The long spear tip stolen from the King Kamehameha statue soon will be reattached.
Robert W. “Bobby” Yamada II, treasurer of the local chapter of the Kamehameha Schools Alumni Association, said a brief ceremony is planned for noon Saturday, 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 reinstalled,” Yamada said Friday.
The bronze ‘ihe was forcibly detached from the statue of the monarch in an act of vandalism during the Labor Day weekend.
The 6-foot-long spear section was found Sept. 8, the day after Labor Day, in high weeds along a riverbank in the park.
The ceremony, presided over by kumu Kahookele Crabbe, coincides with the school’s Founder’s Day celebration, which will be hosted Friday evening at the Kamehameha Schools-Hawaii Campus in Keaau.
The spear will be reinstalled with assistance from a Hawaii 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 of 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 to the statue 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.
