Templestowe Cemetery

Templestowe Cemetery Memorial Gardens and Chapel

A History of the Templestowe Cemetery Trust
Templestowe Cemetery, Memorial Gardens and Chapel is separate from the City Council, although, from time to time, Councillors have been Members of the Trust concurrently with their council position, It is managed by an autonomous board of trustees reporting to the Victorian Department of Human Services, Cemeteries and Crematoria Section. The responsible State Government Minister is the Minister for Health.

Templestowe Cemetery View of Valley. Photo: FindaGrave


History of the Templestowe Cemetery.

Templestowe Cemetery is situated on nine and a half acres (4.2 hectares) of land in Templestowe, a suburb of Melbourne and was established in 1858 in response to a letter written in 1857 by William Malcolm as chairman of a committee formed for the purpose of establishing a cemetery in the district. Originally Templestowe was a rural area with a small population, the principle industry was to become fruit growing. The ground occupied by the cemetery was marked out as a “reserve” on the subdivision map of the Parish of Bulleen in the 1800’s. By the mid 1950’s the district was changing from a rural community to a dormitory suburb of Melbourne. The State Government makes small grants of money available for the care and maintenance of “country cemeteries” and up until the 1960’s Templestowe Cemetery was an occasional recipient of funds from those grants. There is reference in the Department of Health (now Department of Human Services) files to Templestowe no longer being considered a “country cemetery” and therefore ineligible for further grants. By the mid 1960’s the orchards were beginning to disappear, replaced by housing estates and by the 1980’s there were virtually no orchards of any commercial consequence left. Attempts, by the Trust to acquire additional land to the north of the cemetery in the 1970’s were disallowed by the Department of Health as being unnecessary because “the cemetery still have some 4,500 graves available and on their present usage that will last for eighty years”. At that time the Trust had insufficient resources to fully fund the purchase and the State Government of the day was receiving criticism over land purchases by the Education Department. Further attempts in the early 1990’s to acquire land to the east also failed because a residence had been built on part of the land. Both instances were an unfortunate lack of foresight on the part of Government Departments. Both those areas of land are now well-established residential estates. Construction of Foote Street resulted in the southern boundary being moved in by some 10 metres and the corner of Church Road being further reduced. The main entrance was moved from Foote Street to Church Road. Reconstruction of Church Road resulted in a rather alarming steep descent from the rear exit gate as the level of Church road was lowered by about a metre. Following the road works the ground levels outside the cemetery were above or below the original level and so the Trust constructed a brick clad concrete core retaining wall along the south and east boundaries of the cemetery which also incorporates memorial niches for cremated remains (ashes) on sections of the inside.

The early days

The early European residents in the Templestowe of the 1840’s had to transport their deceased to the Melbourne Cemetery which was then situated (approximately) where the Queen Victoria Market was subsequently built. In 1849 Mr. James Read’s six-month-old son died and was taken to the Melbourne Cemetery. On his return Mr. Read came home to find another child had passed away and he had to make a second journey. After this tragic experience, James Read endeavoured to arouse the other settlers to consider the urgent need of a burial ground. Shortly after, several churches in the Heidelberg area established a small private cemetery, but as there was no bridge over the Yarra River to Heidelberg, access during the winter floods was difficult, even impossible, there still remained a need for a burial place at Templestowe. Some progress was made after the Templestowe Township was officially surveyed and named in 1852. During 1856 and 1857 meetings took place to try and resolve the problem of Templestowe having no cemetery. In 1857 a meeting chaired by Mr. William Malcolm, referring to a letter from the Surveyor General dated August 15 1856, resolved to write to the President of the Board of Land and Works requesting that the Allotment XI (11) Section XIII (13) marked “Reserve” be set aside as a cemetery.


In his letter William Malcolm refers to two bodies being detained by the floods last winter and then carried to Heidelberg “at great inconvenience”. The request was granted and the allotment of some nine and a half acres, bounded by Foote Street and Strip Road, now known as Church Road, was “set apart as a site for a General Cemetery”. Appointment of the five inaugural trustees was published in the Victoria Government Gazette dated Friday, July 9, 1858.



Hazel Poulter. Templestowe - A Folk History. Pg.34, 35. Doncaster Historical Society. Newsletter. Pg 4.

The Trustees of the Cemetery

The Trustees are drawn from the community, originally representing the various religious denominations in the district. The Governor in Council makes appointments on advice from the Department of Human Services. The positions are honorary and carry no emolument. Cemetery Trusts became incorporated bodies under the Cemeteries (Incorporation of Trusts) Regulations 1995 consequently the “Trustees” are now referred to as “Members of the Trust”. Prior to 1995 members of the trust (trustees) were appointed for life, or until they resigned or their appointment was revoked by the Minister for Health. After 1995 appointments are for a period of five years that can be renewed (or not) on application. There are various views on the appointment of the first Trustees to manage the “ground set apart at Templestowe as a site for a Public Cemetery”. However the Victoria Government Gazette dated Friday July 9, 1858 lists Sidney Ricardo, John O’Neil, William Malcolm, James Lacey and James Read as being appointed under the provisions of the Act 17 Victoria No. 12. James Read, who lived opposite on Strip (now Church) Road, fulfilled the position of Sexton. Both he and John Chivers functioned as Lay Preachers. During those early years the trustees did much of the actual physical work in the cemetery. Given that they would have had quite a bit of work to do on their own properties this would have been quite demanding on their time. It appears that some Trustees became inactive, or maybe moved from the district. In the listing shown the writer has assumed that Messrs Sidney Ricardo, John O’Neil and William Malcolm “resigned” in 1877 although no supporting documentary evidence has been located which shows their actual date of resignation. In 1869 Mr. Thomas O’Brien was appointed a trustee. Eight years later, in 1877, three more trustees were appointed. In 1881 William Hunter was appointed Sexton and Secretary of the Cemetery trust at a salary of Two pounds per annum rising to Six pounds in 1889 after he drew the Trust’s attention to the amount of work involved in the position. At a meeting in February 1882, the Trustees expressed their dismay that Mr. Ricardo had not recorded the burials from July 30 1867 to March 1879 and directed the Secretary to “make an entry of Mr. Rhodes burials and such others as he could find out.” Mr. Hunter made every endeavour to reconstruct the records. Most of the information was located however pages 12, 13, 16, 17, 28, and 29, are missing from the cemetery registers. April 1889 James Read tendered his resignation from the Trust “through being out of the district”. During the period 1858 - 2004 there have been 39 trustees and 10(?) secretaries.

Trustees (Members of the Trust) since inception:
Trustee Appointed Retired
Sidney Ricardo 1858 1877
John O’Neil 1858 1877
William Malcolm 1858 1877
James Lacey 1858 1869
James Read 1858 1894
Thomas O’Brien 1869 1905 Robert Williamson 1877 1894 Frederick Rhodes 1877 1894 David Smith 1877 1894 Thomas Hewish 1894 1905 Thomas Smith 1894 1912 Frank Smedley 1894 1935 Thomas Hunter 1894 1939 Thomas Henry Petty 1905 1947 Evander Cameron Johnston 1905 1937 William John Ross 1912 1938 Albert Aumann 1936 1959 Joseph Beale 1939 1963 John Aumann 1939 1966 William Fitzsimons 1939 1958 Alfred Percy Chivers 1948 1997 William Alexander Smith 1948 1968 Clarence Thomas McGahy 1953 1984 Leicester Nicholas Ellis 1953 1955 Bernard Fitzsimons 1962 1978 Kenneth John Aumann 1962 1969 Hedley Arthur Mundy 1962 1989 Donald Mitchell 1964 1997 Robert Schofield Jenkins 1967 1982 Roy Aubrey Harle 1968 Alexander William Clay 1971 1978 Ernest August Aumann 1971 1982 William Joseph Read 1973 1982 Brendan Michael Fitzsimons 1978 2002 Peter Leslie Mahony 1988 1997 Janice Elaine McKellar 1994 John Peter Goold 1994 Jennifer Mary Kearney 2003 Geoffrey Kenneth Gough 2003

Religious Sections at the Templestowe Cemetery 

In accordance with the custom of the times after the establishment of Templestowe Public Cemetery some of the land was cleared and compartments (sections) set aside for the Church of England, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, Other Denominations, referred to, at the time, as “Other Protestant Dissenters” and Lutheran Christian denominations. In 1889 the minutes record that the Trust wrote to Pastor Schramm enquiring if the Lutheran Community intended to make use of the ground set apart for them. The minutes of their next meeting in 1892 refer to Pastor Schramm advising that they would be making use of that area. (see attached copy of the Trust Minutes) Many Lutherans were buried at Waldau Cemetery, at Schramm’s cottage, between 1854 - 1888. They were also buried at Box Hill and Kew cemeteries. For some time the Templestowe Cemetery religious divisions have not been strictly adhered to, no doubt due to a shortage of cemetery land, selection being based on being permitted to erect a monument rather on any particular denomination or religious beliefs. Therefore, it cannot be assumed that persons buried in a particular denominational area are in fact Christian or of that denomination. When lawn graves were introduced at Templestowe Cemetery, during the 1950’s, non-denominational graves became the norm. Monuments are not permitted on lawn graves, those graves being marked by bronze plaques (sometimes attached to a granite tablet). Religious views on cremation have also changed over the years with cremation now being quite acceptable and, in 2004, is the preferred option for the majority of funerals. In the 1800’s cremation facilities were not available in Victoria. The first cremation in Melbourne was in 1905.
In late 19th century Australia, the modern cremation movement campaigned for cremation on the basis of public health, economic and aesthetic grounds. However, cremation was slow to gain acceptance. In 1891, South Australia became the first state to legalise cremations and build a crematorium - West Terrace Cemetery in 1903. In Victoria, a cremation bill was passed in 1903, formalising and regulating the practice, and limiting it to approved cemeteries. In New South Wales, a bill was not passed until 1925. Rookwood is the oldest continuously operating crematorium in Australia. It began operation in 1925 and now performs around 2500 cremations per year The first cremation at the Springvale Necropolis of retired customs officer Edward Davies, April 1905. The crude crematorium contained six tons of kerosene-soaked firewood. The ashes were collected the next day and 'scattered to the four winds of heaven' according to the deceased's wishes.
Copyright © Australian Museum, 2004 . https://australianmuseum.net.au/disposing-of-the-dead-cremation

Funding the Cemetery. 


Templestowe Cemetery received an initial Government grant, described as a loan in early financial reports, of £150.0.0 to establish the cemetery. A modest income was generated from the sale of timber from the rear of the cemetery plus the money received from the sale of hay grown on the portion of land already cleared added to the small income derived from the sale of burial plots, which helped keep the cemetery financial. In the early 1900’s a portion of the cemetery that was not used for burials, was fenced off and let for agistment of cattle. Many residents did not approve of this, as they considered the whole of the cemetery to be a burial place and that the grazing cattle, which sometimes strayed from their enclosure, should not desecrate the land. The Trust later resolved to discontinue the arrangement and not permit any further agistment of cattle on the land. During the first 113 years the trustees of the cemetery faced many problems, to keep the cemetery financially viable, especially during the depression years of the 1930’s. In 1954 a pair of Memorial Gates and Pillars were erected at the Foote Street entrance of the cemetery. The money raised by public subscriptions solicited from residents of the district. Unfortunately, in the 1990’s, when Foote Street was reconstructed and the south boundary of the cemetery was moved in by some 10 metres the pillars were demolished and the gates were not retained. After the mid 1960’s burials increased dramatically, going from some half a dozen burials a year to almost half a dozen a day. Full time staff were employed to dig graves and take care of the maintenance of the grounds. The increased business produced increased revenue and the Trustees were quite astute with their investments and were able to invest the money and further increase the earnings of the cemetery. The Trust minutes disclose that there were times of differing views on some investment stategies, however the overall results have been very good. In 1995 the Trust came under the scope of the Victorian Auditor General and the provisions of Financial Management Act 1994 and now publish a comprehensive financial report every year in addition to the “Abstract of Accounts” statement required under the Cemeteries Act. The construction of the Chapel complex in 1998 was entirely funded from interest previously earned on investments. The Trust does not pay income tax on earnings; however, they do collect and remit Goods and Services Tax. A copy from the record of 1858 - p.1303, which shows a statement of receipts and expenditure for the year ending 31/12/1860, is appended to this publication.

Mortality Information 

On the 20th March 1860 the first burial was recorded. He was William Hurley, aged 18 months. The cause of death is recorded as “teething”. It is recorded that he was interred in the Roman Catholic section, grave number A 102. The actual location of this grave is unclear. Although there must have been a plan in order to determine the location of the grave at the time and reference is made in the accounts for 1861 to “ground marking off and plan of same £5.5.0”. The whereabouts of such plan is unknown and it is fairly unlikely that it will ever be found. Cemetery records no longer record the cause of death. Partly because this information was often quite inaccurate and partly because of privacy legislation. The second burial on 13th December 1860, was Mr. Tsi Chong, described as a Chinaman, occupation digger, he died as a result of drowning. His grave is shown as A1. Unfortunately the site of that grave is also unknown along with many of the early graves. The records show that no charge was made for that burial. In the 1800’s the infant mortality rate was high. During the first ten years approximately 40 children and 25 adults were buried in the cemetery. During the same period there were a high number of infant burials at the Waldau Cemetery at Schramm’s Cottage. The high death rate amongst children was, no doubt, due to a combination of poor living conditions and inadequate nutrition. Many causes of death in the 1800’s are no longer considered life-threatening conditions in the 21st century. Life must have been pretty hard during those early days. The first 100 years from 1858 -1958 there were 524 registered burials. In the next 13 years to 1971 there were a further 521 burials, making a total of 1,045 burials for 113 years. By the end of 1981 there were 5,842. In the years 1977 - 1981 there were as many burials in that time as for the previous 120 years that the cemetery had been in existence. Ages of deceased persons interred at the cemetery range from stillborn children to 107 years. In some cases the age of the deceased has not been recorded. Monuments are generally in good condition and the lawns and gardens are well maintained. While the maintenance of monuments is deemed to be the responsibility of the families of the holders of the burial rights for graves, the Trustees have a responsibility to ensure that monuments are safe and have authority, under the Cemeteries Act, to remove unsafe monuments. The cemetery (in 2004) has no spare land available for creating new graves. The graves are no longer classified by religious denomination, as originally planned, and space is at a premium. Compartments, or sections, established in the cemetery in later years have been named after Members of the Trust (Trustees) or persons of note in the district. Some of the cemetery internal roads are also named after persons from the district.

Providing for the Future


The early settlers in Templestowe were mainly farmers and orchardists. The population, even until the 1950/60’s or so, was quite small. Now the farms and orchards have almost all disappeared and the land subdivided into residential blocks. As a result of immigration the population has also changed dramatically from a mainly Anglo - Saxon, and German background to a very mixed, multi-cultural one. The City of Doncaster and Templestowe Community Resource Guide 1988 - 89, lists the following break-up of the community; 72.6% Australian born, China .8%, England, including U.K. 3.7%, Germany .9%, Greece 3.3%, Hong Kong .8%, Italy 4.7%, Malaysia 1.1, Netherlands .5%, New Zealand .8% Scotland .6%, South Africa (Rep) .6% Yugoslavia 1.1%. With the community growing so rapidly it was only natural that ideas and attitudes would change. Some cultural groups go to great lengths to preserve the memory of loved ones. Very impressive head stones and monuments have been erected, and evidence of wealth and family bonds are to be found in the cemetery. Looking to the future, and with different attitudes to disposal of human remains, the cemetery trust built various memorial courtyards and niche walls for cremated remains (ashes). The niches are for a tenure period of 40 years. Some niche sites were sold in perpetuity. There is provision in some of the lawn areas for rows of niches for ashes. It was reported some years ago that Templestowe Cemetery was one of only three cemeteries in Victoria where it was considered that if there were no further income, there would be sufficient funds to maintain the cemetery well for many years to come. This may well prove to have been a somewhat optimistic view of the long-term capacity of the financial resources of the Trust. The cemetery now relies heavily on their investment income for ongoing financial viability.

Major Charles Newman 

The only names shown on the first Survey of Templestowe in 1837 are Mr. W. Wood, who later moved. In 1840 Major Newman was the first permanent (European) settler who squatted on the land at the junction of Deep Creek, now Mullum Mullum, and the Yarra River. About 1845 Major Newman built a homestead at Pontville. His second home was Monckton. He eventually owned 640 acres freehold, and leased 10,000 acres throughout Warrandyte, Templestowe and East Doncaster. In 1852 he built a Third house in Lennox St. Hawthorn. Both the Major and his wife were buried in the family crypt at Monckton at the end of Homestead Rd. Burial on private land was discouraged by the government and was finally abandoned several years later. After the area was divided into orchard lots, the Seven Newman remains and tombstones were moved to the Templestowe Cemetery in 1910. Monckton was demolished in 1968. On Charles Newman’s headstone is inscribed: -
Charles Newman 1783-1865 Born Dorset, England. Major of the Honourable East India Company Fort St George Madras. Settled in Tasmania 1834 Templestowe’s first permanent settler 1837 Pontville Deep Creek.  


His death certificate records his death in 1865 aged 83 years.

Mr. John Ferguson - School Teacher 

The first school in 1850 was a private Wesleyan school but as it was not eligible for government aid it changed in 1853 to a free Presbyterian school in order to qualify for assistance. Both John Ferguson and his wife Christina taught children of all denominations including Wesleyan, Presbyterian, Church of England, Roman Catholic and Lutheran. He taught at the school for Twenty years, and the school became known as the Ferguson’s school. In 1856 the school was burnt down and lessons continued in private homes until it was rebuilt. In 1860 a private school was established for the Lutheran Church at Waldau, and run by Mr Max Schramm. John Ferguson died in 1880 and his wife passed away in 1882. The following inscription appears on the headstone of the Ferguson family plot in Templestowe Cemetery. (See photograph below. The bronze plaque would seem to be a fairly recent addition, probably replacing eroded tombstones.)
FERGUSON IN REMBERANCE Head Master of Templestowe’s First School with his wife Christina as assistant teacher 1855-1874 John Blair Christina Died 1880 Died 1882 82 years aged 84 years This school was founded by the early settlers in 1850


Mr. John Chivers - Woodcutter 

Born 10th November 1809 in Wiltshire England, he was a Primitive Methodist Preacher. His wife Mary Ann Chivers was claimed to have been the first schoolteacher in the district. In 1884 their son Thomas was born and was the first white born in Templestowe. He passed away in 1942. When Mary Ann died in 1850 John was left with four children, and it was said that the local Aboriginals cared for them. John Chivers became the district Doctor and Dentist. As well as lay preaching obligations, John officiated at many burials within surrounding districts. During the gold rush in Victoria John carted his crops to the Bendigo Gold fields for 27 pounds per load. In 1852 he purchased 144 acres abutting Porter Street and Church Road. John appeared to be hardy and had to cope with a number of grievous events such as the death of his first wife, also the drowning of his son Joseph in 1866 at the age of 16. John recovered his son’s body, and wrapped it in bark then carried it all the way to Heidelberg Police Station on his back, after identification, the body was interred at Templestowe Cemetery. As a Lay Preacher he walked to Greensborough, Heidelberg, Box Hill, East Doncaster to conduct services and also preached at the Austin Hospital. He was active in starting the East Doncaster and Woodhouse Grove, Box Hill, Methodist Churches. John Chivers died in 1898 aged 69 and is buried in Templestowe Cemetery (Other Denominations Q 80).
The Chivers headstones reads: -
John Chivers Lay Preacher, Born Wiltshire England 1809 settled Templestowe 1840 Died 1898. 


Thomas Chivers died 23rd July 1942 aged 96 years native of Templestowe (born in Templestowe) and Emily Chivers died 17 Feb 1946 aged 94 years.


Mr. James Read and Sons - Orchardists 

The Read family were one of the original settlers in Templestowe and originated from Bedfordshire in England. James Read’s father John was married in a Baptist Chapel in Leyton England and followed his son to Australia. James Read was a Lay Preacher and skilled in farming and horticulture, specialising in the cultivation of fruit trees. He immigrated to Australia as an assisted migrant in 1844 and met his wife Annice on that voyage. Their first home was a small blue stone cottage in Flinders Lane near the corner of King Street. Then in 1845 they moved to Collingwood. In 1847 James leased land in the parish of Bulleen near the Yarra, east of Heidelberg. This area was referred to as “the forest” and is now known as Westerfolds Reserve. James obtained a sawyer’s licence, and with his neighbour John Chivers formed a partnership to fell Red Gum trees. Church services were held in both James Read and John Chiver’s homes and reading nights for the benefit of adults who could not read their mail from England. James Read was to become the districts first fruit grower in Church Road. In 1856 he marketed his first crop of fruit. By 1861 he had purchased a further 70 acres from the Carlton estate near the corner of Church Rd and Foote Street. By the 1870’s the cherries grown on the Read properties were exported to New Zealand. John Read donated land for a road1 (Reynolds Road) to connect to East Doncaster as the population was increasing. In 1903 he died and was buried in the Templestowe Cemetery that he had played such an important role in establishing. Many of the latter generations of Reads remained on their orchards until the 1970’s when developers overtook them. Bill Read the Great Grandson of James Read who died in 1988 had lived on a portion of the original 12 acres purchased by James Read in the early 1850’s and is now buried in the family plot in Templestowe Cemetery. 1 Although is is said that James Read donated the land for a road to East Doncater the plan of the subdivision for the Parish of Bulleen shows a road reserve set out for what is now Reynolds Road.

The Read Family Plot Inscriptions Reads:
John Read of Leyton Buzzard Bedfordshire England Died Templestowe 13\4\1666 aged 79 years Also Percival Read 1884 aged 1 year 4 months George James Read died 12\12\1885 aged 12 years 10 Months Great Grand Children of above Also Annice wife of James died 28\3\1900 aged 84 years James Read son of above died 12\8\1908 90 years Also Emily Read wife of John Read died 23\8\1925 aged 76 and her husband John Read died 14\1\1927 aged 77

William Malcolm’s letter 
This is a representation of the original letter

This work is based on research and an original paper by Rita Phillips which has been revised and updated by Donald Forbes, Secretary to the Trust (1989 - 2004)
http://www.gmct.com.au/media/6878/history%20of%20tct.pdf (SEP2017)


https://billiongraves.com/cemetery/Templestowe-Cemetery/149015

Templestowe Cemetery  - Church Rd., Templestowe.

Templestowe Cemetery was the earliest public cemetery in the municipality, gazetted 6 July 1858, some seven years before the Anderson Creek Cemetery at Warrandyte.(51)  Templestowe Cemetery is also the oldest district cemetery still in use.  The Waldau Lutheran Cemetery in Victoria Street, Doncaster, opened in 1854 but closed in 1888.(52)
In 1857, William Malcolm requested the provision of a burial ground at Templestowe "because last winter on two occasions bodies were detained by the floods and then crossed to Heidelberg at great inconvenience."  The following year, on 6 July 1858, the present cemetery area of 9 three-quarters acres in Church Road was officially gazetted.  A contemporary plan of the proposed Cemetery Reserve dated 6 May 1858 shows its division into sections for Presbyterians, Roman Catholics, Protestant Dissenters and Episcopalians, and a section labelled "Reserve for Extension".(53)  Cemetery records confirm that the southern part of the present cemetery was the earliest section.(54)  The cemetery allotment is marked on an 1874 map of the area near the land owned by the Hewish family.(55)  A later 1892 Directory map shows the Cemetery Reserve.(56)
Most Trustees were well known district people, long serving and chosen on a denominational basis from local churches.
James Read, pioneer district fruit grower, was the first Trustee in 1858.  Other prominent local fruit growers who became Trustees included Frank Smedley (1894), Thomas Hewish (1894), Thomas Henry Petty (1905), Albert Aumann (1936)(57)
By the 1920s, as shown on an Army map, the Templestowe Cemetery was located outside the township within an extensive orcharding district.(58)
The first burial at this cemetery was on 20 March 1860.  The first official record of fees was in 1895 when a burial site plus digging cost three pounds.  Many early settlers and their descendants are buried there.  By the end of 1981, there had been 5,842 burials at Templestowe.
The cemetery became increasingly popular as the Kew and Box Hill Cemeteries were filled. The Lawn Section at Templestowe which today accounts for 90 per cent of all burials, was opened in 1970.  Lawns were named after important district people and include the Newman Lawn (after Major Charles Newman of Pontville), the Chivers Lawn and the Read Lawn.(59)

Of local historical significance as the earliest public cemetery in the municipality, and the oldest district cemetery still in use with early associations with well known district families.

47 Green and Beavis, p.13.
48 City of Doncaster and Templestowe RB 1944-45 Warrandyte Riding NA V 547-549 (Valued at 116 pounds for water rating purposes).
49 Auction Plan. Park Orchards Estate, Mitcham. Dec., 1946, Haughton Collection, SLV.
50 Green and Beavis, p.6.
51 Anderson Creek Cemetery, Cemetery Register, vol.l. p.8.
52 Templestowe Public Cemetery File, Ministry for Health and Community Services, Public Health Division, Melb.
53 Templestowe Public Cemetery File H CEM 477.
54 Context Pty Ltd., City of Doncaster and Templestowe Heritage Study, pp 117-118.,
55 Plan of Bulleen. Parish of Bulleen, Plan 526 B, 1874.
56 Parish of Bulleen. Directory Maps of the County of Bourke, 1892.
57 Templestowe Public Cemetery File H CEM 477.
58 Ringwood. Military Survey 1 inch to a mile prepared by Australian Section. Imperial
General Staff, June 1922.
59 Templestowe Public Cemetery File H CEM 477.

 Doncaster and Templestowe Heritage Study Additional Research Carlotta Kellaway - July 1994 http://www.manningham.vic.gov.au/file/26136/download. Pg. 41-42
  Pg.46

Templestowe Cemetery

Church Road (cnr. Foote Street)
Condition - Good;  Integrity - Minor modifications
The Templestowe cemetery dates from 1858, preceding Warrandyte Cemetery, and acting as the
burial place for people from the surrounding region.
The southern part of the cemetery appears to be the earliest, containing a number of older
headstones.
Contemporary graves reflect migration and settlement patterns, and Chinese, Greek and Italian
monuments are common.
Creation Date c1858
Of local significance as the earliest cemetery in the municipality with some early monuments
remaining.

(2.46 MB 735 pages). Downloaded from: Manningham Council May2023

THE HISTORY OF THE TEMPLESTOWE CEMETERY.

Towards the close of the l840's, even though Templestowe was very sparsely settled, the need for a burial place in the district was becoming apparent, because, when a death occurred, the remains had to be conveyed to the Melbourne Cemetery.

Major Newman was one of the few people to own land in the district, so he, and four-members of his family were buried on his estate. This practice was discouraged by the Government and finally abandoned some years later. In 1910, the remains of the Newman family were transferred to the Templestowe Cemetery.

Monuments of Major Newman's Family moved to the Templestowe Cemetery from their priovate burial groiund. From the left: Louisa died 1853, Caroline 1857, Catherine 1865, major Newman 1866 and Thomas 1860.
Drawing from DTHS Newsletter
In 1849, James Read’s eldest son died while the family were living and working in Templestowe, then known as Bulleen. The remains had to be conveyed to the Melbourne Cemetery, which was then situated where the Queen Victoria Market was subsequently built. James Read,who was accompanied by his friend and neighbour, John Chivers, made the terrible journey over rough bush tracks and creek beds by horse and dray with the child’s body placed in a home-made coffin. Several days later, on arriving back home, they were dismayed to find that another death had occurred in their absence, and once again, the same terrible journey had to be made.

In 1854, when James Read was at last able to make a permanent home in Templestowe, he began to work constantly for a cemetery in the district, but was not able to achieve much except to arouse the other residents as to the need.

At a public meeting held at Templestowe in 1856 to discuss, among many other things, the need of a burial place, Mr. William Malcolm, who was chairman of the meeting, was instructed to write to the Government impressing upon them the necessity of marking off a burial ground for the township. A reply was received from the Surveyor-General dated 15th August, 1856, acknowledging the request but nothing more was hear. In the meantime, on two separate occasions, deaths had occurred, but, owing to the flooding of the Yarra River, the bodies were detained, then conveyed to Heidelberg at great inconvenience to the relatives.

A year later, on 1st August, 1857, another public meeting was held at Templestowe, with Mr. William Malcolm once again the Chairman. He was requested to write, this time to the President of the Board of Land and Works, begging to recommend the suburban allotment marked in the township plan as a reserve, situated on the corner of Foote Street and Strip Road (later Church Road) Templestowe, to be set aside for a cemetery. This request was granted and the cemetery was gazetted on 6th July 1858, consisting of an area of nine-acres and three roods, also conforming with the regulations for the establishment of a cemetery which required that it should be one mile from any town.

James Read, who resided at "Bedford Place" on the Strip Road close to the cemetery, was appointed the and sole Trustee of the Templestowe Cemetery, and for the next nine years carried out the administration on his own, acting as Trustee, Registrar, and Sexton, as well as officiating as lay preacher when no minister was available. John Chivers, lay preacher, also assisted on occasions.

As the burial ground was covered with bush timber like most of the district at this time portions of the ground had to be cleared and set aside for the different denominations. These were Church of England Presbyterian, Roman Catholic and other denominations classed as Dissenters. A small income from timber was earned by calling for tenders for a price for the wood, and this, with money received for the grass growing on the clearings, added to the small amount derived from the sale of the burial lots, helped to keep the cemetery financial.

In 1869, because of a considerable increase in the population in the district, a second Trustee, a Mr. Thomas O’Brien was appointed. (He later became Secretary of the Shire.) Eight years later, with still more settlers arriving, the number of burials increased, and, as there were more improvements to be made to the cemetery, three more trustees were appointed bringing the total to five - namely, James Read, Thomas O’Brien, Robert Williamson, Frederick Rhodes, and David Smith. These men were appointed at a public meeting at Templestowe, and their names were submitted to the specific Government Department for approval.

In 1881, William Hunter was appointed Sexton and Secretary of the Cemetery Trust, at a salary of £2/-/- per annum rising to £6/-/- in 1889.

At a meeting in 1882, the trustees expressed their regret that during the time that Mr. Ricardo was keeping the cemetery books, the records of the burials for the 12 years between 1867 and 1879 bad been lost. The trustees agreed that the Secretary, Mr. Hunter, should make an entry of Mr. Rhodes’ burials, and endeavour to complete the records. This was done, and most of the burials were recorded.

In 1889, an application was received from Pastor Schramm of the Lutheran Church at Doncaster, asking if the trustees would set aside a portion of the cemetery for the burial of members of that Church. This was granted, but the ground was not officially accepted until 1892.

Also, in 1889, James Read stated that it was his intention to resign as a trustee after serving for 31 years. He was then 70 yaars old, and felt that a younger man should fill the position.

In the early 1900's a portion of the cemetery which was not used for burials, was fenced off and let for grazing cattle. Many of the older residents did not approve of this, as they considered the whole of the cemetery to be a burial place, which should not oe desecrated by cattle which sometimes strayed from their enclosure. One night, during the dispute, the wires of the fence were cut through with an axe by some person or persons unknown. Legal proceedings were threatened, but as no one could be proved guilty, no further action was taken.

At some of the first funerals the coffins were carried on the shoulders of the male relatives or neighbours, followed by family members and friends, to the burial ground. Although in those days, there were undertakers who advertised to conduct a first class funeral, many of the coffins were carried on drays to the cemetery, followed by the various horse-drawn vehicles of that time.

As the years passed by, conducted funerals gradually became more general. These consisted of a hearse and one or more mourning coaches, each vehicle drawn by two dark bay or black horses. These animals were usually spirited and needed a good driver to control them, particularly during thunderstorms, when the animals were likely to panic. Indeed, on one such occasion, they did take fright and galloped with the vehicle for almost a mile before being brought under control.

During the 113 years since its beginning, the trustees the cemetery have had to face many problems, including financial ones, particularly through the depression years, but these were overcome with some help and co-operation of the residents of the district in various ways.

In 1954, a pair of Memorial Gates and Pillars were erected at the entrance of the cemetery, the money for this being obtained by public subscription from the older residents of the district.

Since 1858, there have been 28 trustees and 10 secretaries appointed. These include many well-known pioneer family names such as Hewish, Hunter, Smedley, Petty, Johnston, Ross, Aumann, Beale, Fitzsimons, Chivers, McGahy, Mullens, Jenkins, Mundy, Clay as well as those mentioned earlier who were Read, O'Brien, Williamson, Rhodes and Smith.

During the first 100 years from 1858 to 1958, there were 524 registered burials. In the next 13 years from 1958 to 1971, there were a further 521 burials, making a total of 1045 burials in 113 years.

The Templestowe cemetery can rightfully claim a place in the history of our district, as it is the final resting place of many of your earliest pioneers and their families.

W. J. H. READ writing in 1972 02 DTHS Newsletter

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