Guardians of the Past & Future

Our volunteer cemetery Trust members

Most people have nothing to do with the workings of a local cemetery until they must deal with the pointy end of life. They may have a loved one who has died and need to organise the funeral, they may visit a grave or attend a funeral. Some may think that cemeteries are run by local councils or some Government department, they’re not. What they may not realise is that almost all country cemeteries are run by volunteers who dedicate much of their time and efforts into keeping these very important community places operational. May is ‘Volunteer month’ and these unheralded and unseen champions should be given their due, along with all of the others in the community who donate time and effort on our behalf.

Even the smallest cemetery, some with no burials for years still have people caring for them. The larger cemeteries in the city are classified as “A” class cemeteries and have paid permanent staff. All the rest are classified as “B” class with the day-to-day management and strategic direction overseen by a Board of Trustees appointed by the Department of Health and Human Services and operating under the

Governance of the Cemeteries and Crematoria Regulation Unit. Gippsland Memorial Park at Traralgon which has a Crematorium attached with 1200 cremations a year is the largest in Gippsland and employs a manager and others.

Trusts run differently depending on size but usually operate with a Chairperson and Treasurer, volunteers who may receive a small stipend, and a Secretary (nonTrust member) who has no say in the decisions on the running of the Cemetery but does all of the day to day operational aspects. They work for a set number of hours as agreed. All the other Trust members are voluntary. Occasionally the Health Department will advertise for new Trust members who are vetted by the Department. Training courses are offered periodically to explain the intricacies and workings of the Cemetery Act, the rules that have to be followed. Together they run these places that hold a fundamental cultural, historical and practical part of everybody’s life. They are the representatives of the community who perform a very important job of preservation and preparation for the future.

In a way these Trusts run as a small business. They often employ staff such as a caretaker and gravedigger and deal with many details of managing an organisation dealing with the public. The Secretary is the first line of contact with the public. The decisions about planning and all matters are decided by the Trust members at meetings held as required.

After following strict guidelines laid down in the Act, each cemetery has its own unique character. Some may hardly change and are kept as they always have been while others introduce new innovations.

One example is the Maffra Cemetery Trust which is a typical country cemetery. Valuable original records from the 1800s are preserved in their care in a locked and fireproof safe. The cemetery is laid out in a formal style of paved ‘streets’ originally in sections of different religious denominations. It also has a lawn section, columbarium (a brick tower where ashes are installed), a monumental headstone section, rose gardens for ashes, a native garden for ashes and a children’s cemetery.

One of the key roles of a Trust is to look to the future. Many years ago at Maffra Cemetery they purchased several acres of land adjoining the current cemetery and are now in the early planning stage of a 10 year program to extend the cemetery.»

This will aim to provide for the community for the next 100 years. An involved task like this will all be done in stages and involves engagement with many organisations and stakeholders. The Trust Chairperson Coral Pitt and Treasurer Phillip Clifford head the team of Trustees and show great dedication taking on such a project. They have also initiated differing areas for ashes to be interred as this becomes more popular and cost effective.

A native memorial garden surrounds a mature gum with native shrubs planted where ashes can be interred and a name plaque placed on a rock above them. This became very popular and more such areas are planned. In the formal area smaller plots have been established for ashes where families can be rested together if they choose. All these ideas are to cater for the changing requirements as time progresses, something they will look at too in the future cemetery extension.

The Foster Cemetery boasts panoramic views over Corner Inlet and Wilsons Promontory. This historic cemetery with its first known burial in 1871 is typical of the differing ways each Trust operates. Chairperson and Trust member Leanne Watmuff explained that though the Trust has a paid secretary for 10 hours a week all the rest of the functions of upkeep and operations of the cemetery are performed by the Trust members and other volunteers. It’s a credit to them that the picturesque surrounds are so lovingly cared for. They commissioned a formal management plan and constantly work towards the goals set down. One innovation is a Memorial wall where plaques can be put to commemorate those not interred at the cemetery. People may have been buried elsewhere or have had their branch of the RSL, established a memorial to recognise the service of 170 men and women who served in WW2 and are interred at the Stratford Cemetery. A carved statue of a soldier stands to salute these brave souls. ashes scattered but now they have somewhere they can be recorded close by for loved ones to remember.

Another fantastic undertaking is one that honours men and women who have served their countries.

The Foster and District Historical Society and the Foster RSL initiated a project which the Cemetery Trust hosts on ANZAC day to position flags on the graves of Returned Service people. To date there have been over 320 flags displayed from Poland, England, Netherlands, America, Germany and Australia.

Other cemeteries across Gippsland have their own individual features.

The historic Alberton cemetery, one of Victoria’s oldest and most historically significant burial sites, offers a poignant glimpse into the region’s early settler history. Its original location situated by the Albert River has pioneer graves and many stories. Local folklore suggests that early wooden grave markers are believed to belong to whalers and sealers who navigated the rugged wilderness of Bass Strait, long before the discovery of Port Albert in 1842. It’s a marvellous and sometimes tragic trip back in time to discover many stories from the past.

The Stratford cemetery, in conjunction with the Stratford Historical Society and the local sub

The public are probably unaware that cemeteries are self-funded with only specific grants that can be applied for to the Health Department to complete approved works. The regular costs of operating the cemetery must come from the sale of plots and burials. The cost of these is regulated by the government and increase on the 1st of July each year. A portion of funds received are kept aside for ‘perpetual maintenance’ which will build up over time so that in the future funds will always be available for the cemetery upkeep. Many cemeteries are digitising their records and providing them online for families and historians to be able to do research. Some have printed lists onsite with references to show how to locate each grave site.

Rather than being places of sadness cemeteries are places of remembrance. They hold records of the past and are repositories of the details of our forebears. In the future,

Alberton Cemetery as customs change, so will the cemeteries and the Trust members will adapt these public spaces to accommodate. These are not static places of the past as they continue to evolve with time. It’s impossible to imagine what the future will hold or how practices will change. No matter what happens though our unseen guardians, these committed volunteers, will be there to guide these significant community spaces into the future.

It's important to remember the personal time and effort that goes into keeping cemeteries functioning and that it’s all done by volunteer community effort.

They truly are guardians of our past and future. gl