Tumbulgum historic cemetery left littered and in disrepair

Council has taken action after a Tweed resident found pizza boxes, cigarette butts and beer bottles at an historic cemetery which has been left overgrown with damaged tombstones.

Improvements have been made at the Tumbulgum Cemetery after a resident expressed outrage at the state it was in.

Tweed resident Natalie Bruhn Pearce discovered the cemetery buried within deep rainforest by chance and was left in disbelief to find broken tombstones, overgrown bush and litter throughout the site.

Tweed Shire Council sustainable communities and environment acting director Stewart Brawley said since the issue came to light the council had performed an extensive clean-up of the cemetery.

Works included clearing overgrowth on the signage and improving access to the graves. 

“Council was assisting interested locals in 2019 to undertake regular maintenance of the site, but unfortunately this did not progress,” Mr Brawley said.

“Council would be happy to provide support and assistance to any members of the community keen to progress this.”

Moving forward he said council would undertake regular inspections of the cemetery to determine any works that may be required.

Disrepair discovery

Tweed resident Natalie Bruhn Pearce says her discovery of a neglected cemetery left her feeling horrified after she decided to explore some of her local area.

She climbed the Tumbulgum cemetery stairs in among dense rainforest to discover graves dating back more than 100 years had been left in disarray, some destroyed and others scattered with litter.

She found pizza boxes, cigarette butts, goon sacks, beer bottles and even a syringe packet at the memorial site.

The 27-year-old said she was frustrated the graves had been left in such a state.

“Every time I come here there’s more rubbish and more debris,” Miss Bruhn Pearce said.

“Every time it rains it gets worse.”

A picnic area at the cemetery entrance was covered with graffiti and there are no bins in the area.

There are more than 150 European settlers buried at what is recognised as one of the oldest cemeteries in the Tweed Valley and even more unmarked burials of Indigenous people from the Moobar clan in a separated section.

Miss Bruhn Pearce said she was upset for both groups buried there to have the cemetery left in disrepair.

Natalie Bruhn Pearce beside the memorial for the Maye family. Picture: Liana Walker

“It’s disrespectful,” she said.

“My generation deeply cares about this stuff and we haven’t forgotten, we remember.

“We want to pay our respects, but when we come here we can’t.”

She said more than 40 people had volunteered to help clean up the cemetery since she shared her concerns on a community Facebook group, however more help was needed from the council.

“You can’t fight nature and I completely understand that,” she said.

“But some of this stuff is preventable or something you can maintain.

“Unfortunately the public can’t do much because you need power tools and you need something to be able to haul it away - most people don’t have those funds.”

Historical significance

Former Tumbulgum resident Maureen Bistrow said her great grandparents Jack and Sarah Maye were buried at the cemetery and there was a memorial for their son Daniel Maye, who was killed in battle during World War I in France.

The Maye family who have a memorial at the Tumbulgum cemetery.

The Maye family came to the Tweed in the 1890s where they went into the ballot for farmland.

They are recognised by the Maye’s Hill in North Tumbulgum where some of the family still live.

Mrs Bistrow, 74, said when she was younger she remembered the Tumbulgum cemetery always being in disrepair, however the Maye family had always taken care of the graves.

“It is a historical cemetery, it should be looked after,” Mrs Bistrow said.

“When we were kids we would visit all the time, it was an exciting place to go, it was quite interesting.

“That whole Tumbulgum area has a lot of history that a lot of the people who live there have no idea about.”

Cemetery management

Tweed Shire Council sustainable communities and environment acting director Stewart Brawley said the council had been alerted about the state of the cemetery last week.

He said the council prioritised managing the three active cemeteries at Eviron, Murwillumbah and Tweed Heads with contractors mowing the remaining cemeteries.

Damaged graves behind dense bushland. Picture: Liana Walker

“As the (Tumbulgum) cemetery is located in a steep, dense rainforest, the rainforest had largely reclaimed the area when it was devolved to council,” Mr Brawley said.

“In 1993 a youth training program uncovered as many graves as could be found and constructed an access track from the road through the rainforest.

“As it is in a natural forest setting, the cemetery does not receive the regular maintenance of cemeteries in the more traditional open grass settings require.”

He said the council had engaged restoration contractors to undertake weed eradication works when required and had also assisted a local volunteer group to establish to look after the cemetery.

“Unfortunately the volunteer group struggled to get established, but council is happy to provide support and assistance if members of the community are keen to progress.

“Council will also undertake regular inspections of the cemetery to determine any works that may be required.”

Mr Brawley said providing rubbish facilities at isolated locations such as the cemetery tended to attract rubbish dumping and become illegal dumping points.

“It is not the type of facility with sufficient visitation to warrant a regular garbage service,” he said.