Managers of central Victorian graveyards in the firing line

Calls are mounting for a board to be sacked as Central Victorian graves are stripped of adornments, with rising threats leaving staff in fear.

Grieving parents Marc and Anita Sertori’s son Charlie died when he was 18. He was buried at the Bendigo Cemetery. The authority which runs the cemetery has decided that virtually all decorations on or around graves must be removed. This includes solar lights and other keepsakes. Picture: David Caird

Public pressure is mounting for the managing board of central Victorian cemeteries to be sacked following a controversial decision to confiscate adornments from gravesites as cemetery workers fear going to work due to the backlash.

About 150 people rallied at the Eaglehawk cemetery on Tuesday, waving posters, to protest the ban on certain memorial items left on and around headstones.

Northern Victorian MP Wendy Lovell has written to the Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas, calling for an administrator to be appointed and the board disbanded.

“The leadership of Remembrance Parks Central Victoria have displayed a heartless disregard for the feelings of these many families, and I call on Minister Thomas to take immediate action and remove the current board of directors and replace them with a more compassionate board,” she said.

An online petition has gathered more than 11,000 signatures, protesting the enforcement of the policy banning most keepsakes. Wind chimes are on the banned list, along with alcohol, solar lights, pebbles, decorative fencing, ceramic, terracotta, porcelain, hardened clay and more.

The cemetery workers union has also weighed in, complaining that central Victorian staff were afraid to go to work because of threats and harassment from grieving families.

Victorian secretary of the Australian Workers Union Jimmy Mastrandonakis said workers did not want to carry out the orders from management.

“This is causing our members unnecessary stress and the AWU believes that management should be held responsible for this,” he said. “No one should feel unsafe at work.”

Remembrance Parks Central Victoria manages 11 cemeteries and has stressed that not all items would be removed.

Floral tributes binned at central Victorian cemetery following ornaments ban. Management for the cemetery has denied its staff were involved.

A spokeswoman for the board said Remembrance Parks Central Victoria wanted to work with families to resolve the issues.

“The board is acutely aware of the concern from the community regarding the adornment policy,” she said.

“There is a lot of misconception about our actions and our policy, however, we recognise that we could have handled the whole situation better and should have communicated much better with our families and supported them through to meet the spirit of the adornment policy so that our OH&S obligations can be met. We must do better now and in the future. The board is fully committed to serving the community“

Grieving parents Marc and Anita Sertori son Charlie died when he was 18. He is buried at the Bendigo Cemetery. The authority which runs the cemetery has decided that virtually all decorations on or around graves must be removed. Picture: David Caird

Anita Sertori, whose son Charlie was buried at the Bendigo cemetery said personalised adornments gave tremendous comfort to those who had lost loves ones.

A Facebook page dedicated to the adornments issue has posted pictures of overflowing bins at the region’s cemeteries.

The board spokeswoman said not everything in them was put there by cemetery workers.

“These bins are not used by RPCV staff and the Board is assured that no staff member filled the bin with flowers”.

A separate photo was also posted of a sculpture of a cat sleeping. The person who posted it has offered to give it back to the rightful owner.

At the Eaglehawk cemetery. A statue of a cat was placed on a bin lid but rescued from the rubbish heap by a passer-by who has offered to return it to the mourner who left it for a loved one.

Nina Bice, whose daughter Tayla Rae died 10 years ago, said a small concrete angel had been removed from her child’s resting place.

“It’s beyond belief. The cemetery has just taken it upon themselves to take it and put it in the bin,” she said.

“There was a small metal chicken, flowers and little sculptures and they were all taken away. I would like them (management) to step down.”

The Health Minister did not respond to questions before deadline.