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| general photo courtesy Pixabay. |
CONDEMNED, CURIOUS, CARED FOR...
My Aunt Mary used to take me with her when she put flowers on his grave and we would weed around it. Then after a while, we would visit most of the others in the cemetery and Aunt would explain who they were and tell me whether they still had family in town. I came to know a lot more about people around me as I grew older, but still remember the stories she told me.
.. while Mudgee Cemetery in NSW was suffering neglect
Complaints continued over time...
Ever since I was a small girl, I've had a fascination with cemeteries... I can't say I was ever worried by them, or scared, or even repulsed as some are. To me, they were peaceful places, places to remember loved ones and places of history...
I was only five when my beloved grandfather died and I could never have born his loss if I hadn't had a place to go to talk to him, to tell him about the flowers I grew and the very first time I grew a tomato, all by myself. It was Papauli (grandfather) who encouraged me to grow things. He taught me how to dry the seeds, not too much mind you, just enough to make them still able to grow... but I diverse.
My Aunt Mary used to take me with her when she put flowers on his grave and we would weed around it. Then after a while, we would visit most of the others in the cemetery and Aunt would explain who they were and tell me whether they still had family in town. I came to know a lot more about people around me as I grew older, but still remember the stories she told me.
I guess that had a lot to do with what I do today, discover history through gravestones... as a family historian and writer. Of course, the Greeks had a word for such a thing, don't they always... The word 'taphophile', taken from the Greek, means “to love graves."
Cemeteries and the care of them have been the topic of discussion for all time... in the following publication, the writer complains about the depth of graves and the drainage... as well as the odour.
Eastern Districts Chronicle (York, WA : 1877 - 1927), Saturday 1 March 1879, page 2
As early as 1900, there were calls for a rethink on a proposed cemetery, as the hard clay wasn't suitable on one site...
The Argus Melbourne 8 Sep 1900
.. while Mudgee Cemetery in NSW was suffering neglect
Mudgee Guardian and North-Western Representative (NSW : 1890 - 1954), Friday 13 April 1900, page 7
Click to enlarge...
Not Mudgee.. general photo courtesy Pixabay.
Strong guidelines were declared in Western Australia in 1904..
Kalgoorlie Western Argus 18 Oct 1904
Not Mudgee.. general photo courtesy Pixabay.
Strong guidelines were declared in Western Australia in 1904..
Kalgoorlie Western Argus 18 Oct 1904
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| general photo courtesy Pixabay. |
Complaints continued over time...
Cumberland Argus and Fruitgrowers Advocate (Parramatta, NSW : 1888 - 1950), Wednesday 31 July 1946
The residents of Parramatta weren't too happy with the lack of maintenance of the cemetery.
There are so many different traditions in cemeteries around the world... I have written about some here... very much a work in progress..
The Jewish faith for instance, seems mostly known for the placing of stones on the gravestone... it is a way of saying someone has visited, someone remembers... you can read more about the many other traditions here..
In Salzburg, Austria, there are many graves with signs like these,
but there also tombs and gravestones...
These are some examples in the
cemetery of the monastery St. Peter...
Then again, sometimes cemeteries were used in a more curious manner...
Cemeteries come in all manner of guises...some are old and sad..
Some are old and majestic and still not forgotten as in this one, on the Isle Of Skye, Scotland...
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| Jewish tombs in Poland courtesy of Pixabay |
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| Courtesy of Pixabay |
In Salzburg, Austria, there are many graves with signs like these,
but there also tombs and gravestones...
These are some examples in the
cemetery of the monastery St. Peter...
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| Courtesy of PxHere |
and gardens..
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| Courtesy of PxHere |
Then again, sometimes cemeteries were used in a more curious manner...
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| courtesy of Pixabay |
Some are old and majestic and still not forgotten as in this one, on the Isle Of Skye, Scotland...
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| courtesy of Pixabay |
Others are quite well looked after, as far as the surrounds are concerned, but the headstones have been left to decay and be no longer legible.
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| courtesy of Pixabay |
There are some strange or curious or unusual headstones as in these...
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| courtesy of Pixabay |
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| courtesy of Pixabay |
Some are beautiful, but
maybe too ornate for today's budget or likes.. and maybe, just too sad.. as is this one in Genoa.
Whether you love wandering through cemeteries simply because they are peaceful, or only when you attend a funeral, or to glean as much history as possible as in this beautiful Irish cemetery, Glasnevin, in Dublin...
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| courtesy of Pixabay
.. there will always be cemeteries of one kind or another. Some faiths prefer cremation, others forbid it; some like lawn graves with plaques, some like tombstones; some want memorial stones or niches with ashes beneath or behind... others would rather their ashes be scattered to the winds... It really is such a personal choice, but the main thing we almost all want is to be remembered in the hearts of our loved ones.
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| Courtesy of Pixabay, words added. |
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