Approval has been granted for the Bathurst Family History Group to construct a memorial wall, which will honour people who have been buried at the cemetery but don't have a marked grave.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Bathurst Regional Council approved the plan, with the group to construct the memorial wall in the old monumental section of the cemetery.
The group is set to undertake all works at their own cost, with part funding provided by an already approved Council Heritage Grant.
Bathurst Family History Group cemetery coordinator Graeme Hill said the group has already carried out a significant amount of restoration and maintenance to a number of existing headstones at the cemetery.
"A number of individuals have sought assistance in recognising a family member who is buried at the cemetery, but what exact location is unknown to them," he said.
"Council has now given the group its approval to erect a wall in the old monumental section which would enable members of the public to attach a suitable plaque in memory of a relative."
Relatives will be able to apply and pay for a set-design memorial plaque at a fixed size, costing $450.
Relatives' applications will be successful if it can be established that the deceased person was buried in the cemetery and died before 1970.
Group member Jacqui Rudge said her great grandmother and siblings were buried at the cemetery, but she's unsure where they are buried.
"For people who have relatives here but don't know where the tombstone is or where they were buried, this memorial wall will be a way for them to honour them," she said.
"It can be somewhere to come and mourn for those people and I think a lot of people will be in the same boat."
The Bathurst Family History Group has previously spent significant amount of time repairing and restoring old headstones, including the restoration of over 17 headstones that were damaged by vandals back in 2012.
As well, the group received an award from the National Trust of Australia for its works in restoring damaged headstones.
In 2018, the group unveiled a headstone for Dutch migrant Adrianus "Aadje" Nicholaas Maria Van Der Klugt, who died of a freak accident in 1951.
If someone would like to apply for a memorial plaque, they should contact Mr Hill at graeme@ix.net.au.
For any further enquiries about the group, visit the Bathurst Family History Group's website at bathurstfhg.asn.au.