Toowoomba council reveals list of graves damaged at cemetery, offers to help families repair destruction

Families with loved ones whose graves were damaged during a shocking act of vandalism can access financial support. Read the full list of memorials desecrated here:

The Toowoomba Regional Council has offered to help support families whose loved ones’ graves were damaged or destroyed during a shocking night of vandalism at Drayton Cemetery.

The full extent of the incident has been finally revealed after the council released a list of 143 memorials and monuments that suffered damage on August 10 at the hands of three teenagers.

The list covers seven historical and contemporary sections of the cemetery, including Baptist Congregational, Church of England, Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist and Presbyterian and other Protestant burials.

One of the graves desecrated belongs to Brisbane’s first town clerk William Boyce, who died in 1882.

Mr Boyce’s family also commissioned the construction of East Toowoomba home Fernside, which this year broke the city record for a home sale price at $6.5m.

Due to the scale of the destruction caused and the ages of many of the headstones in the cemetery, it could be years until the damage is completely rectified.

Toowoomba mayor Geoff McDonald, who slammed the behaviour as “disgusting”, said the council was willing to provide some financial support to descendants who wanted to repair their loved ones’ sites.

Toowoomba Region Mayor Geoff McDonald is disgusted after vandals damage or destroy more than 300 graves at Toowoomba's Drayton Cemetery, Sunday, August 11, 2024. Picture: Kevin Farmer

“Our cemetery services team is available to help people who have been affected by this unfortunate event,” he said.

“Council will remove and rectify hazards to meet workplace health and safety requirements.

“This will include placing monuments flat and face up for the safety of the community.

“Council wishes to support people who have identified damage to fixed monuments that are linked to them.

“Family members or people connected to any of the identified sites who wish to reinstate the site are asked to please contact 074688 6686.”

Mr McDonald said the council had been inundated with offers of support from the community, which was a bright spot during a dark chapter.

“It has been most heartening to see residents rally to offer assistance following a senseless act of vandalism in our heritage-listed Drayton and Toowoomba Cemetery,” he said.

Residents who wish to volunteer at the cemetery can register via council’s volunteering portal.