North Rockhampton Cemetery was established in 1879.[1] According to council records, the first burial at the cemetery was that of a young girl called Elizabeth Rogers who was buried on 1 March 1879.[2]
The cemetery was officially consecrated on 15 September 1879 by Bishop Mathew Hale.[1] This occurred eleven days after the cemetery's second burial when a woman named Annie Cusack was buried on 4 September 1879.[2]
In 1932, the cemetery was beautified with the trustees planting suitable shrubs and trees throughout the grounds.[3] Garden seats and new toilet facilities were also installed.[3] A waiting room and fully furnished office were also added which were officially opened by Owen Daniel.[3]
In 1946, a 12-year-old boy received minor injuries when a tombstone fell on him at the cemetery.[4] Four men were required to lift the heavy monument so the boy could be freed.[4] In 1949, a 16-year-old boy was injured in a similar incident when a tombstone fell on him causing a probable fracture of the right leg, severe lacerations and bruising.[5]
In 2005, a risk assessment identified the potential for gravesides to collapse due to the cemetery's close proximity to Moores Creek.[6] The risk of mourners falling into open graves during funerals prompted Rockhampton City Council to commence using a hydraulic ramshoring system to reinforce the ends of graves, significantly reducing the risk of graveside accidents during funeral services.[6]
In 2010, there were complaints from local residents about the unkempt condition of the North Rockhampton Cemetery.[7] One woman stated in the local media that she would refuse to bury her father in the cemetery due to what she described as its "disgusting" condition, specifically the amount of long grass and weeds which were growing throughout the grounds.[7] A spokesperson from Rockhampton Regional Council claimed the mowing hadn't recommenced at the cemetery due to the ground being too wet following recent heavy rain which meant there was an increased risk of damage to the graves.[7]
During the 2016 clown sightings, police responded to an incident at the cemetery after a man dressed as a clown allegedly vandalised a baby's grave.[8] Police apprehended a 36-year-old West Rockhampton man who was dressed as a clown and charged him with being a public nuisance.[8]
Rockhampton War Cemetery, situated in the grounds of the North Rockhampton Cemetery, 2022
Despite not officially being closed, from the 1990s until 2015 the cemetery was only open to interments in reserved or family plots. However, with local cemeteries nearing capacity due to a growing population, Rockhampton Regional Council used ground penetrating radar to identify an additional 279 plots.[9] This allowed burials to recommence at the cemetery for several more years.[9] In 2020, it was reported North Rockhampton Cemetery's imminent closure would occur in 2022.[10]
As of 2018, there had been over 25,100 burials in the North Rockhampton Cemetery.[2] This includes the Rockhampton War Cemetery which is located within the North Rockhampton Cemetery and maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.[11]
Despite the first burials taking place less than twenty years after the smaller South Rockhampton Cemetery, North Rockhampton Cemetery is not yet heritage listed.
Location
Entrance to North Rockhampton Cemetery, 2022
Originally situated on what was then the outskirts of North Rockhampton, the city's rapid commercial development of the late 20th century saw the cemetery quickly surrounded by urban infrastructure and residential housing. This included the Marian College for Girls which opened next to the cemetery in 1964 (becoming Emmaus College in 1983).[12]
A major shopping centre called Rockhampton Shopping Fair was built diagonally opposite the cemetery in 1983 which officially opened in 1985.[13] The centre later re-branded to Stockland Rockhampton in 2004 and underwent a major expansion in 2009 when it expanded over Moores Creek onto the old K Mart Plaza site, which opened in 1979.[14][15]
Many other retail outlets, petrol stations and accommodation providers are located nearby, with applications lodged for further commercial development.[16][17]
North Rockhampton Cemetery is situated at one of Rockhampton's busiest intersections as the Bruce Highway carries large volumes of traffic past the cemetery. As such, there have been numerous traffic incidents near the cemetery.[18][19][20][21][22][23][24]
A pedestrian overpass was installed in front of the cemetery in 2010 to provide a safe passage for pedestrians to cross the highway, particularly Emmaus College students.[25]
When the Rockhampton Ring Road is complete, the Bruce Highway will no longer go through Rockhampton meaning the volume of traffic travelling past the cemetery will likely decrease.[26]
Notable burials
Plaque near the entrance to the North Rockhampton Cemetery, commemorating the burial of Maria Thozet, 2022
Maria Thozet: In 1923, Maria Thozet, the wife of famed botanist Anthelme Thozet, was buried in the cemetery against her wishes.[27] This was despite her husband, son and daughter-in-law all having been buried in a family plot on "Muellerville", the Thozet family property in Koongal.[27] The graves, which were rediscovered in 2010, were originally marked by an obelisk of Carrara marble.[27]
However, after Maria Thozet's death, "Muellerville" was sold. The obelisk subsequently was sold by the new owners, removed, repurposed and installed on a separate unrelated plot at the North Rockhampton Cemetery while Maria Thozet lay in an unmarked grave. Aside from information which indicates Maria Thozet is buried in the Anglican section of the cemetery, the precise location of her grave is unknown. Therefore, the Rockhampton & District Historical Society installed a commemorative plaque in her memory which was erected near the entrance to the cemetery.[28]
1943 air disasters: The bodies of numerous Australian armed services personnel were buried in the Rockhampton War Cemetery at the North Rockhampton Cemetery following two major wartime air disasters which occurred in the Central Queensland region four weeks apart in 1943, during World War II. The Rewan air crash on 16 November 1943 and the Canal Creek air crash on 19 December 1943 killed a total of 50 people, including numerous United States military personnel.
Queenie Hart: In August 2022, the remains of Queenie Hart, a 28-year-old Aboriginal woman murdered in 1975, were exhumed from the unmarked grave at the North Rockhampton Cemetery where she originally buried and returned to Cherbourg.[29][30] Her killer was never brought to justice with the only suspect dying in 2019.[29] Family and friends of the victim believe the case was never given a high priority due to racial prejudices held by the police and media.[29] The exhumation took place after the victim's family raised more than $20,000 through a crowdfunding platform. Before the exhumation, the traditional owners of the land the North Rockhampton Cemetery sits on, the Darumbal people, held a corroboree and smoking ceremony.[29] The woman's remains were then transported to Cherbourg where a celebration of the woman's life was held.[29][31]
Danny Malone: When internationally renowned Irish tenor Danny Malone unexpectedly died on a train between Marmor and Raglan while en route to Gladstone during a 1951 tour, his body was brought back to Rockhampton where he was buried at the North Rockhampton Cemetery.[32][33][34]
Notable burials at the North Rockhampton Cemetery include:
Rockhampton is a city in the Rockhampton Region of Central Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, the population of Rockhampton was 79,293.
Springsure is a rural town and locality in the Central Highlands Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, the locality of Springsure had a population of 950 people.
Anthelme Thozet was a French-Australian botanist and ethnographer.
Frenchville is a suburb of Rockhampton in the Rockhampton Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Frenchville had a population of 9,028 people.
Rockhampton Airport is a major Australian regional airport in West Rockhampton, Queensland that services the city of Rockhampton, with direct flights to various major centres in Queensland, as well as Melbourne in Victoria. Flights have previously operated to Sydney but were cancelled due to lack of passenger numbers. The airport runway has the capability to handle aircraft such as the Airbus A380, Boeing 747 and Boeing 777.
The Shire of Bauhinia was a local government area in Central Queensland, Queensland, Australia. The Shire, administered from the town of Springsure, covered an area of 23,649.6 square kilometres (9,131.2 sq mi), and existed as a local government entity from 1879 until 2008, when it was amalgamated with the Shires of Duaringa, Emerald and Peak Downs to form the Central Highlands Region.
The Fitzroy River Barrage is a mid-river dam system constructed on the Fitzroy River in Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia which separates the tidal river into saltwater and freshwater sections. It was designed to dam the river, enabling a permanent water supply to be stored for the city and its surrounding communities as well as providing an agricultural water supply for registered rural users.
Crawford Derek Mollison was an Australian rules footballer who played with Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL). He died while serving in the Second Australian Imperial Force when an aircraft in which he was a passenger crashed at Canal Creek, near Yaamba, Queensland.
Ernest Lancelot Grimstone was an Australian politician. He was a Country and Progressive National Party member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly from 1928 until 1933, representing the electorate of Stanley.
Yaamba is a rural town and locality in the Livingstone Shire, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, the locality of Yaamba had a population of 62 people.
Annie Margaret Wheeler was an Australian volunteer welfare worker who assisted soldiers from Central Queensland during World War I. She maintained a detailed card index of all soldiers from Central Queensland so that mail and parcels from their families could reach them and she provided practical and financial assistance to soldiers who were wounded, on leave in England or needing assistance with the army's bureaucracy. She was nicknamed "Mother of the Queenslanders" and "Mother of Anzacs".
Owen Daniel was a member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly.
Alton Downs is a rural locality in the Rockhampton Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Alton Downs had a population of 1,278 people.
Rockhampton Council Tramways was a steam tram service which was operated by Rockhampton City Council from 1909 until 1939 in the city of Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia. Rockhampton was the only regional city in the state of Queensland to have had a tram service. The line has since been rebuilt and is operated as a tourist attraction by the Archer Park Rail Museum.
The Canal Creek air crash occurred on 19 December 1943 when a C-47 aircraft of the 22d Troop Carrier Squadron 374th Troop Carrier Group crashed at Canal Creek, Queensland, fifty kilometres north of Rockhampton, killing all 31 people on board.
The Rewan air crash occurred on 16 November 1943 when a Dakota C-47 of the 21st Troop Carrier Squadron of the 374th Troop Carrier Group crashed at Rewan, Queensland, south of Rolleston, Queensland, killing all 19 people on board.
Frederick Victor Roffey was an Australian aviator, best known for being the first person to fly from New Caledonia to Australia.
Thomas Joseph Lee was an Australian politician, best known for being the mayor of the City of Rockhampton between 14 April 1930 and 20 April 1936.
Queenie Hart was a 28-year-old Aboriginal Australian woman who was murdered in Rockhampton, Queensland on approximately 14 April 1975.
↑ Formosa, Amy (22 September 2009). "Down it goes!". The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
↑ "Rockhampton Centres Study". Livingstone Shire Council. November 2010. Retrieved 19 September 2022. Stockland Rockhampton is the combination of the former Rockhampton Shopping Fair constructed in 1985 and the Kmart Plaza, which opened in 1979.
1 2 3 "Thozet family history". Thozets at Muellerville. Retrieved 19 September 2022. Her last wish had been to be buried on Muellerville with her husband, son and daughter-in-law. This was refused, and she was buried in the North Rockhampton cemetery where today her grave is unmarked
↑ "Obituaries: Queenie Hart". Generation Funerals. 2022. Retrieved 19 September 2022. Family and friends are respectfully invited to attend the burial of Queenie Hart. Queenie Hart is being returned to her country with a smoking ceremony commencing at 11.00 am at the Cherbourg Cemetery.
↑ "Died on train". Queensland Times. 22 August 1951. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
↑ "Family notices". The Morning Bulletin. 23 August 1951. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
↑ "Tragic death of youthful beauty". Truth. 20 January 1935. Retrieved 19 September 2022. The funeral of Miss Reiger took place at 5pm on Wednesday from Tucker's funeral parlours in Alma Street and the casket was followed by a very large gathering of mourners to the North Rockhampton cemetery where the remains of the girl were laid to their last resting place in the shadow of the Berserker Mountains.
↑ "ABBOTT, Roy Edgar". Virtual War Memorial Australia. Retrieved 19 September 2022. Died: Accidental (Aircraft accident), Springsure, Queensland, Australia, 16 November 1943, aged 40 years
↑ "BISHOP, Victor Frederick". Virtual War Memorial Australia. Retrieved 19 September 2022. Died: Injuries ( accident), Springsure, Queensland, Australia, 16 November 1943, aged 29 years
↑ "BRADY, William". Virtual War Memorial Australia. Retrieved 19 September 2022. Died: Accidental (Aircraft accident), Springsure, Queensland, Australia, 16 November 1943, aged 30 years
↑ "DAVEY, Trevor William". Virtual War Memorial Australia. Retrieved 19 September 2022. Died: Accidental (Aircraft accident), Springsure, Queensland, Australia, 16 November 1943, aged 41 years
↑ "DORMAN, William Howard". Virtual War Memorial Australia. Retrieved 19 September 2022. Died: Accidental (Aircraft accident), Springsure, Queensland, Australia, 16 November 1943, aged 39 years
↑ "LOCKIE, Hartley Horace". Virtual War Memorial Australia. Retrieved 19 September 2022. Died: Accidental (Aircraft accident), Springsure, Queensland, Australia, 16 November 1943, aged 35 years
↑ "MAXWELL, John Given". Virtual War Memorial Australia. Retrieved 19 September 2022. Died: Accidental (Aircraft accident), Springsure, Queensland, Australia, 16 November 1943, aged 22 years
↑ "MILDREN, Andrew Henry". Virtual War Memorial Australia. Retrieved 19 September 2022. Died: Accidental (Aircraft accident), Springsure, Queensland, Australia, 16 November 1943, aged 39 years
↑ "MORRIS, Francis Paul". Virtual War Memorial Australia. Retrieved 19 September 2022. Died: Accidental, Springsure, Queensland, Australia, 16 November 1943, aged 25 years
↑ "PARKER, William Joseph". Virtual War Memorial Australia. Retrieved 19 September 2022. Died: Accidental (Aircraft accident), Springsure, Queensland, Australia, 16 November 1943, aged 30 years
↑ "PITCHFORD, Ronald Keith". Virtual War Memorial Australia. Retrieved 19 September 2022. Died: Accidental (Aircraft accident), Springsure, Queensland, Australia, 16 November 1943, aged 28 years
↑ "ROWSELL, Ross". Virtual War Memorial Australia. Retrieved 19 September 2022. Died: Injuries ( accident), Springsure, Queensland, Australia, 16 November 1943, aged 23 years
↑ "SIMS, Stanley Kirk". Virtual War Memorial Australia. Retrieved 19 September 2022. Died: Accidental (Aircraft accident), Springsure, Queensland, Australia, 16 November 1943, aged 22 years
↑ "WATKIN, Albert Ernest". Virtual War Memorial Australia. Retrieved 19 September 2022. Died: Accidental (Aircraft accident), Springsure, Queensland, Australia, 16 November 1943, aged 27 years
↑ "CAMERON, Donald Cantrol". Virtual War Memorial Australia. Retrieved 19 September 2022. Died: Accidental (Aircraft accident), Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia, 19 December 1943, aged 21 years
↑ "GEDDES, Alexander William Robert". Virtual War Memorial Australia. Retrieved 19 September 2022. Died: Accidental (Aircraft accident), Canal Creek via Yaamba, Queensland, Australia, 19 December 1943, aged 25 years
↑ "MOLLISON, Crawford Derek". Virtual War Memorial Australia. Retrieved 19 September 2022. Death: Accidental (Aircraft accident), Canal Creek via Yaamba, Queensland, Australia, 19 December 1943, aged 39 years
↑ "RASMUSSEN, Benjamin". Virtual War Memorial Australia. Retrieved 19 September 2022. Died: Accidental (Aircraft accident), Canal Creek via Yaamba, Queensland, Australia, 19 December 1943, aged 32 years
↑ "SHARD, Thomas William". Virtual War Memorial Australia. Retrieved 19 September 2022. Died: Accidental (Aircraft accident), Canal Creek via Yaamba, Queensland, Australia, 19 December 1943, aged 25 years
↑ "SLEEP, William Barry". Virtual War Memorial Australia. Retrieved 19 September 2022. Died: Accidental (Aircraft accident), Canal Creek via Yaamba, Queensland, Australia, 19 December 1943, aged 21 years
↑ "WEIR, John Hugho". Virtual War Memorial Australia. Retrieved 19 September 2022. Died: Accidental (Aircraft accident), Canal Creek via Yaamba, Queensland, Australia, 19 December 1943, aged 31 years
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
