Let a sleeping dog lie: Family asks Purewa Cemetery to return concrete Labrador to father’s grave
A family is protesting the removal of sentimental mementos, including a concrete Labrador statue, from a grave at Purewa Cemetery in Auckland. The cemetery management removed the items as part of a new policy to maintain a more uniform and environmentally friendly landscape.
Why it matters
The story highlights the ongoing tension between institutional cemetery management policies and the deeply personal, cultural needs of families grieving their loved ones.
Professional golfer Richard Lee objected to Purewa Cemetery removing a sentimental Labrador ornament, special painted stone and succulent collection from his father Bruce's grave. Photo / Dean Purcell
A family is reeling after treasured mementos were removed from their father’s memorial at Purewa Cemetery in Auckland, as part of a move by its managers to make the grounds more environmentally friendly.
Professional golfer Richard Lee said he normally visited his father Bruce’s grave twice a year and always recognised it by the small concrete Labrador his family had laid beside the memorial many years ago.
But Lee told the Herald that when he was there last week, he noticed the dog, as well as a succulent collection and a special stone painted by his granddaughter, had vanished from the grave in the Meadowbank cemetery’s Y Block.
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