It is almost 10 years since the plaque to honour the Pioneers of the district was unveilled at the Greta Cemetery. In this new digital age photos and information can be shared much easier and many will not have had the opportunity to see these before now. What do you know about the Greta Cemetery? In 1869 a group of locals ( all men of course) applied to have land gazetted for a local Cemetery. There had already been a number of local burials in the district (more on that later) and it was deemed that there was need for a more formal local Cemetery where families could bury their loved ones. The original Cemetery Trust was made up of 2 representatives from each religous denomination - all volunteers and making 8 members in total. Throughout the years if some one died or resigned then a replacement needed to be found from that Faith and this practice continued well into the Twentieth Century. The Trust is still wholly made up of Volunteers and is Governed by the Dept. of Health. The first burial was that of 3 mth old Ellen Gunn on 29 March 1871. Today, in 2014, there are almost 600 buried in the Greta Cemetery with less than a third having markers. It is at the personal discretion and wishes of family as to whether or not a headstone is placed on a grave. The Trust is not able to add or alter any markers without the fammilys permission. In the past years many families have returned to mark their family graves. In October 2004 it was decided that a plaque and memorial rock would be placed in the grounds to recognise the sacrifice that the original settlers and their families, as well as those who followed, have made to the district. There was unanimous agreement that there needed to be somthing placed at the Cemetery to recognise the service of Mr Jack Dinning who had served the district and the Trust for so long. Due to several delays the gathering did not take place until February 2005; the day was attended by a large group of people followed by morning tea. Noeleen Lloyd provided a short history of the district and the Cemetery before the official part of the morning began. The unveilling was undertaken by Mrs June Brown (nee Ellis) and her brother Mr Ken Ellis, family of early settler and the man who took up the first blocks in the new township of Greta - Mr John Dennett. A plaque was also unveilled by Mrs Margaret Dinning that honoured the 50 years service her husband Jack gave to the Greta Cemetery Trust. Mr Jack Dinning was Secretary of the Trust for 50 years. Here are some photos from the day. The names are on each photo
Posted on: Mon, 15 Sep 2014 09:20:30 +0000
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