I want to honor a friend in New Zealand.
November 12, 2015 10:03 AM Subscribe
Auckland mefites: is there such a thing as a sponsored park bench there?
Last week, a dear friend (essentially an aunt in all but blood) of my wife lost her husband to cancer. This friend has known my wife since my wife was about five, and her daughter babysat my wife when my wife was young. They're extremely close.
The friend, who is a New Zealander, is devastated by the loss of her husband; this is the second spouse she's lost to cancer in her life, and she's having a very hard time of it. My wife and I were thinking of ways to help ease her pain a bit, and to honor him, which is difficult since we're half a planet away, but then I had an idea - an idea that I have no knowledge of how to execute.
I have, in many cities, seen park benches that are sponsored - some by companies, some "in memory of", that sort of thing. I thought that something like that would be nice, in a park where she could go and take her grandkids and talk about her husband, or just to sit and reflect and have a place that's special to her.
Does anything like that exist in New Zealand? I tried looking at Auckland Council's website, but I couldn't find anything. Any New Zealand mefites know of anything like this? She lives in Waiuku, so anything in that general area would be close.
Alternatively, if that's not a thing, what other sort of memorial-type ideas like that might be nice? I'm really struggling for ideas and any help would be great.
Last week, a dear friend (essentially an aunt in all but blood) of my wife lost her husband to cancer. This friend has known my wife since my wife was about five, and her daughter babysat my wife when my wife was young. They're extremely close.
The friend, who is a New Zealander, is devastated by the loss of her husband; this is the second spouse she's lost to cancer in her life, and she's having a very hard time of it. My wife and I were thinking of ways to help ease her pain a bit, and to honor him, which is difficult since we're half a planet away, but then I had an idea - an idea that I have no knowledge of how to execute.
I have, in many cities, seen park benches that are sponsored - some by companies, some "in memory of", that sort of thing. I thought that something like that would be nice, in a park where she could go and take her grandkids and talk about her husband, or just to sit and reflect and have a place that's special to her.
Does anything like that exist in New Zealand? I tried looking at Auckland Council's website, but I couldn't find anything. Any New Zealand mefites know of anything like this? She lives in Waiuku, so anything in that general area would be close.
Alternatively, if that's not a thing, what other sort of memorial-type ideas like that might be nice? I'm really struggling for ideas and any help would be great.
It sounds like a good idea to me. One thought - you seem to dismiss it but I similarly like the idea of creating a memorial that is "half a planet away", showing that he is important and loved the world around. That might involve sending her some kind of plaque or framed photo+map of the memorial. It's a different, more ethereal kind of space, but food for thought maybe. (Or perhaps a memorial with two sites so it spans the world?)
posted by anonymisc at 10:40 AM on November 12, 2015
posted by anonymisc at 10:40 AM on November 12, 2015
Response by poster: anonymisc - I wouldn't dismiss that at all, my "half a world away" comment was more like "I can't just pop down to the local council so I can talk to someone and see what I can do".
We've thought about that and will probably do something here ("here" being on the Oregon coast somewhere). We first want to do something that she can see regularly, though, and give her a place to go when she's at home.
posted by pdb at 10:46 AM on November 12, 2015
We've thought about that and will probably do something here ("here" being on the Oregon coast somewhere). We first want to do something that she can see regularly, though, and give her a place to go when she's at home.
posted by pdb at 10:46 AM on November 12, 2015
this is absolutely a thing, most of the park benches in our local (wellington) botanical gardens have little plaques on them. Around $NZD350 from memory, might be different in Auckland.
posted by Sebmojo at 12:49 PM on November 12, 2015
posted by Sebmojo at 12:49 PM on November 12, 2015
I had a chat with a friend who works for the Auckland Council parks department about this. Apparently each zone has a specific policy about plaques and bench sponsorships, so it's worth emailing them. However, many of these policies require the person to be a significant historical figure in relation to the park. ddd's suggestion above may be an easier alternative.
posted by Paragon at 12:53 PM on November 12, 2015
posted by Paragon at 12:53 PM on November 12, 2015
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posted by reshet at 10:25 AM on November 12, 2015 [1 favorite]