Local club members went along to spruce up the Dunedin Northern Cemetery tombstone of Thomas Bracken, who wrote the words of the national anthem God Defend New Zealand.
Rotary Dunedin former president Cameron Olsen said Mr Bracken — who was also a journalist and politician — was a distant relative of his.
The connection to Mr Bracken, who died in 1898, made it quite nice to be involved in the cleanup, he said.
The team of six was made up of five club members and Wet & Forget Dunedin store manager David Mehrtens, who instigated the cleanup and supplied the products.
"The members of the Rotary club that were there were members of our community projects team, and we’re always looking to get out and do service in the community
... This was a good simple thing we could roll up our sleeves and do," Mr Olsen said.
The group also cleaned signs leading to the tombstone’s location and a memorial rock the club installed near the cemetery entrance 25 years ago.
This had made a big difference to the stone and signs, which had been in a "sad" condition.
He was unsure when they were last cleaned, but Saturday’s treatment was expected to keep them in good condition into the future, he said.
"Even after the first coat, particularly the timber signs, looked a lot better."
