Thieves take mementos from graves at Whanganui cemetery

Theives have sunk to a new low by stealing mementos from graves at Aramoho Cemetery in Whanganui. Photo / Bevan Conley

Thieves operating in and around Aramoho Cemetery in Whanganui have sunk to a new low by stealing treasured mementos from graves.

Whanganui District Council staff had been alerted to thefts from cars and a purse snatching at the cemetery last week, and now thefts from gravesites have been reported.

Former mayor of Whanganui Annette Main said the special pounamu she placed on her husband John Blythe's grave had been taken.

Blythe died in 2013 and Main said she had taken the two pieces of greenstone found in the Whanganui River and attached them to a cord to place on the grave a few days after his funeral.

"When I placed them there, some people warned me that they would be taken but I trust Whanganui people to have respect and awareness.

"I have been really touched by the messages of support I've received on my Facebook page and some people responded to say that they had also lost mementos from their loved ones' graves recently. The pounamu would be unlikely to have any monetary value so I can't think why anyone would take it."

A number of responses to Main's post included tributes to Blythe remembered as an "awesome" man and others said they had lost precious items including wooden trucks carved by a grandfather with his grandson's name on them. Another man said he warned his wife that mementos would be stolen and she had responded that it was "a cemetery, not a pub" but the items had been taken.

Pounamu placed on John Blythe's grave at Aramoho Cemetery in 2013 has recently been stolen. Photo / Supplied

Main said she posted news of the theft on her page to alert the community rather than to elicit sympathy.

"Maybe you thought the love with which it was placed would somehow transfer to you, but in reality, it is the sense of loss and the time of sorrow and grief at the time it was placed, which is more likely to stay with you," she wrote.

"Best it is returned to where it belongs, don't you think?"

Main said she was also annoyed on behalf of the council staff who work at Aramoho cemetery and crematorium.

"They do a fantastic job and they are willing to accommodate people who want to put special things on their loved ones' graves."

People who know something can safely and anonymously report online at crimestoppers-nz.org or by phone at 0800 555 111. Reports can be made 24 hours a day, seven days a week.