Council is employing drone technology to help assess the condition of about 30 monuments and statues around the district.

First on the list is the Rakaia war memorial, outside the Rakaia Community Memorial Hall. Council staff used a drone last week to capture bird’s eye images of the memorial, which was unveiled in 1922 and lists the names of locals who lost their lives in the first and second World Wars.

Close-up images taken by the drone show expected accumulation of moss and lichen, as well as bird droppings and small cracks in the masonry.

Chief Executive Hamish Riach said the images were important as they captured the condition of the memorial and helped experts work out how best to clean, repair and protect it.

“You can’t just waterblast these monuments, as that type of cleaning could cause further damage. We will be working our way down the list of structures around the district and sending the photographs to Stoneface in Christchurch, who are expert stone masons.

“Cleaning and repair work will then be programmed into work schedules and will ensure these memorials and sculptures last for many more years.”

The list includes war memorials and cenotaphs made of stone, as well as huge memorial rocks and Rakaia’s iconic fibreglass salmon.

Stoneface was engaged last year to clean and repair the Ashburton cenotaph in Baring Square West.

Mr Riach said drone images of the monuments allowed the stone masons to make an accurate assessment and ensure each was cleaned with the right solution and repaired properly.

“You can see the hairline cracks or where moss or lichen is causing a problem. It’s a very effective way of gathering information.”

The Rakaia memorial cenotaph on the corner of Mackie Street and Elizabeth Avenue was unveiled by Minister of Defence Sir Robert Heaton Rhodes on Anzac Day 1922. It listed the names of 53 men from the district who had given their lives. A further 24 names were added after the Second World War.

The lobby of the nearby Rakaia Community Memorial Hall also contains the Rakaia and Districts Second World War roll of honour. Compiled in 1996, this lists the names of 209 men and four women from Rakaia, Chertsey, Dorie, Mead and Rokeby who served during the war, as well as four men who served in Korea and three men who served in Vietnam.

A framed certificate listing the names of seven local men who served in the South African War is also of recent origin.