HILO — The long spear tip stolen from the King Kamehameha statue soon will be re-attached.
HILO — The long spear tip stolen from the King Kamehameha statue soon will be re-attached.
Robert W. “Bobby” Yamada II, treasurer of the local chapter of the Kamehameha Schools Alumni Association, said a brief ceremony will be held at noon Dec. 19 at the statue, in the Wailoa River State Recreation Area on the Hilo Bayfront.
“A lot of alumni have told me they’re relieved the spear has been found and happy it’s going to be re-installed,” Yamada said Friday.
The bronze ihe was forcibly detached from the statue of the monarch during an act of vandalism over the Labor Day weekend.
The 6-foot-long spear section was found on Sept. 8, the day after Labor Day, in high weeds along a river bank in the park.
The ceremony, presided over by kumu Kahookele Crabbe, coincides with the school’s Founder’s Day celebration, which will be held at the Kamehameha Schools-Hawaii Campus in Keaau on Friday evening.
The spear will be re-installed with assistance from a Hawaii County Fire Department ladder truck. Repair work on the ihe was performed by a Puna artisan who, according to Yamada, prefers to remain anonymous.
Yamada said the association has raised about $8,000, including a $5,000 donation from Macro Com Dish Network. The alumni still have a fundraising goal of $50,000.
“We’re looking to install more lights; we’re looking to fix the rock wall so (rocks) don’t pop out, and we need to fix the statue itself,” Yamada said. He added the refurbishing is necessary partly because the age of the 5-ton statue, which was installed in 1997.
“And during the robbery of the spear, parts of the statue were damaged, too,” Yamada said. He said any unused funds would be used for maintenance of the statue.
The association is hoping to finish repairs by June 10, the day before Kamehameha Day, when the statue is draped in lei.
William Roy Carroll III, a 31-year-old homeless man, pleaded not guilty to felony and misdemeanor theft and criminal property damage for the vandalism and theft of the spear.
Hilo Circuit Judge Glenn Hara on Dec. 3 found Carroll fit to stand trial based on the examinations of three mental health professionals. The trial is scheduled for Jan. 25.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.