Panels reveal tales from headstones
The victims of the Maungatapu murders, 16-month-old Grace Everett, philanthropist Thomas Cawthron and Victorian-era butcher Ann Bird are some of the 16,000 people buried at Wakapuaka Cemetery in Nelson.
When visitors draw themselves away from the stunning views of Nelson Haven and Tasman Bay available from the cemetery’s leafy grounds, they can now read about some of those people on a trio of panels.
Unveiled on Wednesday, the panels, with photographs and details of the subjects’ plots, were organised by the Friends of Wakapuaka Cemetery team with assistance from the Nelson-Whakatu¯ Menzshed and Nelson City Council.
Designed by Nelson artist Janet Bathgate and produced by Cutting Edge, the panels outline stories compiled by cemetery team members Marg Farrelly and Dianne Scott.
Little Grace Everett features in one of those stories. Buried on December 6, 1861, Grace was the first interment at the thennew cemetery. At 16 months old, Grace died of diphtheria. Her father, Edward Everett, later served as mayor of Nelson.
Scott told the crowd gathered for the unveiling that the panels dated back to last year and a cemetery team submission to the Nelson City Council Long Term Plan 2021-31 for funding ‘‘to support improvements at the cemetery’’.
‘‘We were delighted to find that enough funding had been granted to cover the cost of several interpretive panels,’’ Scott said.
Farrelly read out comments sent in by Bathgate, who could not attend the unveiling.
Bathgate described it as a ‘‘joyful job thanks to the enthusiasm and can-do attitude’’ from Nelson City Council team leader for facilities Sarah Clarke, Yolanda Persico, of the Nelson Historic Society, and the cemetery team.
Persico said a big thank you was owed to the Friends of Wakapuaka Cemetery team ‘‘for all the ongoing work that they do here’’.
‘‘What started as a cleanup has grown and expanded to so much more as more and more helpers came on board, using their time and talents to contribute in so many different ways, especially Marg and Dianne who threw their skills and passion [into] discovering and recording the many stories behind the headstones, revealing the history and heritage of our city,’’ Persico said.
After the unveiling event, Clarke said the project went a little over its budget of $7500, which had been earmarked for the 2021-22 year. ‘‘There were a lot of donations, by the Menzshed and the volunteers who installed [the panels].’’
Bathgate had also been ‘‘very generous with her time’’, Clarke said.