South Brisbane Cemetery

In 1851, the residents of South Brisbane discovered (apparently to their surprise) that the government of New South Wales (before the separation of Queensland) had set aside around 5 acres of land for a general cemetery for South Brisbane. (In 2011 that land is the site of the West End State School.) However, no trustees were ever appointed and no burials occurred. In 1865, the Queensland Government decided to sell that site and use the proceeds towards another burial ground. In 1866 a grant of 18 acres of land was made for the South Brisbane Cemetery by the Queensland Government. The original trustees were Thomas Blacket Stephens, Albert John Hockings, William Theophilus Blakeney, William Henry Baynes and James Mooney. The first person buried in the cemetery was Jane Hockings in July 1870. The South Brisbane Cemetery was one of several government reserves in the area. A public park runs along its northern boundary and there were reserves for a pound, a gaol, an asylum and an orphanage in the vicinity. As public transport became available more people moved to the area. A railway station was opened at Boggo Junction in 1884 and the first horse-drawn bus service linking the area with the city began in 1890. The main road and the railway pass close to the cemetery, which was important in providing access for funeral corteges and for those visiting graves before private transport was common. In 1930 that section of Cornwall Street (now within the cemetery) was closed as a public road. Current Use By the early 1960s, the cemetery was effectively full and the cemetery was closed. However, as with most closed cemeteries, additional burials and interment of ashes in existing family graves continued to occur. Some additional plots were released in the cemetery in the 1990s. == Description ==

The South Brisbane Cemetery occupies a large area of undulating land sloping from the ridge at Annerley Road, Dutton Park to T J Doyle Memorial Drive on the edge of the Brisbane River. It has gullies in the central section and the layout of graves and plantings is dictated to a large extent by this undulating quality of the land. The cemetery, as a special memorial area, is bounded by walls and fences. The main entrance is on Annerley Road and has formal gates flanked by Iron railings in the form of spears set into a low sandstone wall. The entrance is formed by a pair of wrought iron gates set between decorative sandstone pillars across the carriage way and a pedestrian gate. The gates match the railings and are composed of iron spears overlaid with a sinuous vine-like decoration. The entrance at Princess Street is not marked by special plantings. Dividing left and right from the main drive are two curving drives. Although there is a formalised area of planting near the main entrance, the plantings are generally informal in layout, conforming to the terrain, and contain a great diversity of species, both indigenous and exotic. The burials are less informally arranged and are set closely in rows, as the land allows, with an east–west orientation. There are concrete paths between them and memorials of a wide variety of type, quality and age mark them. A number of the oldest memorials are large and elaborate displaying Victorian symbolism connected with death, such as broken columns, angels and vine leaves. Jane Hocking's burial, the oldest in the cemetery, is marked by the carved figure of an angel clinging to a cross atop a tapered column. Service buildings constructed in the 1940s building programme survive. They comprise small brick toilet blocks, a brick building incorporating the walls and floor slab of a 1958 building, which was used as an office, store and garage, and a staff amenities block. The cemetery contains a Trig marker, which was part of a triangulation survey of the South East region carried out by the government in 1883. This is located on the cemetery hill and is a sandstone block inscribed on top, which is now covered by a concrete path. == Heritage listing ==

South Brisbane Cemetery was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register on 1 October 2003 having satisfied the following criteria. '''The place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland's history.''' South Brisbane Cemetery is one of the earliest cemeteries in Queensland. It was established in 1866 and has been in use since 1870. In its form, memorials and plantings it provides evidence for the history of Brisbane and of European burial customs in Queensland. '''The place has potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of Queensland's history.''' South Brisbane Cemetery has the potential to reveal information on changes in burial customs of the 19th and 20th centuries and on the social fabric of the area it serves from evidence provided by the memorials and inscriptions it contains. The place is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a particular class of cultural places. South Brisbane Cemetery is a fine example of a public cemetery in use since 1870 and includes memorials ranging from those of prominent early residents to prisoners of Brisbane Gaol. The parklike setting of the cemetery, its elevated location to minimize health risk and its inclusion of all religious denominations are typical of late 19th century cemeteries. The place is important because of its aesthetic significance. South Brisbane Cemetery has aesthetic value as a picturesque public area comprising elements of landscape, mature trees, plantings, built structures and memorials. Many of the monuments in South Brisbane Cemetery have aesthetic significance due to the high quality of workmanship and design used in their construction. The place has a strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons. South Brisbane Cemetery has a special association with the community of Brisbane for social and spiritual reasons. It forms an essential component of the ritual of honouring and remembering the dead which continues to be important to the community. == The Friends of South Brisbane Cemetery ==

The Friends of South Brisbane Cemetery (or FOSBC) is a not-for-profit community group dedicated to researching and protecting the South Brisbane Cemetery. The group was formed in 2005 by three local women who were concerned about the neglected state of the cemetery. During the following years they completed an enormous amount of work, tidying and recording every grave to create their own database of records. They also successfully lobbied the Brisbane City Council to return many old and discarded headstones that were exposed during construction of the neighbouring Eleanor Schonell Bridge. The FOSBC became an incorporated association in May 2017. The members conduct research on the graves and people in the cemetery, and have helped hundreds of people to locate relatives interred in the cemetery. The FOSBC also organise the popular 'Guardian Angels' community cleaning bees in the cemetery, which have attracted hundreds of participants. ==Notable burials==

• See: • • Ernest Austin, last person to be hanged by the State of Queensland • Eleanor Bourne, the first Queensland woman to study medicine • Henry Challinor (1814–1882), physician and politician in the Colony of Queensland • Digby Denham, politician and Premier of Queensland • Archibald Meston, Australian politician and explorer • Harold Parker, sculptor • Sydney Ross (footballer), The first goalkeeper signed by Liverpool F.C. in their inaugural season • Harry Turley, politician and President of the Australian Senate • Janet Walker, costumier and dress making bust inventor • Bill Noble Pioneer Australian rugby league player who played for Newtown Jets and Balmain Tigers • Herb Brackenreg Pioneer Australian rugby league player who played for Sydney Roosters in 1908 ==References==