Joy Rudsits, 97, has been successful in keeping her son's memorial seat, and his ashes buried underneath, after plans to remove them. Photo / Alex Cairns
Joy Rudsits, 97, has been successful in keeping her son's memorial seat, and his ashes buried underneath, after plans to remove them. Photo / Alex Cairns
A 97-year-old woman who took on council plans to dig up and remove her son’s ashes and memorial seat from its Mount Maunganui location says she’s “thrilled” they will now stay.
Joy Rudsits was told by Tauranga City Council there were plans to shift the ocean-view seat and ashes to make way for a new boardwalk on Marine Parade.
In a story published by the Bay of Plenty Times on Wednesday, she said she would fight the council proposal to move the seat, which overlooked a spot where her son Kim Rudsits once rescued someone. He died in 2005 after a brain tumour and she paid $2000 to have the memorial seat established the following year, burying some of his ashes underneath.
“I’m not ashamed of what I’m doing. I’m fighting for my son,” she said at the time.
On Thursday, , Rudsits was told her plea had been heard.
“They rang and said that the seat is going to stay, and everything will be as is. They decided on a new way to come around behind the seat. That’s great, isn’t it?”
Rudsits said she wanted to extend her thanks to the council team she dealt with and the Bay of Plenty Times “most sincerely for the good work that was done”.
Rudsits said she believed council activities should be brought out into the open and discussed honestly.
Rudsits said she was “thrilled” with the result and looked forward to giving the seat “a bit of an upgrade” once the boardwalk was complete.
“I know a builder bloke, I’ll have a talk with him. It just needs a tidy-up a bit.
“I’ll make it look posh again. Poor ol’ Kim will be having a laugh from up there.”
She said she did not have any ill feelings towards the council.
“What happens from now on happens. I accept it.”
Joy Rudsits' son Kim is remembered with a plaque on a memorial seat on Marine Parade. His ashes are buried underneath. Photo / Alex Cairns
Council manager of spaces and places operations Warren Aitken said that after meeting with Rudsits this week the council “decided that it was not necessary to move the seat”.
“Joy’s case is unique as there are ashes buried under the seat,” Aitken said.
“In this situation, the path could be shifted, without impacting the design requirements of the path.”
Asked how this decision could affect the potential removal or relocation of other memorial seats in the path of the boardwalk, Aitken said: “We are working with all families, and managing each on a case-by-case basis.”
“We understand working with memorial furniture and the families is going to be sensitive, and we have always approached it with respect for the families and their loved ones.”
No seats are expected to be removed entirely, he said.
It was expected the path’s alignment at the Rudsits seat will change by a metre or two but the final updated design was still being worked on. There are no significant challenges expected,” Aitken said.
