Have you ever wondered how finger printing to convict criminals and the armed offenders squad became established in New Zealand?
The answers to these and other fascinating stories will be revealed at the Auckland Heritage Festival event being held at Purewa Cemetery in Meadowbank on Sunday October 11 from 10am to 3pm.
Purewa is hosting tours guided by historians John Priestley, Alister Watts and Sue Cooper. Some of Auckland’s leading early citizens are included such as: department store founders Marianne Caughey and Mary Jane Milne, educationalists and advocates of education for girls, Sarah Sophia Stothard and Mary Pulling, Victoria Cross holder William Sanders and judge and ACC founder Sir Owen Woodhouse.
Other interesting graves to be visited include: Walter Fricker (founder of the first pigeon carrier airmail service between Auckland and Great Barrier Island), Walter Batty (our first Tongan All Black) and Peter Plumley Walker (died during a dominatrix session and his body was thrown over the Huka Falls).
Purewa contributed to the Auckland Council’s Heritage Festival for the first time last year, and after initial success, is participating again with new tours.
Purewa General Manager, Alastair Crombie, says the event is another form of community outreach for the cemetery.
“We are proud of our 131-year-old history and the fact that many interesting and inspirational people from all walks of life are buried or interred at Purewa, and we want to share their fascinating backgrounds with our community,” he says.
“We are proud of our 131-year-old history and the fact that many interesting and inspirational people from all walks of life are buried or interred at Purewa, and we want to share their fascinating backgrounds with our community,” he says.
To book a tour phone Purewa 528 5599. Tours leave from St John’s Lounge at 10.30, 10.45, 11, 1pm and 1.15. Refreshments will be available in the St John’s Lounge.
As well as the tours, the recent floral makeover of E block in an older part of the cemetery, will show the dedicated effort of volunteers who have donated their time, gardening skills, plants and compost. The project called “Flowers from Felix” was started earlier this year by Miriama Toms after her 16-year-old son Felix died of sudden unexpected death due to epilepsy in 2019.
Miriama planted his grave with flowers and plants and later turned her attention to other clearly unattended older graves nearby.
“The response from the community has been amazing with local school children and businesses, Brownies, garden designers and the public all wanting to help. It’s wonderful to see many of the old graves which are unattended and starting to fall into disrepair blossom into new life with flowers and plants,” Miriama says.
The project has even inspired children involved in community service programmes at Auckland schools to participate, especially during the Covid-19 outbreak when rest homes are not able to accept young volunteers because of health risks.
