kioreroa Cemetery Whangarei : Memorial Unveiling 26 October 2009

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This cemetery goes back to the earliest days of European settlement in Whangarei.From 1882 until 1946 some 1000 burials were carried out at the Kioreroa cemetery. However, it had become neglected over the last fifty years and many graves and stones had been damaged or removed. Some of the land was even sold off for industrial development. Since 2007 a lot of effort has been put into restoring the area and walls have been erected now with plaques bearing the names of all persons known to have been buried there.
The unveiling is the latest chapter in this story but much work remains to be done.
One of the plaques bears the name of William Hearn who was buried there on 16 February 1914.
We were there at the unveiling today Monday 26 October 2009!

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Photos

The Programme
This was the form of service for the unveiling.

The people approach
The Maori welcome is in progress.

The plaques on the wall
Williiam Hearn joins the hundreds being honoured!

View of the cemetery
Still lots of work to be done!

Another view
Some more gravestones need attention.

Comments

[Amy, Mike and Rylee]

:)
Very interesting about William Hearn! I read about the cemetery in the Leader. I thought it was crazy that the council was allowed to subdivide land off for industrial developments where people had been buried!! AND... demolishing headstones and using them to build the onerahi foreshore wall!!! Just crazy! im glad they are restoring it now. sounds like it was a nice ceremony :D

[robyn]

looks very interesting
lots of hard work being put into the opening of this cemetery!

[carrie]

good, I now seem able to get into your blog again without going in the back door! What a stange thing to sell off a cemetry, glad its reverting now.

[sue]

Very interesting to
read about Willilam Hearn.