Missing Headstone

My Father Frank Ramsay, was a well known, loved Man around the small town of Orepuki and all over New Zealand. He was known as Santa at the Orepuki Christmas party each year, he was kind, generous, thoughtful and loved by us all, He was proudly a part of the Orepuki Cemetery Trust as a gravedigger and the treasurer for about 20 years, and sadly he passed away last July.

You cant imagine how I felt awoken by a phone call on Friday morning with the news that 3 weeks ago my fathers headstone was missing from his grave after sitting on his plot for 15 Years, 7 months after he passed away.

In 2006 one of his friends picked a Large stone off the beach and had it split in two, This was to be his friends headstone, and the stone was put in place when he died, My father asked if he could have the other half, it was agreed and in return my father looked after his three legged dog and buried him with his original dad after he passed away about 7 years later. The stone has been sitting on my Dads plot since 2006.

We believe the stone has been taken unfairly by a third party.

The Police have said this is not a police matter and by the time we pay for lawyers and go through civil court proceedings it will cost more than the headstone was ever worth in value. And after all of this Tapu, I don't want it back. We will never see Justice for this. Dads final resting place has been disturbed and that can never be repaid.

Along with losing our father last year we will now always carry this hideous memory in our hearts.

I am starting up a give-a-little page to raise funds to either to go to court if this is what the family wants or to replace his headstone with something that will hold better memories and if we can raise enough both.

Any Money raised above replacing his headstone and court fees will be donated to the Orepuki Cemetery Trust in My Dads memory, perhaps a garden seat if we are aloud.