Concerns raised over itinerant behaviour in historic Cairns cemetery

The devastated relative of four people buried in a historic Cairns cemetery said she was “horrified” to learn itinerants had been passing out drunk on tombstones and burying booze in graves.

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THE devastated relative of four people buried in a historic Cairns cemetery said she was “horrified” to learn itinerants had been passing out drunk on tombstones and burying booze in graves.

Marjorie Earl has four relatives buried in the Pioneer Cemetery and is devastated about itinerants going in and sleeping on graves and burying booze. Marjorie Earl at her great great Aunt's grave in Pioneer Cemetery. PICTURE: STEWART MCLEAN

Police say they have to move on intoxicated people from Pioneer Cemetery in Martyn St up to four times a day and the issue has been progressively getting worse.

Cairns City Beat Sen-Sgt Gary Hunter labelled the behaviour “incredibly disrespectful” and said they had located and tipped out alcohol multiple times.

Cairns resident Marjorie Earl, whose great, great aunt Eliza Earl is buried in the cemetery, labelled those drinking in the grounds as “scum of the earth” and said the heritage-listed site should be treated appropriately.

Eliza was the wife of former Cairns mayor Edward Earl who led the city in 1906.

“If you don’t respect the dead, you don’t respect yourself. You can’t respect anyone,” Mrs Earl said.

“It’s a quiet oasis and that’s how it should be used. It has an amazing history there.”

Cairns and District Family History Society conducts an annual guided walk through the cemetery and historical re-enactments called Shadows of the Past.

Society president Dell Deed said and a group of volunteers had cleaned the site for years before Cairns Regional Council took on the task and was upset to hear what was happening.

“We put a lot of love into it to try and get people to respect it,” she said.

“It’s so sad to see some people disrespect it. It’s our history and to take away or damage that, so much is lost.

“This is Cairns’ second cemetery, this goes right back to our beginning. All the people buried there are important to Cairns.”

Several former Cairns mayors are buried at the cemetery including Karl Aumuller, Louis Severin, Charles McKenzie and Richard Kingsford who was the grandfather of famed aviator Sir Charles Kingsford Smith.

Others buried there include customs worker John Miller, who was in the first landing party when Cairns became a city, fisherman George “Yorkey” Lawson, where Yorkeys Knob takes its name from, and a host of railway workers who died while building the Kuranda railway line.

Originally published as Concerns raised over itinerant behaviour in historic Cairns cemetery