Back to Botany Cemetery

Well, yesterday I was at Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park aka Botany Cemetery. They had their open day. The Cape Banks Family History Society was there. The Daceyville Public School Band did a wonderful job entertaining the crowd. The 1st Little Bay Scout Group cooked up scrumptious sausages on a roll. They had a floral workshop, cartoonist, face painting. They also had a display on the new variety of headstones. I was most interested in the new crematorium plaques....very stylish!
They also had tours of the Funeral Home and the Crematorium. I just didn't get time to do these tours but as their open day will be an annual event I hope to do them next year.

So, I was only there a week or so ago but I am still on my mission to find out who William Charles WEBER is and why is he buried in Rosina Maude (WEBBER) MATTHEWS' grave??

Last time I was there I was told that the ESMP could not assist me as the burial was too long ago!! What, 1945 too long ago?? Ok, I'll check it out with Cape Banks as I know family history people are always too happy to assist a fellow historian.

Well I had a chat with the Cape Banks group and they put up a lot of scenarios and suggestions as to where to look. Unfortunately, I had been through them all, so I had hit a brick wall. One gentleman did suggest that the OFFICE should have registers the same as what he had looked at when he had a similar query at Rookwood.

A gentleman dressed in a black suit with the emblem of the Funeral Home on his chest smiled at me, so I had a chat with him about my dilemma and he confirmed that ESMP has very large archives full of registers of burials. He suggested that I come back on Monday and go to the office as it was not open on Saturday. I explained that I lived on the South Coast (3 hour trip each way) and had made phone calls previously and only last week was at the office with no success. So this wonderful gentleman shook his head and gave me the name of the Manager. So can't wait for Monday to make the call.

Off I went to have a look at the new plaques and a lovely young lady employed by ESMP gave me a wealth of information on who and how one can put a plaque on a grave.  Very interesting!!!

Whilst I was there I went to visit Uncle Arthur to take a photo of his grave so I can give to his grandchildren when I meet up with them next month.

A wonderful day!