|
|
From its first burial in the year 1906, Fawkner has continued to expand and evolve, and maintains its position at the forefront of Australian cemeteries. BY ARTEMIS GOUROS Established over a century ago, the Fawkner Crematorium and Memorial Park has been dedicated to caring for the remains of the deceased for many years. Fawkner has fulfilled its purpose by delivering service of the highest quality in an established, tranquil environment. The Park is completely committed to providing caring, responsive customer service in a dignified manner, mindful and respectful of all customs and beliefs. Viewing the immaculate landscape many may not realise that Fawkner Crematorium and Memorial Park is a not for profit facility, managed by an independent board of Trustees under the Cemeteries Act of 1958. This group is comprised of six individuals that are drawn from local business and community organisations. For almost a century Fawkner Crematorium and Memorial Park has been serving the people of Victoria. History In 1906 the New Melbourne General Cemetery opened at Fawkner to meet the needs of the growing city’s northwest. Located on the outward bound train line, funerals accessed the Park by one of six specially designed mortuary trains. In a time when hearses were horsedrawn and mourners journeyed to services by carriage, this was a practical, innovative approach to tranportation. The Park is still accessible by rail, with the Fawkner Railway Station adjacent to the main office. Fawkner Memorial Park received its first burial on 10 December 1906. Fawkner is also home to a notable collection of historic graves, dating from the early days of Melbourne’s settlement. In the historic section of the park are fascinating monuments made of redgum, sandstone and even headstones made of imported cast iron. The Old Pioneers section at Fawkner comprises 220 graves dating from the 1840s transferred from the Old Victoria Market cemetery site in 1922. Among the reinterments are the remains of John Batman, the renowned founder of the City of Melbourne. Grounds Fawkner Memorial Park has continued to expand as the northwest of Melbourne has grown. The most recent large land acquisition occurred in 1994, stretching the facility as far as the Western Ring Road and nearly doubling its size. The graves at Fawkner Crematorium and Memorial Park are laid out in both symmetrical rows and more informal groupings. However the Park is now experimenting with less traditional settings and landscapes. Located on Box Forest Road at the northern boundary of Fawkner Crematorium and Memorial Park, the Northern Memorial Park is a parkland cemetery of landscaped gardens and native bush. Here a natural spring and lake, home to many varieties of water birds, creates a serene, natural environment for quiet reflection. Within Northern Memorial Park, there are areas are set aside for a variety of grave choices from lawn graves to full monumental memorials. All grave types employ the newest technology to provide integral strength, preventing the listing or sinking sometimes seen in older cemeteries. Services Families wishing to inter cremated remains at Fawkner can choose traditional wall niches, living memorials, such as trees and roses or the security of an urn placed in the Columbarium. Cremated remains may also be interred within existing graves and memorialised by inclusion on the headstone or with a completely separate plaque. Every cremation memorial at Fawkner Crematorium and Memorial Park has the option of a renewable tenure and so enables a permanent record of a loved one’s life. Recognising the need for quality mausoleum space to meet the needs of a diverse community, the trustees of Fawkner Crematorium and Memorial Park developed a major new complex - The Holy Angels Mausoleum. The new joint complex provides over 3000 crypts of which many spaces have already been released to the public. Designed by internationally recognised experts, this innovative facility combines technology and traditional design to create a brand new era in Victorian cemeteries. When the original Fawkner Crematorium was built in 1926, it was the first modern complex to combine cremation facilities with a chapel for services. Today, Fawkner is still at the forefront. When the old crematorium was replaced in 1980, the modern complex consisting of three chapels and computerised cremators employed leading edge technology. Refurbished in the early1990s, the chapels are still world-class today. The chapels of Fawkner Crematorium and Memorial Park are nondenominational, welcoming people of all religions and cultures to use these spaces to mark the passing of a loved one among family and friends. The chapels are available for burials and other services. Following the service, families can stay within Fawkner Memorial Park’s grounds to receive guests with a function in the Tearooms . Funding Fawkner Memorial Park is completely autonomous and while non-profit making, must generate funds for ongoing maintenance and future developments. On an average weekday approximately 20 funeral services are conducted at Fawkner. That is 5000 services per year, more than half of which involve cremation. And every year more than two million visitors pass through Fawkner's gates! Future
Contacts Opening Hours: Gates are open 8:30am to 5:00pm every day of the year. Office Hours: Monday to Friday 8:30am to 5:00pm. Weekends and Public Holidays 9:00am to 4:00pm. Open every day except Christmas Day & Good Friday. 1187 Sydney Road, Fawkner 3060 VIC
|
|
 |