Wellington community work offenders have transformed a narrow, windy track meandering along a hill above the Makara Cemetery into a well-used, two metre-wide ‘highway’.
The 500 metre track offers spectacular views of the Makara village, which until recently, few people could see from that vantage point.
Community Work Superviser Siaopo Pue (Sharpie) says the existing track was covered in dense gorse that challenged even sheep and goats.
Thanks to the widening, trucks can now drive up to the water tank that staff closely monitor to ensure the cemetery has a good water supply.
Sharpie says 40 to 50 offenders serving community work sentences in Wellington put in around 1,300 hours on the project throughout October and November 2007.
It was considered a good team-building exercise for male and female offenders who have been weeding and clearing walkways at the Makara Cemetery for some years. They trackwill continue to maintain the cemetery and track as and when required.
The Makara Cemetery is managed by the Karori Cemetery, which has also benefited greatly from the work of supervised offenders over the years.
Makara Cemetery acting supervisor Fred Brown says the first burial took place at Makara in 1965 following the closure of new plots at the Karori Cemetery.
Wellington Community Work Supervisers Siaopo Pue (Sharpie) and Laurence Gooding admiring the recently widened Makara Cemetery track.
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ISSN 1178-8453