‘‘Our cemeteries are our past, but very much our future as well, and Brian and his team are doing a fantastic job on the whole.’’
However, Morton said she had concerns about some of McIntyre’s methods.
Painting sandstone monuments trapped moisture, pushing paint from the surface, she said.
Tile grout and adhesive was not a recognised repair method, while erecting fallen headstones was a job for a qualified tradesperson, to meet national standards.
The group also risked causing damage by waterblasting soft stone memorials, she said.
McIntyre rejected some of Morton’s claims, saying he had not waterblasted memorials, nor used tile adhesive.
Old photos showed that many of the sandstone monuments were originally painted, he added.
McIntyre said he had been meticulous, consulting a variety of professionals, including a stonemason and a funeral director, before carrying out the work.
The volunteers were driven by a love of history and a desire to keep the memories of long-dead Nelsonians alive, he said. ‘‘We have given respect to those interred here.’’
McIntyre asked for complaints to be directed to him via his Facebook page, TOSI Friends of the Wakapuaka Cemetery.
He was undaunted by the challenge to his work.
‘‘I’ll keep going. You’ll get a scoop for the front page, me in handcuffs with a police escort.’’
White said the council’s senior management team would discuss the legal advice before going back to the volunteers.
‘‘We remain hopeful that we can work with the volunteers in a way that ensures this historic cemetery is protected and maintained, while respecting the rights and views of people whose family members are buried at Wakapuaka.’’
‘‘We have received heartfelt thanks from family members.’’ Brian McIntyre