Keeping alive the memories in Rookwood Necropolis
By Belle Hann
The extraordinary Rookwood Necropolis, known simply as Rookwood, is the largest cemetery in the southern hemisphere and is located in the western Sydney suburb of Lidcombe. More than 800,000 gravestones, some dating from 1798, 'speak' to us about generations of Australian people who have taken their rest. Victorian sandstone headstones and monuments testify to the quality craftsmanship of other eras. And yet, without volunteers like Robyn Hawes, Rookwood would be a labyrinth of forgotten histories and weeds.
Despite its rich cultural history, Rookwood has no heritage listing and thus became vulnerable when a road was built between the cemetery and the railway line. Robyn, a founding member of Friends of Rookwood Inc thought at the time: "If something is not done, it will turn out as apartments". And so concerned community members decided to act by founding the Friends of Rookwood community group to raise awareness of Rookwood's historic and cultural importance.
And it has paid off. In 1988, the Friends received a bicentenary grant to record the transcriptions on every headstone laid between 1868 and 1988, and received another grant to write The Sleeping City which is a history of Rookwood. The group fundraises for restoration projects such as the Serpentine Canal and Frazer monument (pictured top tight); participates in garden maintenance; and advocates the interests of Rookwood's heritage.
"Management have their priorities on today, not on what happened 150 years ago. The Friends can put our point of view across to management."
Robyn is the president of the Friends and the chief tour guide. There are 240 people on the mailing list, with 'a hardcore group of a dozen members' that includes a librarian, an actor and a truck driver.
Cemeteries are not the most comfortable places in the world, especially after dark, so what motivates people to volunteer for such a project? "People who join are interested in the historical aspects," said Robyn. "You get hooked on it."
The Friends runs guided history tours on the first Sunday of each month from March to November. Some of the interesting tour themes are Our Convict Heritage, Murder and Mayhem, and Plague and Pestilence. "It really is Australia's history," said Robyn. "We provide important heritage information on why things are the way they are. It's not just 'here's Joe Bloggs.' "
There's also a huge number of famous Australians buried in Rookwood such as newspaper giant John Fairfax, Sydney eccentric Bea Miles and Peter Dodds McCormick who wrote Advance Australia Fair. "When I take people to his grave, I make them sing the national anthem," Robyn smiled.
Robyn is quick to dismiss any suggestion that cemeteries are morbid and spooky. However, she admits there can be spine-tingling moments as a cemetery tour guide. She insisted: "I don't believe in ghosts, but there are coincidences where we have people literally turn around and behind them is their grandfather's grave!"
Robyn explained: "We don't dwell on death – we focus on people's lives. We demystify the cemetery for a lot of people – and try and keep the place alive for future generations."
Join up and more information
Visit Friends of Rookwood Inc.
The Centre
for Volunteering [ABN 28 002 416 024]
Level 2, 228 Pitt Street, Sydney NSW 2000
T: 02 9261 3600 | F: 02 9261 4033 | E: info@volunteering.com.au
www.volunteering.com.au