History of the Bumberrah Cemetery

Historical records for Bumberrah Cemetery are incomplete. In October 2021, there were 236 lawn graves and approximately 150 monumental graves (many of these are family plots) as well as known and unknown unmarked graves in the monumental section. The latter is due both to fires at the Cemetery in earlier years that destroyed wooden markers, and missing records from these earlier years.

Bumberrah Cemetery was established in approximately 1880 and was gazetted in 1885.

The Bairnsdale Advertiser and Tambo and Omeo Chronicle of Tuesday 17 April 1883 states:

A public meeting was held at Swan Reach on Thursday last, to consider matters connected with the Bumberrah Cemetery; Mr Poulsen in the chair. Mr J. Vipond moved, and Mr Brearley seconded, that the meeting recommend the following gentlemen as trustees for the Bumberrah Cemetery, viz:- Messrs. J.E. O'Brien, Edward Foley, Mads Poulsen, Mark Brearley, Alexander Ross, James Walker, William Broome and James Vipond; carried. It was also resolved that the meeting request the shire deputation to apply to the Government for a grant of money to fence and clear the ground for the Cemetery. A vote of thanks to the chairman closed the meeting.

James Vipond, Edward Foley, Alexander Ross, James Walker and William Broome are now buried in the Cemetery.

The same newspaper on 19 September 1885 printed:

The trustees of the Bumberrah Cemetery also had a meeting today and it was decided to measure out and apportion the burial ground, and in a month hence to meet and fix a scale of charges.

On the north-west side of the greater Cemetery boundary but outside the current fenced area in use, there are Chinese graves of which exact locations and occupants are unknown.

Bumberrah was rarely used from the mid-1950s, becoming overgrown and maintained sporadically by volunteers and threatened with closure in the late 1970s. A reformed Trust, established in 1980, enabled the Cemetery to continue operating.

The last 10 years have seen considerable capital works undertaken, including the rose gardens,, entry gates and seating. The toilet block, gazebo, graveside safety system and replacement of individual lawn grave markers with continuous headrails, and double sided headrails for the new lawn section, have all been funded and completed via a DOH&HS grant. The rose garden, entry gates and some seating have been built with donated funds.

The latest funding grant received is to enable ground radar to be conducted in certain areas of the cemetery to find the location of unmarked graves. While this will not show who is buried, it will enable the Trust to open the older monumental areas for sale of gravesites in those areas.

 

Bumberrah Cemetery Trust

Applications for appointment to a Class B cemetery trust are made directly to the relevant cemetery trust. Under the Cemeteries and Crematoria Act 2003, Class B cemetery trust members are appointed by the Governor in Council on the recommendation of the Minister for Health. A Class B cemetery trust can have between three and 11 trust members.

Class B trust members are appointed for a term of up to five years. They are unpaid volunteers and are eligible to apply for reappointment. Trust members appointed prior to 1 January 1996 are lifetime members and remain in office until they resign, pass away or are removed from office by the Governor in Council. Lifetime members are not required to apply for reappointment to remain on the trust.

Each Class B trust is responsible for:

• setting the selection criteria for each vacancy to ensure that new members fill existing skill gaps and the trust has an appropriate mix of skills, experience and perspectives;
• conducting interviews;
• conducting referee checks.

Class B cemetery trust members attend a two-day training course that offers a valuable and solid foundation for trust members who are committed to implementing strong governance and operational processes for their trust.