Karrakatta Cemetery Explained

Established:	1899
Location:	Perth
Owner:	Metropolitan Cemeteries Board (statutory authority managing)
Size:	98.34 ha
Graves:	>201,000
Cremations:	>189,000
Findagraveid:	1967491
Footnotes:	Karrakatta Cemetery – Billion Graves
Embedded:	Stroke-Colour: C60C30 Stroke-Width: 3 Marker: cemetery Marker-Colour: 2A2A35 Zoom: 13 Embed: yes Designation1: State Register of Heritage Places Designation1 Offname: Karrakatta Cemetery Designation1 Type: Municipal Inventory Designation1 Criteria: Category B Designation1 Date: 27 April 1999 Designation1 Free2name: Municipality Designation1 Free2value: City of Nedlands

Karrakatta Cemetery is a metropolitan cemetery in the suburb of Karrakatta in Perth, Western Australia. Karrakatta Cemetery first opened for burials in 1899, the first being that of wheelwright Robert Creighton.^[1] Managed by the Metropolitan Cemeteries Board, the cemetery attracts more than one million visitors each year.^[2] Cypress trees located near the main entrance are a hallmark of Karrakatta Cemetery.^{[2] [3]} The cemetery contains a crematorium, and in 1995 Western Australia's first mausoleum opened at the site.^[2]

The entrance (known as the Waiting House) includes a structure designed by George Temple-Poole.^[4]

Redevelopment

The redevelopment process at Karrakatta Cemetery (termed ‘Cemetery Renewal’) began in 1969. Renewal involves the removal of headstones and grave surrounds, including plot markers. The headstones are either put elsewhere in a garden, plastered on limestone walls, taken by family or, if deemed to be damaged, destroyed.

New graves are established in between the old. The new burials will have a headstone, but no marker is left behind to memorialise the historic burials.

All mausoleums at Karrakatta are built on top of historic Roman Catholic burial grounds, and most cremation gardens are over historic graves.

Under the current policy, no remains are disturbed. As of June 2023, 46 sections have been redeveloped and 31 sections are approaching redevelopment.

Across all cemeteries in Western Australia, the tenure on graves is 25 years — whether for burials, ashes or mausoleum crypts. There is an automatic right to purchase a further 25 years, totalling 50 years. After that, renewal of Grants of Right of Burial is at the cemetery authority’s discretion. All 50, 99-year and perpetual Grants were extinguished on 2 July 2012 due to a provision of the Cemeteries Act 1986 (sch 2 div 1 cl 6). Once a Grant expires, control of the grave reverts to the cemetery authority.^[5]

Notable people

Notable people interred within Karrakatta Cemetery include:

• Jessie Argyle, an Aboriginal Western Australian woman who led a community space for Aboriginal people.^[6]
• William Baldwin, New Zealand politician^[7]
• Jean Beadle, Australian feminist, social worker, and Labor Party member^[8]
• Simon Cain, actor, horse breeder and Aboriginal art gallery owner
• Edith Cowan, social reformer, first Australian woman to serve as a member of parliament^[9]
• Elsie Curtin, wife of John Curtin^[10]
• John Curtin, 14th Prime Minister of Australia^[11]
• Sir John Dwyer KCMG, Chief Justice, Lieutenant-Governor, buried with Lady Emily Louise Dwyer.
• Sir John Forrest, 1st Premier of Western Australia^[12]
• Joseph Furphy, author^[13]
• Dame Alexandra Hasluck, author and wife of Paul Hasluck^[14]
• Sir Paul Hasluck, 17th Governor-General of Australia and politician^[15]
• Sir Joseph John Talbot Hobbs (1864–1938), Australian Army General (cenotaph)
• Heath Ledger, actor (ashes)
• Matthew Locke, soldier (ashes)^[16]
• Paul McGinness, co-founder of Qantas Airways^[17]
• Monty Miller, trade unionist^[18]
• John Scaddan, 10th Premier of Western Australia^[19]
• William Stratton, Chief of Air Staff (1969–1971), Royal New Zealand Air Force
• A. O. Neville, the first Chief Protector of Aborigines^[20]
• James del Piano, businessman, Italian diaspora aficionado^[21]
• J. W. Sutherland (1870–1946), mining engineer and metallurgist in Western Australia
• Frederick Vosper, Australian newspaper journalist, proprietor, and politician^[22]
• Edward Wittenoom, Australian politician^[23]

There are also ten Victoria Cross recipients who are interred in Karrakatta Cemetery:^[24]

• Thomas Axford
• John Carroll
• Sir Hughie Edwards
• Robert Gee
• James Heather Gordon
• George Julian Howell
• Martin O'Meara
• Clifford Sadlier
• Hugo Throssell
• James Park Woods

War graves

, Karrakatta Cemetery contains the graves of 111 Commonwealth service personnel of World War I and 141 of World War II, besides a Dutch naval sailor of the latter war, divided between the cemetery's various denominational plots.^[25]

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) has a memorial to 15 Australian service personnel2 sailors, 9 soldiers, 4 airmenwho died in World War II and were cremated at Karrakatta Crematorium.^[26] In addition, 7 Australian personnel of the same war2 sailors, 4 soldiers, 1 airmanwho were cremated at Karrakatta Crematorium but whose ashes had been scattered or buried at places where CWGC commemoration was not possible are listed by name on the Western Australia Cremation Memorial at the separate Perth War Cemetery.^[27]

See also

• Burials at Karrakatta Cemetery
• East Perth Cemeteries

External links

• • Karrakatta CemeteryBillion Graves

Notes and References

1. http://www.mcb.wa.gov.au/our-cemeteries/karrakatta-cemetery/historical-walk-trails/karrakatta-historical-walk-trail-one Karrakatta Historical Walk Trail One
2. Karrakatta Cemetery: Rich with heritage...caring for precious memories . (Brochure). Government of Western Australia, Metropolitan Cemeteries Board.
3. http://www.mcb.wa.gov.au/OurCemeteries/Karrakatta.html
4. Web site: Karrakatta Cemetery . 4 June 2018 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131105115816/http://inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au/Public/Inventory/Details/0c7be395-14d0-481f-b878-88153ef3be98 . November 5, 2013 . . At State Heritage Office, Western Australia
5. Web site: Saving Family Headstones at Karrakatta . 2023-06-04 . Saving Family Headstones at Karrakatta . en.
6. Kinnane. Stephen. Argyle, Jessie (Gypsy) (1900–1955). argyle-jessie-gypsy-9379. 13. 1993. 2021-02-21.
7. News: News and Notes . 19 November 2015 . . 1 August 1917 . 6.
8. Birman . Wendy . Wood . Evelyn . Beadle, Jane (Jean) (1868–1942) . beadle-jane-jean-5163 . 23 March 2019.
9. Margaret Brown (1981), 'Cowan, Edith Dircksey (1861–1932)' http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/cowan-edith-dircksey-5791" in Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 8, Melbourne University Press.
10. Web site: Summary Of Record Information. Metropolitan Cemeteries Board. 16 March 2018.
11. News: Huge Crowd Pays Homage . . Perth . 9 July 1945 . 21 August 2014 . 8 . City Final . National Library of Australia.
12. Web site: Summary Of Record Information. Metropolitan Cemeteries Board. 16 March 2018.
13. Web site: Summary Of Record Information. Metropolitan Cemeteries Board. 16 March 2018.
14. Web site: Summary Of Record Information. Metropolitan Cemeteries Board. 16 March 2018.
15. Web site: Summary Of Record Information. Metropolitan Cemeteries Board. 16 March 2018.
16. Web site: Summary Of Record Information. Metropolitan Cemeteries Board. 3 April 2018.
17. Web site: Summary Of Record Information. Metropolitan Cemeteries Board. 3 April 2018.
18. Web site: Summary Of Record Information. Metropolitan Cemeteries Board. 3 April 2018.
19. Web site: Summary Of Record Information. Metropolitan Cemeteries Board. 3 April 2018.
20. Web site: Summary Of Record Information. Metropolitan Cemeteries Board. 3 April 2018.
21. Encyclopedia: Trinca . Mathew. Australian Dictionary of Biography . del Piano, James Andrew (Jim) (1916–1981). James Andrew (Jim) del Piano (1916–1981) . 1 July 2010 . Australian National University.
22. News: Death of Mr. F. C. B. Vosper . . Rockhampton, Qld. . 14 January 1901 . 9 August 2018 . 5 . National Library of Australia.
23. Wendy Birman, G. C. Bolton (1990) "Wittenoom, Sir Edward Charles (Horne) (1854–1936)", pp. 553–554 in Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 12, Melbourne University Press.
24. Web site: VC Burials – Australia – Western Australia . Victoriacross.org.uk . 2015-11-19.
25. Web site: Perth (Karrakatta) General Cemetery. February 12, 2015 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20140826115944/http://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/14119/PERTH%20%28KARRAKATTA%29%20GENERAL%20CEMETERY . August 26, 2014 .
26. Web site: Perth (Karrakatta) General Cemetery .
27. Web site: Western Australia Cremation Memorial, Perth. 2016-12-13 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20161220165013/http://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/2023331/WESTERN%20AUSTRALIA%20CREMATION%20MEMORIAL . 2016-12-20 . CWGC Cemetery report, Western Australia Cremation Memorial, detail from casualty record.