Vandalized gravestones repaired by Moncton company

A Moncton company is repairing fallen gravestones at a local cemeteryafter vandals left more than 100 of them knocked down and damaged.

Alison Lounsburysays the two days of repair work would have cost the struggling cemetery approximately$6,000 in labour, equipment and parts.

"We thought it would be a nice thing, as a company to kind of pay it forward to the ElmwoodCemetery, to the guys, they've put a lot of hard work into it so we thought we'd kind of add to thatand help them out" Lounsbury said.

Ed Graham, vice president of the Elmwood Cemetery and president of the Association of New Brunswick Cemeteries, says after regular upkeep costs there isn't much left for headstone repairs.

"It's difficultand we depend on income from lot sales but if we sell a lot for $600 we don't get that $600 to go towards the operation of thecemetery. Athird of every lot sold is put into a perpetual care fund."

Allcemeteryground should be considered sacred ground and it's not the case.- Ed Graham, Association of N.B. Cemeteries

Lounsburysays Nelson Monuments has been making headstones for families in New Brunswick for more than 100 years, and staff felt a responsibility to help.

"Many of the stones repaired belong to people whose loved ones aren't able to cover the cost, or who don't live in the area anymore," she said.

Graham says the help to resetthe fallen stones means a lot.

"It's important to have them upright and standing up not only for the people inMonctonbut also for the families of the deceased and the people that are resting here. It's nice to have an upright memorial that looks nice in memory of the people that we've lost."

Perpetual care funds needed across New Brunswick

Graham says people forget that aneternal resting placerequires eternal maintenance and he's seen many cemeteries that aren't planning ahead.

"We started an inventory of cemeteries in New Brunswickand I knew there werea lot of them neglected, but there's a lot neglected and a lotabandonedwith I'd say, saw-log sized trees, growing upamongthe monuments," he said.

Graham wants regulations that would make it mandatory for all cemeteries in the province to have a perpetual care fund.

"Allcemeteryground should be considered sacred ground and it's not the case."

He says without it cemeteriesand those resting within them face an uncertain future.

Graham hopes the ElmwoodCemeterywill have close to $1 million in the bank by the time it fills up.