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Gravestones repaired at Surrey Centre Cemetery

Restoration now complete on seven pioneer grave markers vandalized in April
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Headstones stand upright again after being repaired by the City of Surrey. Seven headstones were damaged in April in Surrey Centre Cemetery after vandals knocked them over. (Photo: Malin Jordan)

Headstone repairs have finally been completed at Surrey Centre Cemetery.

After seven grave markers were vandalized in April, the City of Surrey started repairing the more than 100-year-old tombstones.

Now with the work done, Sue Bryant, a member of the Surrey Historical Society, said she was delighted with the effort.

“We can’t say enough of how well the City of Surrey’s cemetery division took care of the repairs—and even fixed a few more that were in need,” Bryant said, on behalf of the historical society. “Overall, it was quite a good job.”

Laurie Cavan, the general manager of the Parks, Recreation, and Culture department, told the Cloverdale Reporter in April the repair work was done in an effort to restore the grave markers in such a way that they would retain their historic appearance.

“To prevent future vandalism, the repaired monuments will be fastened with a metal rod through the monument into its base,” Cavan said at the time. “It is rare for historic monuments in Surrey to be defaced or damaged by acts of vandalism.”

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The vandalized markers—nearly all one metre or taller in height—were all located in the pioneer section of the cemetery.

At the time, Michael Gibbs, president of the Surrey Historical Society, wondered, given the profile of the pioneers, the historical value of the pioneer section, and its century-old markers, if security cameras were an answer to prevent further acts of vandalism.

Bryant said she’ll be resuming her cemetery history walks this summer beginning with a paranormal walk hosted by Gypsy Moon.

“I’ll be leading one at the end of July, with social distancing measures in place.”

She said the July walking tour is already full, but there will be another one in September. The details for the September walking tour will be posted on the Museum of Surrey’s website in the coming weeks.

“I’ve been busy behind the scenes researching more stories to share on these walks as well, so they should be even better than ever.”



editor@cloverdalereporter.com

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Malin Jordan

About the Author: Malin Jordan

Malin is the editor of the Cloverdale Reporter.
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