Concerns have been raised about the state of the Ararat Cemetery several weeks after the groundskeeper left the Ararat Cemetery Trust's employ.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Ararat resident Jacinta Knight recently lost her mother and said in the weeks since she was buried the state of the cemetery has degraded.
"The cemetery has always been such a pristine, beautiful cemetery and it's sad to see it in the state it's in now," she said. "The Trust are trying to keep on top of it, but the public don't know why it's in the state it's in. It's just a shame."
Some of the complaints raised include lack of mowing, dried grass being flung across headstones and left, and tyre tracks over fresh plots.
"If we have to mow ... unfortunately we have to drive over graves," Trust chair Bill Jones said.
"We don't go over graves that are recent - as in the last month or so - we leave those to consolidate and then we go back and treat them."
Ms Knight said she understood the Trust was working on a voluntary basis to maintain the site. Currently, the Trust is doing all of the maintenance work in its spare time.
"I'm a regular visitor. It's always been so pristine and now it's not, but the Trust is doing their best," she said.
Mr Jones said "lawn mowers throw grass."
"Over time we go and sweep them off. But you can't mow, rake and sweep a whole section in a couple of hours."
Kelly, who chose not to be identified by her surname, called the cemetery's state "appalling."
"All the grass is covering headstones and you can't even read the people's names anymore from all the lawn clippings," she said.
"It's hard enough to visit loved ones. I found myself more emotional about the lack of care and respect than I was about being heartbroken and upset about visiting the people we love."
While you're with us, you can now receive updates straight to your inbox each Friday morning from The Ararat Advertiser. To make sure you're up-to-date with all the news from across the Ararat shire, sign up here.
