The resting place of Bruce McLaren and several members of his family has been repeatedly targeted in a series of disturbing incidents at Waikumete Cemetery in Auckland.
McLaren, who lost his life in a testing crash in 1970 at just 32, is buried alongside his wife Patricia, who passed away in 2016, as well as his parents, sister, and brother-in-law.
The Bruce McLaren Trust shared the situation publicly, saying it was deeply upset by what had occurred.
“We are lost for words as to why anyone would do this,” the Trust said in a social media statement. They added that the voluntary group, The Grave Guardians, had stepped forward to repair and restore the affected headstones.
“A very kind offer has been made by The Grave Guardians, a voluntary organisation that restores headstones to repair the damage, for which we are extremely grateful. While this work is being undertaken, the stones are wrapped and unable to be viewed.”
However, the protective measures themselves have not stopped the interference. According to George Stewart-Dalzell of The Grave Guardians, the graves have been targeted multiple times since she first noticed damage in late September.
“It was absolute carnage, we wrapped them and, in the space of a day, someone has unwrapped it and had another crack at Bruce’s stone,” she said.
Stewart-Dalzell explained that roughly a dozen headstones in the immediate area have also been hit, some covered in splashes of gold paint. In one incident, an attempt was made to glue toy cars onto the stones belonging to Bruce and Patricia using builder’s epoxy.
The grave of McLaren’s sister and her husband showed signs of bleach damage.
Speaking to 1News while carefully removing paint with a dental pick, Stewart-Dalzell said she hoped the actions were not deliberate vandalism but possibly the result of someone trying to “help” without understanding the harm they were causing.
“People think that headstones are public property because they’re in a cemetery and they can do what they like,” she said.
“I look at TikTok and Instagram and there’s people using water blasters and blow torches and wire brushes and stuff like that, and I think they think they can grab some paint from the two dollar shop and come and repaint, not realising that damages the stone.”
She urged the public not to attempt repairs themselves and to instead report any damage they see.
Auckland Council has also responded to the situation. Cemetery services manager Nikki Nelson said the council “strongly condemns the actions of the individuals” responsible.
She noted that while vandalism in cemeteries is not common, it does occur from time to time due to the sites being open-access public spaces.
“We have CCTV at Waikumete, Manukau Memorial and North Shore Memorial cemeteries, with additional cameras recently installed at Waikumete Cemetery to help deter vandalism,” she said, encouraging anyone who comes across further damage to report it to police on 105.
Header Image: Supplied
