Hostel soon

Gerard Curry

The quiet surroundings of the cemetery alongside the Student Union Building will soon reverberate to the lively platter of hostel life.

The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Wellington has announced that the three-acre site is to be made available for building a Hall of Residence.

Buried in the cemetery are the remains of Wellington's first resident parish priest. Father J. J. P. O'Reily, pioneer missionaries, and men of the Irish Regiment that fought in the Maori wars, reports the Catholic newspaper "Zealandia".

Several legal details must be arranged. These include obtaining authority from relatives of those interred in the cemetery, approval of the Health Department, and a private Act of Parliament.

Normally when a private cemetery closes it reverts to public property. An Act of Parliament is necessary to prevent this.

Even when legal details are finalised there will remain the problem of finance. At the moment financial details are far from complete.

The University Grants Committee may make a grant of 80 per cent of the total cost, with a maximum of £1440 per bed. A loan of up to 10 per cent of the total cost with a maximum of £180 per bed may also be provided if necessary.

No details as to the size of the proposed hostel are available. What is certain is that many student diners will miss the pleasant tranquility of the cemetery.