A lakes District family who had their original request to erect a memorial in honour of their pioneering ancestor rejected will unveil the same memorial at a different place.
At yesterday's Queenstown Lakes District Council community services meeting, councillors noted a location in the One Mile Reserve near the shore of Lake Wakatipu had been agreed upon for the memorial.
In March, the Bryant family, represented by Richard Bryant, applied to the Queenstown Lakes District Council for consent to erect a memorial to Richard Cougar Bryant in the Queenstown Botanic Gardens.
Mr Cougar Bryant moved to Queenstown in 1861, originally becoming a policeman. He was later in charge of the gold escort to Kingston, and then appointed Lake Wakatipu harbour master. He and wife Mary became the first permanent residents of Kinloch and went on to build the Glacier Hotel, now known as Kinloch Lodge.
The issue came before a council meeting in early May.
The request was turned down on the grounds that installing any additional monuments in the gardens would "transform the character of the gardens from a public garden to a cemetery".
At the meeting, Cr Cath Gilmour told Mr Bryant "perhaps Glenorchy or Kinloch is more relevant to your family history", and at yesterday's meeting she reiterated that, saying the only problem with the application was the location.
This year, the Bryant family will celebrate 150 years of living in the Wakatipu. They will hold a family reunion at Labour Weekend.
Mr Bryant could not be contacted for comment.
