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BY ARTEMIS GOUROS
Famous gravesites are in a different category to garden variety graves. They are more in the nature of shrines. Humans have also always enjoyed a good pilgrimage only now many journey to pay homage to a monument or a marker that commemorates the passing of a celebrity. We worship at the altars of fame and infamy. There are always those people who make special trips to cemeteries to chase up additions to their family trees. And then there are those who can’t resist wandering around a graveyard in a place they are visiting and marvelling at the inscriptions and sentiments of a bygone era. And then there are those who either incorporate grave worship into their holiday itineraries or travel to a destination specifically to see a hero’s final resting place. During my research into famous graves I discovered a website listing the graves visited by the site’s author. There were pages and pages of alphabetically listed graves complete with the author’s comments and accompanying photographs! There are too many famous people and too many popular gravesites to give even a brief account. Instead I have decided to look at one cemetery that has more than its fair share of illustroious residents. The Père Lachaise is not only the largest cemetery in Paris it is also one of the most renowned cemeteries in the world. Often billed as the most visited cemetery on the planet it draws hundreds of thousands of visitors annually. Boasting numerous gravesites belonging to celebrated artists and writers, the cemetery is virtually an honour roll of two centuries of Parisian luminaries and the home of five Great War memorials. Cemeteries were banned in Paris in 1786 following the closure of the Cimetière des Innocents (which was located on the fringe of Les Halles food market) on the grounds that it presented a health hazard. Several new cemeteries replaced all the Parisian ones, outside the precincts of the capital, in the early 19th century, and in 1804 Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte established the Le Père Lachaise in the east. Napoleon himself however is not buried here as after his death on Saint Helens his ashes were returned to France and now rest in the Invalides, a military hospital built by Louis the 14th. Napoleon's ashes also attract a large number of visitors to Paris. At the time Le Père Lachaise opened, it was viewed as too remote from the city and consequently received very few interments. In a manner more akin to a modern day corporation than a 19th century cemetery, the administrators formulated a marketing strategy to combat this lack of interments.
More than just a celebrity cemetery, Père Lachaise is historically significant by virtue of its Communards’ Wall and has been immortalised in literature in 'Waiting for Gertrude', a book by Bill Richardson set within the grounds. Some of the famous people buried in the Père Lachaise Cemetery include: Honoré de Balzac, writer Although Australia can’t compete with a Parisian cemetery bursting at the seams with internationally renowned residents, our own graveyards are home to the great and the good of Australian history. Below are some cemeteries who harbour many of our war heroes, artists and pioneers. Australian Graves Of Historical Interest Compiled by Jackie O’Neill The Necropolis Springvale A. EDWARD J. F. RYAN (ROMAN CATHOLIC A-19-5) He was born in 1890 at Tumut NSW, the second son of a labourer. Educated locally, he worked as a labourer before enlisting in the Australian Imperial Force at Wagga Wagga in December 1915. He was posted to the 55th Battalion and left Sydney in April 1916 to join his unit in France. On the 30 September 1918 he was involved in the allied assault on the Hindenburg defence. He was one of the first to reach the enemy trench, but a fierce counter attack drove the Australians back. Ryan organised and led a party to attack again with bombs and bayonets. He reached the enemy position with only three men, killed three German soldiers, then rushed alone at the rest and drove them back. He was wounded, but his action enabled the trench to be retaken. In May 1919 he received the Victoria Cross for conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty from King George V at Buckingham Palace. He returned to Sydney and was discharged from the AIF in 1920. Like many returned servicemen, Ryan found it hard to adjust to civilian life and keep a job. During the depression he was on the road for four years. In 1941, in poor health, he was again tramping the streets looking for work. He was taken to the Royal Melbourne Hospital but died of pneumonia on 3 June. He was buried with military honours, eight VC winners forming a guard of honour. He never married and his sister presented his VC to the Australian War Memorial in 1967. You can read more of his life in the Australian Dictionary of Biography Volume 11. B. JULIA RAPKE (JEWISH E-2-2) She was born in Christchurch New Zealand, her great grandfather being one of the first European settlers there. She became one of Victoria’s first women magistrates, was involved in public activities for over thirty years and was a well known fighter for civil rights for women. She was appointed a special magistrate to the Children’s Court, founded the Women Justices Association of Victoria in 1938, served as president of the Australian Federation of Women Voters and vice-president of the National Council of Women. At the time of her death she was federal president of the Women’s International Zionist Organisation. She was one of the founders of the Debaters Model Parliament which gave students the opportunity to see how parliament worked and prepare those interested in a parliamentary career. She was survived by two sons, one of whom, Judge Trevor Rapke of the County Court, is buried nearby. C. ELIZABETH BRITOMARTE JAMES (JOSHUA JORDAN AE-28) Elizabeth Britomarte James was born in Durham Lead near Buninyong in 1867, one of nine children of Rev. Ebenezer and Clara James. After some time on the goldfields the family moved to Melbourne where her father became Chaplain of the Missions to Seamen at both Port Melbourne and Williamstown and worked tirelessly in the interests of seafarers. His monument at Melbourne General Cemetery records his work in this regard. Involved in philanthropic activities from her girlhood, Elizabeth was appointed administrator of Queen Mary’s Army Auxiliary Corps in the First World War and commanded the No. 1 Unit of British Women in France. After the war she returned to Australia and founded the Victorian Imperial Ex Servicemen’s Association and was elected its first president. She also founded the Victoria Centenary Club and the Wattle League and was a well known member of the Women’s Citizens’ Movement and other women’s organisations, the Town Planning Association and the National Theatre Movement. She was also a Life Governor of the Women’s, St. Vincent’s and Austin Hospitals. Appreciation of her voluntary work was expressed by the Women’s Citizens’ Movement which presented her with a necklace of Australian sapphires and she was awarded an O.B.E. by the Australian government. D. ETHEL ATTIWILL – nee RICHARDSON Ethel Richardson was born in South Melbourne in 1877. After training at the Austin and Royal Women’s Hospitals she became matron of the Hospital for the Insane at Sunbury. In 1914 she was appointed to the Australian Army Nursing Service AIF and embarked for Egypt. She returned to Australia in 1915 as matron in charge of the Kyarra, the first hospital ship returning home with wounded soldiers. She returned to the war zones, was transferred to England, then recalled to Australia in 1916. She was then appointed matron in chief on the staff of the director general of medical services at army headquarters Melbourne. She was the first person to occupy this position which required great organisational and administrative abilities. She supervised the mobilisation and administration of the nursing service within Australia and in hospital ships and sea transports. In 1917 she was awarded the Royal Red Cross 1st Class in recognition of her wartime service. You can read more about her life in the Australian Dictionary of Biography Volume 11. E. PERCIVAL PAVEY (PRESBYTERIAN N-5-26) He was born in Kyabram but moved to Oakleigh with his parents and only sister when still a young boy. His father was a market gardener and Percy became a cabinetmaker. He joined the Oakleigh Rifle Club as a young man and soon showed his outstanding skill. He was selected in both the Victorian and Australian rifle teams for many years, eventually winning a total of 25 Kings/Queens Badges for rifle shooting. He won the Grand Aggregate, the top prize in the sport, 16 times – the only Australian to achieve this feat. In 1948 he won the King’s trophy and was presented with this award by King George V. He coached both the Victorian and Australian teams and served on the Victorian Rifle Association Council. At some time in the 1970’s he was awarded an M.B.E. for services to rifle shooting and in 1982 was an inaugural inductee to the Hall of Fame at Longreach Queensland. His friends knew him as a very gentle and reserved man who travelled everywhere by bicycle. He also had a fondness for jam making and fruit preserving and used a wood stove for cooking. The front fence of his home in Oakleigh was made from the barrels of some of the many rifles he had used. Someone once commented to him that Percy should be known as the Don Bradman of rifle shooting, but Percy responded that in fact Bradman should be known as the Percy Pavey of cricket as he (Percy) was the elder of the two! FAWKNER CEMETERY Fawkner Crematorium and Memorial Park is home to a notable collection of historic graves, dating from the early days of Melbourne’s settlement. The Old Pioneers section has 220 graves dating from the 1840s transferred from the Old Victoria Market cemetery site in 1922. Among these reinterments are the remains of John Batman. John Batman (1800 – 6th May 1839) the founder of the City of Melbourne. Batman landed at Port Phillip on 29 May 1835 and within the week had negotiated with Aborigines for the white settlement of the land, declaring “This will be the place for a village”. Ruthven, William (May 21, 1893 - January 12, 1970) British Victoria Cross War Medal Recipient. Served as a Major in the 22nd Battalion of the Victoria AIF. He was awarded his medal for service in France on May 19, 1918. Smith, Issy (September 16, 1890 - Sep 10, 1940) British Victoria Cross War Medal Recipient. Served as a Sergeant in the 1st Battalion of The Manchester Regiment. He was awarded his medal for service in Belgium on April 26, 1915. Alice Springs Memorial Cemetery This cemetery is the resting place of many pioneers, including the remarkable Eddie Connellan and his family (a row of white marble headstones), famous Aboriginal artist Albert Namatjira, Harold Bell Lasseter, who died trying to find a lost gold reef and Miss Olive Pink an early anthropologist. There is also a special section devoted to the early ‘Afghan’ cameleers and their descendants who were a vital part of the early exploration and settlement of Central Australia. They are buried facing Mecca. Macquarie Park Cemetery BRENNAN, Christopher - Poet |
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The human race has always been fond of memorialisation. I suspect it may be the only way to combat our fear of the inevitable. We can ensure, to a certain extent, that we are gone but not entirely forgotten, with our time on this earth marked at the very least by a stone bearing our name.
The remains were of La Fontaine and Moliére were moved to the cemetery amid much spectacle in 1804. Then in another ostentatious display in 1817, the ostensible remains of Pierre Abélard and Héloïse were also transferred to the cemetery. All this clever marketing had the desired effect of causing a rush among the citizenry to be buried next to such famous neighbours. According to cemetery records, the number of graves jumped from a few dozen to upwards of 33 000 residents. |