Burying the Dead !

Sydney is rapidly running out of space to bury the dead.  Rookwood is fast reaching capacity and there is an urgent need to consecrate a new site and we should be careful not to repeat the mistakes of the past.  There is nothing more dismal than an old cemetery which has long passed its " use by " date and is now neglected and has fallen into disrepair.

Obtaining a burial site is now a major family expense.  The ratio of people who elect to be cremated now exceeds those going into the ground.  Australia is becoming less religious and in many cases it is religion that insists that the after death procedure must follow the burial ritual.  Many find solace with the need to visit the grave of a loved one and in the past that grave was often decorated with religious art work in memory of the deceased.

Two sites in western Sydney are under consideration.  One relates to a 136,000 burial site near Campbelltown and the other for a lesser 88,000 site  near Penrith.   Both are vigorously opposed by the residents living nearby.  If either goes ahead, residents fear that the resale value of their homes will be adversely affected.

Cemeteries are a contentious issue and both these sites have been taken out of the hands of the local councils to decide and given to the NSW Independent Planning Commission.  As a result, approval has been given for a new cemetery at what is known as the " Scenic Hills " and a plan rejected  to turn the  Wallacia golf course into a 42 hectare new cemetery near Penrith.

Finding a site for a new cemetery in Sydney is a problem shared with many other parts of the world and many unique solutions have been applied.   In some places bodies are buried vertically instead of horizontally, as a space saving measure.  In others, graves are dug deeper to contain additional bodies and it is becoming common for burial sites to have a fixed time limit on their occupancy.  That is usually fifty years, after which a renewal fee applies.

It is likely that any new Sydney site will be a " lawn cemetery ".   That would ban any above ground statuary and the only thing permitted would be a simple plaque at ground level so that the mowers could pass overhead to maintain a green, grassland vista.  This is less jarring to the eye and delivers minimum maintenance costs.

Interest in grave sites by the family of the deceased fades quickly as the generations pass and we would be wise to set a firm date when any new cemetery would automatically become parkland open to the public for their enjoyment.   The grave markers would be removed and a crowded city would welcome what used to be grave sites restored to a vibrant green open space where they could relax on a sunny day.

We have only to look at the many old burial sites now forlorn and unattended in various parts of the city.  They are often prime sites with views of the ocean, adorned with decaying ornamentation and we now regard them as a blot on the lanscape.  We would be wise to avoid a repeat of what was obviously a mistake in urban planning.

If we must continue the practice of burying the dead in the ground that should come with a time limit. When cemeteries pass their use by date they should serve a useful purpose by being returned to the public as open parkland.   A welcome respite for the living.