No grave concerns here

By Jade Lawton
Gembrook MP Tammy Lobato announced on Monday that the government had provided a grant to purchase two acres next to the Blackwood Lane cemetery, which is close to reaching maximum capacity.
The current burial site is only one and three quarter acres, and Gembrook Cemetery Trust Secretary Sue Van Sprang said the town’s rising population meant the site could be full in five years.
Cemetery trust chairman Geoff Ure said the trust had been trying to extend the cemetery for more than 15 years.
“We are looking to the future for the next generation. I’m right, I’ve got my spot here, but it’s really the next generation we are worried about,” he said.
“This will last another 100 years at least. I would like to thank Tammy, because without her we wouldn’t have achieved this.”
Ms Lobato said extending the historic cemetery, which opened in 1915, was important not only to trust members but also the wider community.
“The grant will allow the cemetery to continue offering burial and memorial space for local residents, which will in turn provide income for the maintenance of the cemetery’s historic grounds,” she said.
“The trust has been looking at expansion options for the past 13 years with no success. When the cemetery trust members approached me a few years ago, I undertook to work with them to ensure that this important service continued to be provided. I am thrilled that this State Government grant has now secured the future of this cemetery.”
Ms Van Sprang said up to five generations of local families had been laid to rest at the cemetery.
“We are a small rural cemetery and it is very important to us to keep families together,” she said.
“We were banging our head against a wall. We really do have our hands tied with funding, and this is way beyond our expectations.”