Open to the fresh sea breezes, sunshine and birdsong - the Portland Cemetery is the final resting place chosen by many of its townsfolk. Historically, the cemetery also has lots to offer, with a special room set aside for history lovers.

Cemetery Administrator:		Chrissy Hawker
Registered Office:		Portland Business Services
Address:		Shop 18b Pioneer Plaza Portland Vic 3305
Phone:		(03) 5523 6294
		Mob: 0428 865437
Fax:		(03) 5523 7161
Email:		Hawkr@bigpond.net.au
Web		www.portlandservices.com.au

The Portland Cemeteries (North and South)

It appears that the first recorded burial to take place in the South Portland Cemetery was that of the infant daughter of the Rev. J Yelverton Wilson, Portland ’s first Church of England clergyman.  This took place on 1st October 1844 .

A Public Meeting was held on September 24th 1861 and 12 Trustee’s were appointed.  It appears that these trustees were later nominated as Trustees of the South Cemetery .

The Secretary of the Trust had noted that the North Cemetery did not appear to have been officially gazetted.  The minutes of the meetings held in the seventies contain much discussion about the right of burial in the North Cemetery where each grave was enclosed by a wooden fence and some complaints were received about people fencing in more land than they were entitled to.

At a meeting held at noon on Tuesday 31st December 1878 in the Town Hall, it was reported that a fire had taken place at the North Cemetery destroying a portion of the fencing and consuming some of the old wooden enclosure.  The Sexton was directed to procure necessary material and repair the outside fencing and to repair a list of private enclosures whose fencing had been destroyed in order that the Secretary may notify the owners.

No More Internments
At a meeting of the Trustees on 30th September 1880 at noon , it was unanimously resolved on motion that no more internments be allowed at the North Cemetery except in the case of those who have relatives already interred there.  All new internments to be at the South Cemetery . This was advised to and agreed by the Executive Council in Melbourne .

The North Cemetery was formally closed in September 1882.  The last burial recorded was on 19th September 1959 when Henry Robert Burns well known local identity, a peripatetic vendor of the produce of the sea; aged 93 was interred in the family grave where his brother John Joseph Burns who lost both arms as a boy of twelve in a terrible accident at a local bark mill on the 21st April 1874 but lived to age 87 was buried on 27th August 1949.

Although the North Cemetery closed in 1882, there were a further 224 burials between that time and 1959.  Provision had been made for one other person, Mr Con Shine whose family had bought land in 1874 but was believed he went to live in Ballarat and was buried there.

One Mile From A Township
We have been told that the early burial ground at the North East corner of Fern and Percy Streets where the old Clergy Rest was situated was used between 1845 and 1849.  An early Cemeteries Act stated that cemeteries must be situated one mile from a township. 

Early Headstones Moved
The early headstones and memorials dating back to 1835 were moved to the North Cemetery but no evidence of burials has been found even when new buildings have been erected in that area.  It appears that the cemetery extended into the adjoining area and many of the graves had been in what is now Percy Street .  It was found that the road was very soft in that spot and on wet days wagons would sink in the old grave sites.

Headstones now in the North Cemetery which would have been moved after 1849 and placed there prior to the formation of the trust in 1862 have been noted.  There are approximately 45 of them making very interesting reading as so many of the names relate to Portland ’s earliest history. 

Earliest Deaths
The earliest death appears to be Miss Mary Padfield a sister to Mrs Henry Goldsmith.  Henry Goldsmith was connected with the early newspapers in Portland .  Mary Padfield died 18th January 1835 , Mr Goldsmith in 1849.

Research carried out reveals 24 deaths including William Jones of the Tasmanian Hotel, Capt Berkely Sub Inspector of Police, Mr T Clark thrown from a cart, John Henry Dusting aged 3 drowned, Mrs Catherine Hutchinson wife of Samuel Hutchinson of the Steam Packet Inn, Hector McDonald owner of Macs Hotel, Isabella McLachlan servant of DW Gallie.  Mrs Gallie was Edward Henty’s mother in law.

Henty Family
Mrs Robina Wemys Gallie mother of Mrs Edward Henty is the only member of the original Henty family to be buried in Portland .  There is a family vault of the Henty’s in the Kew Cemetery .

Infant Deaths
Some interesting items taken from the records show the amazing number of infant deaths in the early days, mainly 1872 to 1874.  In the index under B there were 7 out of 8 entries with the eldest being 20 months ( Nth Cemetery ) and for the same period under B in the South Cemetery 6 out of 7 entries are children the eldest being 7 months.

Unidentified Bodies
There are 3 unidentified people mentioned, the first as “Body found on beach” 1885 then in 1908 “Body of child found” and in 1916 “Child found on New Pier drowned”  Our only cremation was 1908 when a Sikh, Bucksie Singh was cremated on a funeral pyre, supervised by the police.

CARETAKERS:

The controlling of the cemeteries was difficult to ascertain in the early days, perhaps the Churches or the Shire Council.

On the 8th May 1867 an advertisement was placed in the “Guardian” inviting applications under the following conditions: 70 pounds per year to act as Sexton at both cemeteries.

Between 1867 and 1982 there had been 12 Caretakers employed by the Cemetery Trust.

In 1982 grave digging and maintenance became 'on a contract basis' where it still operates this way now.

SECRETARIES:

In 1868 an entry shows that a Town Clerk had been requested to check some errors in the Sextons accounts and was then offered a commission of 10% on the collection of arrears and a salary of 10 pounds per annum to act as Secretary.

Since 1868 there have been 13 secretaries employed by the cemetery.  This also became 'on a contract basis. '