Appeal launched to fix Drayton Cemetary vandalism

The heartless destruction of more than 100 graves at the Drayton Cemetery rocked our city. The repair bill will be huge and it is time we come together and start raising money, writes Toowoomba Chronicle columnist Greg Johnson.

Vandals have damaged or destroyed more than 300 graves at Toowoomba's Drayton Cemetery, Sunday, August 11, 2024. Picture: Kevin Farmer

Recently I penned a column called Grave Destruction Deplorable, Dreadful, and it started with, “Once upon a time there were three little boys, two aged 15 and the other 17, who went on to cause $500,000 in damage at the Drayton and Toowoomba Cemetery”.

Many Toowoomba citizens were angry, and more were saddened that something like this could happen in our fair city.

I thought that would be the end of the story, for me, and hoped mayor Geoff McDonald and his team could make the best of the sorry situation.

I was wrong, because a little while later I received a message from Jim O’Dea who said, “G’day Greg, we don’t know each other but I am concerned, like you, about the damage done to Drayton Cemetery. I want to do something about it, but I need someone like you to give me a hand.”

I sat on the request for a couple of days then called Jim, who was very upset, but not angry, at what the trio had done to our heritage and history.

He told me he didn’t want to see the cultural heritage of Toowoomba, namely gravestones, left broken and shattered particularly when they visibly connect us to the people who built our city and our region.

Vandals have damaged or destroyed more than 300 graves at Toowoomba's Drayton Cemetery, Sunday, August 11, 2024. Picture: Kevin Farmer

He continued, “The first crime is the damage to the gravestones; the second crime is if we sit back and do nothing about the damage. We can’t do anything about the first crime, but we can prevent the second one by restoring the broken pieces to their former state.”

His main concern was the reparation of the cemetery and, in particular, what to do about those graves and headstones of people who had died many years ago and who may not have relations living to arrange repairs or replacement.

My understanding is it is the responsibility of families to fund such work as the graves and headstones are their property; however Toowoomba Regional Council is offering partial financial relief to residents and families.

We had a long chat, and certain points arose which could help us move forward, including the possibility of a community fund where people could contribute to the restoration, and a meeting the mayor.

We met with mayor Geoff, who was very supportive, and agreed I should write this story to see if other concerned citizens might like to join us as we consider what we could do to come together as a community to support the memory of those good people, long gone, and those who may not be able to afford restoration.

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