Wollongong City Council works to create new ash walls and gardens at the Scarborough Cemetery is nearing completion.
During May, the Council undertook an extensive construction project to increase memorial space at the cemetery. There are now up to 480 new ash memorial spaces available.
Mayor, Gordon Bradbery AM said the cemetery had a long history of burials dating back to the 1890s.
“Scarborough Cemetery is one of the most scenic locations in the city, but it’s also limited by space as it overlooks the coastline. Up until very recently, there has been no room for new ash placements, with the cemetery already home to over a thousand ash memorials,” Mayor Bradbery said.
“Now that works have finished, we’re pleased to share that the new memorial space and garden is open. This will come as good news to those who have long been interested in memorialising their loved one at the Scarborough Cemetery and now have the opportunity to purchase a place in the wall.”
Scarborough Cemetery is one of nine cemeteries managed by Wollongong City Council. The recent upgrades build upon the broader work Council is doing to ensure residents and visitors receive care with dealing with recent death or remembering loved ones.
“Wollongong Memorial Gardens service has been operating since 1959. As the City of Wollongong’s population has increased and diversified, Council’s service has adapted over the years to meet the changing needs of our multicultural community,” Mayor Bradbery said.
“In recent years, that includes offering new types of services such as our recent move to dedicate ground at the Wollongong Lawn Cemetery for natural burials. This environmentally focussed burial option is increasingly becoming popular with those who want an alternative to contemporary Western burial methods and modern funeral customs.
“It also means increasing access to traditional and cultural burial practices so that people of all faiths and cultural backgrounds can feel welcome in our cemeteries.
“One of the projects that reflects this, is our ongoing work on the design of a new Aboriginal burial section at the Wollongong Lawn Cemetery.
“This long-term project, done in consultation with local elders, as well as the Illawarra Aboriginal Corporation and the Illawarra Local Aboriginal Land Council, is an exciting next step for the cemetery. Once completed, the project will offer an appropriate burial place for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people,” he said.
Council is currently developing the final concept design for new section.
“This is a long-term project, and it’s important we get this essential preliminary work done right so that we can be sure the design meets the community’s needs,” the Mayor said.
Council says it will share further updates on the next stage of the project once the concept design is finished.
In the meantime, those interested in purchasing a memorial space are being encouraged to check out the new section of the cemetery.
“Already, we’ve received interest from our community who have held onto their loved one’s ashes in hopes of memorialising them at Scarborough Cemetery. In response to this interest, we’re hosting two pop up sale days at the cemetery,” Mayor Bradbery said.
“These will be an opportunity for community members to check out the new section, ask our Memorial Gardens staff questions and perhaps purchase a spot.”
