Karrakatta Cemetery Renewal

Background - Ensuring the future for Western Australia’s premier cemetery

Since the first burial of Robert Creighton in 1899, Karrakatta Cemetery has become the chosen resting place and memorial location for hundreds of thousands of Western Australians.

With its rich history Karrakatta has come to hold a special place in the heart of many Western Australians. It is a place to visit loved ones, friends and family of past generations – a place to reflect and remember.

The Issues

Karrakatta is facing several major issues in meeting the burial needs of the community. These include:

• Lack of space to conduct burials
• Future expansion is restricted by Karrakatta’s central location. At other MCB cemetery sites there are increasing external influences, such as the Bush Forever initiative, that are limiting the development of new burial land
• Whilst cremation is now the preferred service at Karrakatta, the religious and cultural requirements of approximately 20% of families ensures that there is a continued need for burial grounds
• Monuments on graves in areas where the right of grants have expired generally tend to fall into a state of disrepair and have the potential to become a safety hazard.

A full cemetery – what are the implications?

There are thousands of full cemeteries across the world.

With no capacity for expansion within the surrounding areas, it was initially anticipated that burial land at Karrakatta would be completely occupied by 2004.

The potential decline in income derived from burials combined with the absence of a sustainable renewal initiative, means either limited or no ongoing maintenance or further beautification of our historic cemetery.

Disused cemeteries can be dangerous. The MCB has an obligation to maintain safety standards throughout Karrakatta. Loose headstones and crumbling gravesites can present a serious hazard to the public. Without a comprehensive renewal program in place, decayed monuments in areas marked for renewal might be removed in the interests of public safety with little regard given to historical considerations and the preservation of memories for future generations.

Across Australia and around the world thousands of closed and deteriorating cemeteries in residential areas have been redeveloped for other purposes. Given the central location of Karrakatta Cemetery, pressure to redevelop the land of a disused cemetery could become alarmingly high.

Urban redevelopment in East Perth and its impact on the historic East Perth cemetery provides an insight into the potential future if Karrakatta was to close its gates for new burials and memorial gardens.

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How do we solve the problem?

Keeping Karrakatta operating as a cemetery capable of serving the needs of a changing society; as a site for both burials and memorialisations, is a challenge that the MCB has been working towards since the 1970's.

The trend towards memorialisation as preferable to traditional burial practices has certainly assisted with prolonging the useful life of Karrakatta. It has also presented a great challenge for the MCB to develop a wide range of memorialisation options that truly reflect the ever expanding requirements of families.

Burials still make up a significant number of the total annual services at Karrakatta with an average of 1000 burials taking place each year. This continued demand has ensured that the demand for burial land is ongoing.

To ensure that Karrakatta could continue to keep its gates open for traditional burials, the MCB commenced the process of ‘Cemetery Renewal’. A practice that exists across the globe in a variety of differing guises, Cemetery Renewal is best defined as the redevelopment of existing cemetery burial areas to accommodate new gravesites and memorial locations.

The MCB realises that Cemetery Renewal is a sensitive topic and one that needs to be implemented with both compassion and understanding.

Legislation governing renewal programs is covered under Division 4 of the Cemeteries Act 1986.

What’s Involved

Renewal! You don’t mean ‘dig-up’?

Cemetery renewal is not about digging up old graves.

Cemetery Renewal concerns the redevelopment of existing areas with NO disturbance to the remains interred within existing graves. Put simply, new graves are located alongside old graves and within areas that were previously used as walkways.

An instance where an existing interment may be disturbed is when, at the request of a family member, a grave is reopened to accommodate a new burial from the same family. The concept of reuniting family members within the one grave is becoming increasingly popular at Karrakatta and has the admirable outcome of providing a family resting place across the generations.

Although there is no disturbance to burials below ground level, Cemetery Renewal, as the name suggests, does result in a significantly remodeled surface environment.

Once preparatory tasks have been completed, the renewed area will accept new burials and/or memorials. The end result will be a beautifully landscaped memorial garden incorporating retained headstones, a burial site combining new and retained headstones or a unique location featuring a combination of new and old headstones complemented by gardens.

The stages of Cemetery Renewal

Steps taken prior to commencing renewal in a designated area form part of a detailed process. Key stages are:

• Expiration of the Grants of Rights of Burial
• Historical Research & Analysis
• Community Consultation
• Implementation

Expiration of the Grants of Right of Burial

A Grant of Right of Burial is purchased to allow future burials in a grave. All grants at Karrakatta are initially issued for 25 years with the option for a further renewal of 25 years. If required, a further Grant of Right within the renewed area may be applied for (i.e.: retaining of the original headstone). This will require a repurchase of the Grants of Right of Burial to assist in covering maintenance costs for the ensuing 25 year period.

Generally speaking, cemetery renewal is only undertaken in cemetery areas where all or most of the Grants of Right of Burial have expired (i.e. the expiry of the 25 or 50 year plots within the area proposed for renewal). Many of the headstones in such areas have fallen into a state of disrepair and, as research indicates, are rarely (if at all) maintained by visitors to the grave.

Historical Research & Analysis

The MCB is committed to safeguarding the memories of generations of families.

Prior to proposing the removal of any headstones, the MCB consults with a committee that comprises MCB staff, board members, historians, genealogists and a representative of the Office of Australian War Graves. This ensures that all headstones are assessed across a wide range of criteria including, but not limited to, stonemasonry craft, historical significance of the persons buried and the cause of death. This committee is known as the Monument Assessment and Advisory Committee or MAAC.

Once the complete scope of the renewal project is established, an extensive 12 month community consultation period commences.

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Community Consultation

Given the sensitive nature of cemetery renewal, the MCB has developed an extensive framework for community consultation and also employs a Client Relations Consultant to liaise closely with those individuals directly affected by a renewal proposal.

Steps in the consultation process include:

• High profile site signage
• Letters sent to families who have registered their contact details
• Press advertising
• Assessment of submissions received.

High profile signage is erected in proposed renewal areas. The overall aim is to clearly communicate that the area in question is being considered for renewal and that those affected should seek further information from the MCB.

The MCB also endeavours to place information on each grave marked for renewal on days such as Mothers Day and Christmas Day. Unfortunately many graves are not visited and information is not taken.

Attempts are made to contact family members, however, given that contact details are often not updated , this does not always prove to be fruitful.

The MCB stages several Cemetery Renewal information sessions for those affected throughout the consultation period. Details of these events are contained within literature mailed to those affected.

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Throughout the 12 month period, press advertisements are also placed within the West Australian Newspaper.

At the closure of the 12 month consultation period, all submissions on the topic are assessed and the MCB then applies to the Minister for Local Government for permission to proceed with the renewal.

Implementation

Implementation is undertaken with the utmost care and dignity by trained MCB staff.

Headstones removed from the site are retained by the MCB for a further 12 months. If they are not claimed by a family member, they are eventually recycled.

Prior to removal, every headstone is digitally photographed and the subsequent image and inscription are permanently stored within the MCB database. This ensures maintenance of the historical evidence and information and is a route of access for future generations.

The MCB also maintains a special Memorial Book for each section that is renewed. This Memorial Book details all the names of the deceased, their ages and date of death.

What happens below the surface

The diagram here shows the below ground view of a renewal area.

It is important to that the burial in the new grave is placed within a space that was originally occupied by the footpath between the existing graves. New graves have minimal encroachment on existing graves on each side. This means that the remains in the original grave are COMPLETELY UNDISTURBED. This is due to the fact that this encroachment on either side does not enter the centre of the grave where interments are positioned.

This innovative approach to Cemetery Renewal has allowed the Metropolitan Cemeteries Board to continue providing burial facilities at Karrakatta Cemetery whilst concurrently ensuring a sustainable future for the site.

Grave Search

How can I find out if a family grave is located in a proposed renewal area and what are my options?

The renewal program is being undertaken in stages according to a series of managed time frames. Some areas of Karrakatta have already been renewed and the Metropolitan Cemeteries Board has developed proposed Cemetery Renewal plans for the forthcoming 25 years.

A two-sided map of Karrakatta Cemetery with the various Cemetery Renewal areas highlighted and the associated timeframes, can be downloaded here (Side 1) and here (Side 2). We recommend that you print this map.

If you know the grave number and location of the grave/s in question, you should be able to see if it is within a proposed renewal area by cross referencing it with the map.

If you do not know the location of the grave/s in question, you will need to perform an online location search. Please click here to search the Cemetery Records System (CRS). Once you have found the grave location, you will need to cross-reference it with the Karrakatta Cemetery map mentioned above to see if the area in question falls within a proposed Cemetery Renewal area.

Alternatively, you may choose to telephone or visit our offices at Karrakatta Cemetery or send an email search request to us at mcb@mcb.wa.gov.au (please allow 4 working days for a reply).

If emailing, please be sure to include as many details as possible regarding the deceased and also a contact telephone number should our staff need to get in touch.

Options for affected graves

The main options open to you if a grave is located within a renewal area are as follows:

• Repurchase the Grant of Right of Burial for the grave. This option is only available in certain circumstances and is dependent on the proposed future use of the renewed section (i.e. memorial gardens, burial section or site facility). Repurchasing the Grant allows for the grave to be reused as a family grave and, for many families, establishes a site of cross-generational import.
• Make a submission for retaining the grave for historical and specific posterity reasons. This will be assessed by the MAAC.
• Have the headstone relocated within the renewed area.
• Have the headstone relocated to another family grave in Karrakatta.
• Purchase an adjoining new grave within the renewed area and transfer the existing headstone to the new area.
• Establish a new memorial within the newly improved landscape.
• Collect and remove the headstone from the cemetery.

Through our Client Service division, the MCB welcomes the opportunity to discuss options and to ensure you have a clear understanding of the renewal process. We look forward to speaking with you.

Our goal is to ensure the future of Karrakatta as an operating cemetery.

War Graves & Cemetery Renewal

The MCB works closely with the Office of Australian War Graves (OAWG) in undertaking ALL renewal programs at Karrakatta.

According to OAWG, the following applies with regards to Cemetery Renewal:

“The Office of Australian War Graves (OAWG) within the Department of Veterans’ Affairs is responsible for the care and maintenance of war cemeteries and individual war graves within Australia and the region, as agents of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

OAWG is also responsible for the official post-war commemoration of those eligible veterans whose deaths are accepted as being due to their war service or at the time of death were either:

• In receipt of a Totally and Permanently Incapacitated Pension (TPI) or an Extreme Disablement Adjustment (EDA) where the veteran has seen war service;
• Multiple amputees on Section 27.1 maximum pension rate where war service has been proven;
• Ex-prisoners of war;
• VC winners.

Those who were killed during war-time and who are buried in the Perth War Cemetery or general cemeteries throughout the State of Western Australia, including Karrakatta, are not affected by the Cemetery Renewal Program. However, under cemetery regulations, memorials may be removed from graves where official post-war commemoration has been provided for eligible veterans buried in an area that has been identified for renewal. Official commemoration would then be provided in the OAWG Garden of Remembrance adjacent to the Perth War Cemetery.

The OAWG is responsible for the maintenance of all official memorials in perpetuity. It is therefore the preference of the Office that these memorials are retained for all time and not removed for renewal purposes.”

The MCB has always ensured the issue of war graves be dealt with responsibly and respectfully.

To summarise the issue of war graves and their relationship to cemetery renewal, the following points should be noted:

• All official war grave monuments are retained in their original grave position.
• Official monuments are NOT affected by renewal programs
• An official war grave is defined by OAWG as those graves commemorating service personnel that died of war related causes during the actual war years
• Some official war graves are located in war cemeteries and others in civilian cemeteries
• Regardless of location they ALL remain untouched and unaffected by any renewal program
• Post War Commemoration headstones (or ‘unofficial’ war graves) commemorate those who died of war related causes after the war years
• If any of these monuments are affected by a renewal program the OAWG has agreed to replace these monuments with a bronze plaque which is placed in their Gardens of Remembrance.

If further information is required regarding war graves and cemetery renewal, please contact the MCB or the Western Australian division of the OAWG on 9386 3807.

The Perth War Cemetery and Garden of Remembrance is located on Smyth Road, Nedlands, Western Australia.

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Photo Service

The Metropolitan Cemeteries Board can provide photos of the memorial or headstone of a loved one. Click here for details of our Photo Request Service.

Karrakatta Cemetery Contact Details

For all enquiries, please contact us as follows:

Telephone Number: +61 1300 793 109
Facsimile Number: + 61 8 9384 9273
E-mail: mcb@mcb.wa.gov.au (please allow 4 working days for a reply)
Mail Address:
PO Box 53
Claremont 6910
Western Australia.