Post by kiwithrottlejockey on Apr 10, 2015 16:04:00 GMT 12
from The Dominion Post....
Soldier statue returns to Gisborne Cenotaph
2:35PM - Friday, 10 April 2015
The soldier on top of Gisborne's Cenotaph has returned to his vantage point.
THE SOLDIER on top of Gisborne's cenotaph has finally returned to his vantage point.
The three-metre-high, 1.2-tonne marble statue was removed in 2013. It was removed to repair structural damage caused by the December 2007 earthquake.
The statue was loaded into a protective cage before a crane lifted him to the strengthened foundations on Friday morning.
Gisborne's soldier is loaded into a cage
before being lifted onto the cenotaph.
A blessing was held to mark the soldier's return, which signals the final stage of the cenotaph's restoration project.
Project manager Kylie Cranston said landscaping work was also under way around the cenotaph, including adding new lighting, pavers and bollards, and a riverside cycle and walkway.
Work was on track to be completed in time for Anzac Day.
The cenotaph, located on the banks of the Turanganui River, was unveiled in 1923 to honour servicemen from the Gisborne district who lost their lives during the First World War.
www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/67686942/soldier-statue-returns-to-gisborne-cenotaph
