Parkland proposal
Plansto establish greater watersupply security for Horsham Public Cemetery might lead to the site becoming an important green parkland belt in Horsham’s north.
Horsham Cemetery Trust is exploring a $30,000 to $80,000 project that taps into Wimmera-mallee Pipeline supply and allows it to water the cemetery for 12 months of the year.
Having access to an ‘affordable and permanent’ supply is at the core of the trust’s ultimate aim to transform the overall cemetery, which sits on Crown land, into a green and welcoming park-like gardens environment. Chairman Chas Mcdonald said trustees were keen to create a place that promoted passive recreation and relaxation as well as somewhere for people to reflect and pay their respects.
“Horsham cemetery is obviously a very important part of Horsham and the community has a responsibility to ensure it is maintained and cherished,” he said.
“It needs to be as inviting as possible for people, not only as somewhere to put their family members and friends to rest, but also where they can reflect on and acknowledge our rich history. It needs to have well-maintained lawns throughout and provide a shady, comforting environment.”
With the use of treated urban supply too costly to consider for a large-scale watering scheme, Horsham Cemetery Trust accesses limited and far-fromassured stormwater supply from nearby Horsham Police Paddock dams.
Mr Mcdonald said limited supply meant while the lawn section of the cemetery had access to water through the water-sharing arrangement, older sections of the site failed to get the attention they deserved.
“We’re keen to develop a parkland cemetery that promotes passive recreation as well as a place for people to reflect and pay respect,” he said.
Mr Mcdonald said the development would benefit Horsham district as a community asset and also help overcome a lack of inviting public open space in the area.
“We consider the project has the potential to kill two birds with one stone. Not only would it be of benefit to the cemetery environs, but it would also represent a serious opportunity to develop a wonderful and much-needed park environment in the north of Horsham,” he said.
“Cemeteries provide communities with opportunities and in a modern world are not something to hide away.”
Infrastructure
The trust’s project idea, considering it already has piping infrastructure in place to the police paddock on Rasmussen Road, is to pay for the pipeline to keep topping up the paddock dams with regular allocations.
“We plan to discuss further with Horsham Rural City Council and GWMwater on the best ways to capitalise on the plan,” Mr Mcdonald said.
Community volunteers make up Horsham Cemetery Trust, a self-funded body answerable to the Department of Health and Human Services.
The trust is self-funded through the sale of burial and cremation sites and proceeds pay for cemetery maintenance. It cannot undertake major upgrades without external financial help and applies for and receives some government grants to help buy essential equipment.
It is independent of Horsham Rural City Council but works with and pays the council for specific administrative services.
The average number of internments for the past 10 years is 129 a year. The number of internments for 2019-2020 was 145. The cost of internment in the lawn section is $2510.
Mr Mcdonald said the trust was only in a position to pay Gwmwater to connect the cemetery to the pipeline and potentially buy ‘affordable’ back-up water through the police paddock dams after a donation from Horsham’s former Italian club.
He said through the process of winding up the Italian club, committee member Manny Vitti insisted that a portion of the proceeds stay in Horsham for donation to a notfor-profit body ‘to benefit future Horsham generations’.
“We’re very conscious that the cemetery must be something we all consider a major asset for Horsham – somewhere quite special,” he said.
“We look at it as a lasting legacy for the families of Horsham district and I’m sure we would all like to see the resting places of our people in the best condition possible. Our ultimate vision is the we would one day have the cemetery resembling botanic gardens.
“But first we need water.”