Ipswich City Council has finished a $45,000 project to construct concrete beams for plaques to be installed to replace the older system of placing plaques on the grass or on an individual concrete base.
Health, Security and Community Safety Committee Chairwoman Cr Sheila Ireland said the project had made life easier and safer for cemetery and grounds staff, and family and friends visiting grave sites.
“There were several reasons for the project: to prevent ‘sinking’ of plaques and headstones, improve the life of plaques by ensuring water drains off quickly, easier and less costly mowing and line trimming, removes the possibility of mower strikes on plaques and lessens the danger of damaging ceramic photos from mowers and line trimmers,” she said.
“It also improves the aesthetics of the cemetery and removes the danger from families leaving ornaments and accoutrements where they can be caught up by line trimmers and mowers.”
Local Division 10 Councillor David Pahlke said council staff had done an amazing job on the project.
Tallegalla Cemetery is an older historic cemetery gazetted in 1877 and built on the slope of a steep hill.
The cemetery is listed as a “Place of Cultural Heritage Significance” and as such has been listed in the Ipswich Town Planning Scheme Schedule 2 Character Places.
“The project was conducted over three years and as a result the entire middle section of Tallegalla Cemetery where lawn burials occurred has now been retrofitted with concrete beams,” he said.
“By 2020 the upper section lawns beams will be completed making all lawn burial areas within the cemetery retrofitted with beams.”
Cr Pahlke said trials have shown that families are more active in visiting their loved ones and more likely to leave flowers once beams are installed.
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