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Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-12-01 Daily Xml
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WEST TERRACE CEMETERY

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (15:28): My question is to the Minister for Urban Development and Planning in regard to his portfolio responsibilities for the Adelaide Cemeteries Authority. Is the minister aware of any moves by the authority to acknowledge the South Australians buried in unmarked graves at the West Terrace Cemetery?

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY (Minister for Mineral Resources Development, Minister for Urban Development and Planning, Minister for Small Business) (15:28): I thank the honourable member for his question. I can inform the council that I am aware of plans by the cemeteries authority to construct a new memorial that honours people buried in unmarked graves at West Terrace Cemetery. The proposed memorial will provide families (in many cases, several generations removed), who feel a lack of a place to visit and want to honour the memory of their ancestors, the opportunity to purchase and place a lasting tribute.

There has been a renewed interest in genealogy and tracing back our family history in South Australia. We see that in the number of people tracing their lineage back to the early settlers or paying respect to their ancestors who served in the two world wars and perhaps died in action, to be buried in a commonwealth war grave in the Middle East, Turkey or Western Europe. For those interested in uncovering a past, there is often a desire to track down their ancestors' gravesites. But there are some early settlers, and even as recently as the mid-20th century, where there has been no grave marker to visit—no fitting record bestowed—as they are buried in unmarked pauper graves. From the earliest days of settlement many families facing hardship had to rely on the state to bury their loved ones. This often translated into burial in common graves and without religious rites. Poor management and record-keeping practices in the 19th century means that the burial locations of many are unknown. This approach reflected societal attitudes at the time both in Australia and overseas and contrasts sharply with government and community values in the 21st century. Of course, today, government assisted funerals ensure that grieving families and the deceased are treated with the same level of dignity and respect as is any other member of the community.

The Adelaide Cemeteries Authority has decided that a more fitting tribute is required and, while it is impossible to place markers on common graves, there is an opportunity to erect a nearby memorial. I took the opportunity to visit the West Terrace Cemetery last week to look first hand at this section, where many South Australians have been buried, towards the south-western boundary. From the proposed site of the new memorial you can look out across to an area of unmarked common ground burial graves. In fact, the proposed site is quite close to the memorial for stillborn babies that was erected under the previous Liberal government.

The Adelaide Cemeteries Authority has worked closely with landscape architects Oxigen to design a modern, innovative memorial. The fusion of contemporary design, natural materials and native planting will provide a shaded, beautifully landscaped area for contemplation and remembrance for families to visit. The authority is also encouraging families with connections to West Terrace Cemetery and who wish to create a permanent memorial for their ancestors buried in unmarked graves to contact them. I understand that an application for planning approval for the memorial will be lodged soon with the Development Assessment Commission and the Department for Environment and Heritage—as obviously it is a heritage cemetery—with the expectation that work will commence in the new year. I am confident that the proposed memorial is a fitting development to mark the 20thanniversary of West Terrace Cemetery's listing on the state Heritage Register.

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