Polwarth cemeteries are set to benefit from a $732,537 Brumby Government funding boost Gayle Tierney MP, member for Western Victoria announced today.
The Brumby Government has provided the money for maintenance grants to small and medium-sized Victorian cemetery trusts, Ms Tierney said.
Ms Tierney said eighty two cemetery trusts State-wide will share $732,537 in grants, including:
• Colac Cemetery Trust which received $30,000 for a new heritage gazebo
• Derrinallum Cemetery Trust which received $20,390 for the installation of a new front entrance to the cemetery
• Cobden Cemetery Trust which received $7,645 to supply and install brick paving, a metal fence and garden beds as well as a new storage shed; and
• Bambra Cemetery Trust which received $6,500 for a 50 space ashes wall.
“These grants are for small rural cemeteries with little maintenance money and will be used for essential items such as equipment, general upkeep, facility renovations, fencing and tree and weed control,” Ms Tierney said.
Ms Tierney said other grants made to small rural cemeteries range from $700 for landscape planning at the Horsham Cemetery Trust, to $59,430 for the Orbost Cemetery Trust to build a new memorial shelter.
Ms Tierney said these grants also recognise the voluntary contribution of cemetery trust members.
In 2008 the Government took action to support and maintain small volunteer cemetery trusts and ensure that the volunteers supporting these organisations could continue their valuable work.
“The Brumby Government values the contribution of the thousands of volunteer members of small rural cemeteries across Victoria” Ms Tierney said.
“The Government was able to meet the majority of requests for maintenance through these grants,” she said.
Applications were assessed on the nature of works, the size and viability of the cemetery trust, whether it had received a grant in recent years and on other financial considerations.
Ms Tierney said the grants would be particularly helpful to small historical cemeteries in areas where populations had declined and there were few new burials.
“These grants will help maintain the integrity and structure of cemeteries which are often used for genealogical and historical research.
“Currently there are more than 500 cemetery trusts throughout Victoria managing 564 public cemeteries,” Ms Tierney said.
