Please note that this is part of an article published by the Waikato Times.
Whatawhata cemetery has about 700 burials, given some plots have two interments, and 150 ash interments, says Waikato District Council cemetery manager Deidre MacDonald. It has rural views from its raised site, and, in further contrast, dates back to the 19th century. A paddock adjoining the main cemetery has a memorial to European soldiers from the Waikato Wars, though no one’s quite sure where they are buried, and there are three graves in a separate corner.
The history continues in the cemetery proper, where cracked old graves gradually make way to the new.
MacDonald wasn’t born for the job. She used to steer clear of death and dying, never really coped. So she’s not the most likely candidate to have become a funeral director. But that’s where her road led her. When it did, she discovered the fear was replaced by respect and empathy. “It was the most privileged job I think I’ve ever had.”
The funeral parlour was a peaceful place to work, and it’s the same in her current role now that she’s finished with the shift work. There’s nothing to be scared about - she says with a laugh that she’s always been told it’s the live ones you have to watch out for.
Not exactly reinforcing the point, an older chap walking around the cemetery with his small dog nods a friendly hello as he passes.
For all the site’s bucolic charm, the neighbouring bypass is surprisingly busy. A saloon car roars past at speed, closely tailed by a ute. Given its name, Cemetery Road doesn’t seem like one you would want to take risks on. They might end up in here next, MacDonald observes.
She got the call recently that hoons had ploughed into a fence, though thankfully not into the cemetery itself. She buzzed out there, tidied up and got the fence quickly repaired.
At the newest end of the cemetery, ornamental pear trees lining the driveway are showing off their autumn colours. MacDonald, who has been in the role for 11 years, played a part in the design of this area, building on her experience as a funeral director. She understood the need for easy access, with a turning bay, but also for ambience. The rows of burial berms are broken up by octagonal gardens with white standard roses for ash interments. More seats will be added over time. MacDonald has appreciated the freedom she’s had to create a nice environment, and it’s why this cemetery is a favourite among the 22 she manages.
The richly varied job includes dealing unobtrusively with any hiccups and making things run smoothly so families can have a pleasant experience during a tough time.
“What I love about it is that you're making a difference in people's lives,” she says.
MacDonald isn’t hands on; mostly it’s the sextons who deal with the burials. She has seen one body that was disinterred, however, when she was a funeral director. Compellingly, 12 years after burial the rose buried with the person was still red.
So you’re always learning. Like her discovery that the plaques she used to put on caskets as a funeral director were so the person could be identified later, if need be.
Spare a thought for the organisation involved in the four or five burials they do weekly, and sometimes two or three in a day, given how widespread the district’s cemeteries are, stretching up to Tuakau.
