Tell me why cemetry entrance irks

I'VE finally taken the opportunity to walk through Masterton's Archer St cemetery, a place which has gained some prominence in the Letters to the Editor over the relocation of the entranceway and the gates.

To a first-time visitor like myself, the cemetery is extraordinarily beautiful.

The specimen trees would be comparable to those in the Wellington Botanical Gardens.

The graves are tidy, the area is well maintained.

The ranks of gravestones are pleasing on the eye (if that's the right way to phrase it) and the areas invite contemplative exploration. It is unquestionably a place of respect, and has been treated with respect as a recreational and historic place of importance.

As a first-time visitor, I am tempted to say the debate on the entranceway is ridiculous.

But at the same time, I do not have the perspective of the very small but seemingly passionate collective who are fighting, via the letters, to reverse the situation.

I am a believer in freedom of speech, but that in itself has responsibilities.

Those responsibilities include a limitation on rhetoric over facts, a limitation on waffle versus genuine grievance.

In walking through the entrance, I was accompanied by a Masterton council representative, who naturally wanted to give the council's side of the story. I've listened to that, and the chapter of events does not seem unreasonable.

The entrance, as it is today, does not seem unreasonable. In fact, in terms of providing a peaceful walkway for visitors, the conversion of the old driveway to a walkway seems eminently practical.

So I would invite the small group to tell me, exactly, what is wrong with the situation.

Not to the letters to the editor, but to me at editor@age.co.nz.

Tell me exactly what it is that offends you.

Use bullet points if you want. Using your material, I may investigate. I may do a story. Your arguments may be shot down, but that is the chance you take.

In the meantime, I believe enough has been said, for the time being, in the letters on the gates.

This is not censorship. You have engaged my interest.

I want to take it to the next level - if you want to engage.