[I won't be able to claim requests during April/May 2024. Keep sending them through though, and hopefully they will get picked up before I start again].

I have French, English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish ancestry that I know off, so the possibilities for family connections are rather large.
I have been helped by other people in my family quest and am now in the position (as a retired Secondary School teacher) with more time on my hands, to return the favour.
I live within a short distance of nine of Christchurch's cemeteries, and can usually fulfil requests the same day or within 2-3 days. I have a particular interest in Banks Peninsula having descended from the French settlers who arrived in Akaroa on the Comte de Paris in 1840, and try to make an annual 'clean up' of requests over there.
My goal is to get as clear a picture of the inscription as I possibly can, and am prepared to clean headstones if required to get a good image. I then add a view of the overall picture of the plot, just as you would get standing at the foot of the grave. I specialise in unmarked graves and will go to quite some lengths to ensure accuracy, by identifying marked graves either side of an unformed grave to establish the numbering system used (it can vary from block to block within some cemeteries). I then use Microsoft Draw, to mark up a photo with the position of the plot.
I add any information I find on the headstone when fulfilling a request, including linking up spouses with details from NZBDM, PapersPast & Archives, and adding other family members who may be nearby. I also send regular error reports to the administrators of the Cemeteries database, mainly spelling mistakes, but other errors which have crept in when the records were digitised. I've created many pages for cremations here in Christchurch, as those records aren't available on-line, and so weren't uploaded to Findagrave with the public burial records.
I also look for memorials to soldiers killed overseas and add the photo to the official War Graves memorial pages and also researching and adding the stories of those who have 'accidentally killed', on their headstone.
I'm happy to dig deeper to solve any mysteries and work closely with a fellow researcher and we've been able to help dozens of people unlock their family history.

[I won't be able to claim requests during April/May 2024. Keep sending them through though, and hopefully they will get picked up before I start again].

I have French, English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish ancestry that I know off, so the possibilities for family connections are rather large.
I have been helped by other people in my family quest and am now in the position (as a retired Secondary School teacher) with more time on my hands, to return the favour.
I live within a short distance of nine of Christchurch's cemeteries, and can usually fulfil requests the same day or within 2-3 days. I have a particular interest in Banks Peninsula having descended from the French settlers who arrived in Akaroa on the Comte de Paris in 1840, and try to make an annual 'clean up' of requests over there.
My goal is to get as clear a picture of the inscription as I possibly can, and am prepared to clean headstones if required to get a good image. I then add a view of the overall picture of the plot, just as you would get standing at the foot of the grave. I specialise in unmarked graves and will go to quite some lengths to ensure accuracy, by identifying marked graves either side of an unformed grave to establish the numbering system used (it can vary from block to block within some cemeteries). I then use Microsoft Draw, to mark up a photo with the position of the plot.
I add any information I find on the headstone when fulfilling a request, including linking up spouses with details from NZBDM, PapersPast & Archives, and adding other family members who may be nearby. I also send regular error reports to the administrators of the Cemeteries database, mainly spelling mistakes, but other errors which have crept in when the records were digitised. I've created many pages for cremations here in Christchurch, as those records aren't available on-line, and so weren't uploaded to Findagrave with the public burial records.
I also look for memorials to soldiers killed overseas and add the photo to the official War Graves memorial pages and also researching and adding the stories of those who have 'accidentally killed', on their headstone.
I'm happy to dig deeper to solve any mysteries and work closely with a fellow researcher and we've been able to help dozens of people unlock their family history.