Cemetery plaque restoration nears

NEW LOOK: Workmen floating off newly poured concrete at the entrance leading to the lychgate at Pioneer Cemetery. PHOTO/LYNDA FERINGA

Reinstatement of a jasper stone and memorial plaque near the entrance to Masterton's Pioneer Cemetery has come a step nearer with workmen pouring a concrete pad and new paths yesterday.

Once the preparation has been completed, the stone, missing from the entranceway for more than four years, will be resurrected, bringing to a close a long battle by the Wairarapa branch of the New Zealand Founders Society.

The society was aghast when the stone, sourced from the Waingawa River, and memorial plaque to the district's founders was taken away without consultation.

Then, after a fight to have it reinstated, the society had to continue the fight to overthrow Masterton District Council officers' recommendation the stone and plaque should be shunted off to one side of the lychgate.

Elected councillors were swayed by society arguments and, last October, agreed to overrule the officers' recommendation and return the stone to its original position.

The stone and plaque were originally put in front of the lychgate in 1974 but were taken away four years ago when a seat and stone wall by the entrance were bulldozed.

The council's parks and facilities manager, Grant Hathaway, said the lychgate entrance was being reconfigured to include concrete paths to two newly-formed car parks.

The lychgate's Decrabond roof was being replaced with shingles. Work was due to be completed next week.

Mr Hathaway said the cost of the project, including painting, was expected to be $13,300.