Council urges community to leave Jewish Cemetery restoration to experts
Maitland City Council is urging the community to stay away from the Maitland Jewish Cemetery after well intentioned community attempts at cleaning the recently vandalised headstones compromised cleaning and conservation works.
After the deplorable act of vandalism at the site in early February, Council officers worked with a specialist monumental restoration and conservation contractor to clean and conserve the damaged headstones.
This work included the initial deep clean of those headstones, the application of a special compound designed to draw out any excess paint from the headstones, additional support to structurally compromised headstones, and installing security measures on site.
These steps complement the work of years of painstaking efforts from Council officers, in close partnership with the NSW Department of Planning and Environment, to preserve the cemetery and appropriately manage the site’s heritage values, which are protected under the Heritage Act 1977.
Recent, well intentioned activities by members of the community have hindered efforts. They include cleaning heritage stonework with unapproved chemicals that damages the historic stonework, removing the special compound designed to draw out paint, and removing plantings designed to protect monuments from mowing equipment.
Group Manager Planning and Environment, Matt Prendergast said it’s crucial that the community respect that these repair works must be undertaken by heritage conservation experts.
‘Council appreciates that this is an issue of high importance to the community and they want to do all they can to help, but they must leave this work to the experts,’ Mr Prendergast said.
‘There is a Conservation Management Plan in place for the cemetery, and a plan pulled together in response to the act of vandalism earlier this month, which will make sure we can preserve this site now and in the future.
‘Any work at the Cemetery must be carried out by people with the knowledge, skills, and experience to maintain the site’s strong heritage value. Community members taking matters into their own hands impacts our ability to properly maintain the heritage integrity of the site and threatens to cause permanent damage.'