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A memorial to celebrate the life of murdered tourist Birgit Brauer is to be unveiled in New Plymouth.
The memorial, at Awanui Cemetery, will be publicly unveiled and blessed on September 20, three years after the young tourist was murdered at Lucy's Gully, near Oakura, The Taranaki Daily News reported.
Michael Wallace was found guilty of Ms Brauer's murder and sentenced to 18 years in prison. He is currently appealing the conviction, challenging the DNA evidence.
The idea of having a local memorial to commemorate Ms Brauer, whose violent death deeply shocked the Taranaki community, was suggested by Taranaki regional councillor Barry Marsh.
He said the simple memorial has been modelled on Ms Brauer's gravestone at Eberswalde, Germany, where she is buried.
Mr Marsh said he wanted a tangible way to show that the people of Taranaki cared about her loss and hoped that the memorial service would bring some comfort to the family and friends in Germany.
The regional council funded Mr Marsh's project, with support from New Plymouth District Council.
- NZPA
