It's been a bone of contention for some Moree residents since new land was opened up at the cemetery, but now the 'destitute' sign has been removed.
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Elizabeth Behrend and Jennifer Smith have welcomed its departure, however, wait with baited breath to see how Moree Shire Council plan to replace it.
Mayor Katrina Humphries said controversy over the sign had been on council's radar for "a while", after complaints were made about both the wording and location of the historically significant sign.
"While it may seem like an easy fix, we have to be able to mark it in a way that keeps the historical significance of the graves, while also taking into account the meaning of the word today," Cr Humphries said.
"It is a very emotive issue, and cemeteries are very emotive places, and we simply have to get it right."
While it may seem like an easy fix, we have to be able to mark it in a way that keeps the historical significance of the graves, while also taking into account the meaning of the word today.
- Katrina Humphries
Concerns aired to council involved the ostentatious positioning of the sign, which some have said infers the new council plots are in the designated area.
Mrs Behrend welcomed the removal of the sign, pleased the council had listened and responded to the community's concerns.
"The sign was very large and was at eye level of anyone who was attending a funeral ... the signage implied that the whole new section of lawn was classed as 'destitute'."
She said this was emphasised by the lack of signage denoting the new section.
Ms Smith hoped an alternate way could be found to designate the area, with more information about when the section was in use, distinguishing it from the land more recently used.
"I feel that another word could be used to identify the area, like 'Public Funded Graves'," she said.
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"The idea that these poor souls will forever be labelled as destitute, poor and worthless when in fact they were people who may have fallen on hard times through no fault of their own. It just made me sad. It is only a small area so why not a small sign?"
Mrs Behrend said these sections of cemeteries are our history and should be acknowledged, but perhaps a small sign facing south identifying the 10 graves that make up that section would suffice.