Mackay General Cemetery facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mackay General Cemetery |
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Mackay General Cemetery
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| Location | Cemetery Road, West Mackay, Mackay Region, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1840s - 1860s (mid-19th century) |
| Built | 1865 onwards |
| Architect | Thomas Henry Fitzgerald |
| Official name: Mackay General Cemetery | |
| Type | state heritage (built, landscape) |
| Designated | 19 November 2010 |
| Reference no. | 602766 |
| Significant period | 1865 - 1990s |
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The Mackay General Cemetery is a very old and important cemetery located in West Mackay, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Thomas Henry Fitzgerald, a well-known person in Mackay's early history. This cemetery started being used in 1865 and is now listed on the Queensland Heritage Register. This means it's a special place protected for its history and importance.
History of the Cemetery
The Mackay General Cemetery was the main cemetery for the Mackay area for a long time. It's one of the oldest cemeteries in Queensland outside of the big cities. A surveyor named Thomas Henry Fitzgerald mapped out the land for it in late 1865. He thought it was a good spot because it was "nearly a mile from the town boundary" and had "rich black soil" that would be easy for digging graves.
The first recorded burial happened in July 1866. However, some records show earlier burials from 1864 and 1865. These might have happened before the cemetery was officially surveyed. The Mackay General Cemetery is as old as other major cemeteries like the South Rockhampton Cemetery (1860) and West End Cemetery in Townsville (1865).
How the Cemetery Changed Over Time
From the 1870s, the cemetery was divided into different sections for various religious groups. There was even an "alien section" for people with other beliefs. This was common for cemeteries built during the late Victorian era. Back then, the Anglican Church used to control burials. But over time, other churches wanted their own areas.
By the 1840s, new laws started to change things. The Queensland Cemeteries Act of 1865 made local boards of trustees responsible for cemeteries instead of the church. Today, most new cemeteries don't have these separate religious sections.
The Mackay Cemetery Trust was formed in 1870 to manage the cemetery. Important local people like Thomas Henry Fitzgerald were among the first trustees. This trust managed the cemetery until 1934, when local councils took over.
The cemetery's layout began to take shape in 1877 when roads were built. The main road you see today was built in 1882. The big Camphor Laurel trees along this road were planted in 1899. In the late 1800s, fences, a lych-gate (a covered gateway), a mortuary chapel, and iron gates were also added. However, these older structures are no longer there. The tool shed and shelter shed you see today were built more recently.
The design of the Mackay General Cemetery is similar to many cemeteries from the late Victorian period in Australia and Britain. These designs were often influenced by books like On the laying out, planting and managing of cemeteries (1843) by John Claudius Loudon. He suggested practical designs that fit the land. For flat areas, he recommended a grid pattern of grave rows and paths. Cemeteries often had a main road lined with evergreen trees and a central building. They also used plants that symbolized death or mourning.
Monuments and Memorials
The many different types of monuments in the cemetery show the popular styles of the time. In the late Victorian era, people liked fancy and detailed memorials. After World War II, the trend changed to simpler, more affordable monuments. This led to "lawn cemeteries" where plaques are flat with the ground, making them easier to maintain. However, towards the end of the 20th century, some ethnic groups started using more elaborate monuments again.
The variety of monuments and inscriptions also tells us about the different people who lived in the Mackay region. Many different groups came to Mackay to work in the main industry: growing and processing sugar cane.
Sugar Industry and Diverse Communities
Sugar cane was first grown in Mackay in 1863 and quickly became a huge industry. By 1872, Mackay produced a lot of Queensland's sugar. The sugar industry brought many different people to the area.
South Sea Islanders were among the first and largest groups to come to Mackay for sugar work. They arrived in the 1860s to provide manual labor. Mackay had the biggest population of South Sea Islanders in Australia until the trade stopped in 1904.
Other groups who worked in the sugar industry included Javanese (from the 1880s), Singhalese (from Sri Lanka, also from the 1880s), Japanese, and Southern Europeans like Maltese (from 1912) and Italians. Many Japanese people came to Australia between 1888 and 1901 for sugar work. Chinese and Indian people also lived in north Queensland, including Mackay.
The cemetery has graves for South Sea Islanders, Japanese, Javanese (Muslim), and Singhalese people. Some Japanese graves date back to the early 1900s. One South Sea Islander grave belongs to Kwailiu Fatana'ona, who came from Malaita in the Solomon Islands to work in the cane fields. He was buried in 1904. There are also Muslim graves with unique designs and Italian and Maltese graves. For some groups, like the Japanese and Javanese, these graves are the only remaining physical proof of their lives in Mackay from the late 1800s to early 1900s.
Notable Burials
Many important early residents of the Mackay region are buried here. This includes people who helped start the sugar industry, like plantation and mill owners Gustav Muller, Charles Walker, Charles King, William Williams, and James Carey.
Other notable people buried in the cemetery include:
- Andrew Diehm, who explored with William Landsborough in the Burdekin and Bowen areas.
- Houston Stewart Dalrymple Hay, the Harbour Master for Mackay in the 1870s. Dalrymple Bay and Hay Point are named after him.
- Former mayors of Mackay, such as Henry Black (after whom Blacks Beach is named).
- Early religious leaders, like the Catholic priest Father Pierre-Marie Bucas (after whom Bucasia was named).
Cemetery Closure and Reopening
In the early 1950s, the Pioneer Shire Council decided to close the Mackay General Cemetery. They opened a new one in Glenella. The first burial there was in September 1951. However, they soon found that the soil at Glenella wasn't good for burials. So, the council decided to reopen the Mackay General Cemetery for two more years.
The last burial at Glenella was in June 1952. In 1953, the council moved over 60 bodies from Glenella and reburied them in the Mackay General Cemetery. In the 1990s, it was decided that no more plots would be sold in the Mackay General Cemetery. Today, the Walkerston cemetery and the Mount Bassett Lawn Cemetery (opened in 1953) are used instead.
What the Cemetery Looks Like
The Mackay General Cemetery is a large area, about 8.9 hectares (which is like 22 acres). It's located west of Mackay's city center. It's surrounded by streets and cane fields that stretch towards the Pioneer River. Most of the cemetery is flat, except for a small gully with a drain.
The main entrance is from Holland Street. From there, a curving central road goes west through the middle of the cemetery. This road is lined with trees on one side. The edges of the cemetery don't have fences, but there are rows of trees along the footpaths on the south and east sides. The only buildings are a shelter shed and some newer sheds.
Layout and Sections
The cemetery is laid out in a grid pattern. It's divided into sections for different religions, including Anglican, Presbyterian, Methodist, Lutheran, and Catholic burials. There's also a section in the far western corner for other religious and ethnic groups. Newer burial sections are north of the central road. Grassy paths run north-south, connecting the central road to Cemetery Road.
Types of Monuments
You'll find many different types of monuments throughout the cemetery. These include upright slabs, tall obelisks, crosses, angels, urns, and bibles. They are made in various styles and materials, like marble, sandstone, iron, granite, and concrete. Many have inscriptions in different languages. Grave surrounds often include iron fencing or lacework, but most are made of concrete. In the Protestant sections, monuments and grave surrounds are usually painted white.
One special monument is a memorial to the Cameron family. It's an elaborate cast-iron structure with a cross on top. There are also smaller cast-iron grave markers with iron lacework borders. These rectangular panels have raised inscriptions, sometimes in wavy lines. More recent headstones are simpler, like flat slabs or desk-shaped markers.
There are several Muslim graves in the cemetery. One is a raised slab covered with decorative ceramic tiles and has a diamond-shaped headstone. Two others are concrete slabs with small, simple headstones at each end.
The cemetery is home to people from many backgrounds, including Australian soldiers, Aboriginal people, South Sea Islanders, Japanese, Javanese, Germans, Maltese, Italians, French, English, Scottish, Welsh, and Irish immigrants.
Many different companies made the monuments in the Mackay General Cemetery. Most were made by a firm called Melrose and Fenwick. Other companies from places like Sydney, Brisbane, Townsville, Melbourne, and Rockhampton also made monuments here.
The Australian War Graves Commission has placed special plaques on the graves of Australian servicemen. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission records that two soldiers from World War I and ten from World War II are buried here.
Plants and Features
Most of the trees in the cemetery are along the edges and the central road. A line of mature Camphor Laurel trees runs along the northern side of the central road. Other old trees are found along the Holland Street boundary. A few single trees are also scattered in some burial sections.
The shelter shed has a rectangular roof made of corrugated iron, supported by square posts. It has decorative arches between the posts and a solid balustrade (a low wall or railing) with timber benches inside.
A wide, grassy gully with a concrete drain separates some of the religious sections near the western end of the cemetery. From the cemetery, you can see views of farmland to the north, which makes for a nice backdrop. The curving central road with its trees also creates a peaceful and pretty scene.
Why It's a Heritage Site
The Mackay General Cemetery was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on November 19, 2010. This means it's recognized as a very important historical place.
Important to Queensland's History
The Mackay General Cemetery is one of the oldest cemeteries in the Mackay Whitsunday area, starting in 1865. It was used for over 140 years until the 1990s, and it's still the largest cemetery there. Because of this, it shows us a lot about the history and different people who lived in this important sugar-producing region.
The cemetery has graves of many different ethnic groups who worked in the sugar industry over time. These include South Sea Islanders, Javanese, Singhalese (Sri Lankans), Japanese, Maltese, and Italians. For some of these groups, their graves in this cemetery are the only physical proof that they lived in the Mackay region between the late 1800s and early 1900s.
The cemetery also shows how burial practices have changed over time. The different styles of memorials and how they developed over the years tell us about changing ideas about death and funeral decorations since the 1860s.
Showing Key Features of Cemeteries
As the main cemetery for one of Queensland's oldest and largest sugar-producing regions, Mackay General Cemetery shows the main features of a public cemetery from the late 1800s that was used for a long time. These features include:
- Separate sections for different religions, including a section for non-Christian burials.
- Graves laid out in a grid pattern with paths and roads.
- A central main road lined with evergreen trees.
- A variety of monuments that show different religious and cultural preferences over time.
All these features together create a peaceful and thoughtful atmosphere. This feeling is important for honoring and remembering those who have passed away.
The cemetery also has examples of many important monument styles from the late 1800s until the 1990s. This includes the fancy Cameron monument, which was made locally from cast iron. You can also see the work of many different monument makers from all over Queensland here.
