THIRTEEN white rose bushes now adorn Kilmore Public Cemetery after cemetery trust members undertook beautification works at the site earlier this month.
Trust members spent several hours earlier this month planting the roses as part of the first stage of a memorial garden.
Kilmore Public Cemetery Trust president Madeleine Laming said it was important to continue to upgrade and preserve the site.
“It’s a very old cemetery. It was gazetted in 1850 and the first recorded burial was later that year,” she said.
“We’re working on beautifying the grounds and making it attractive to the public.
“The rose garden was planned about four years ago, but we had to finish the rotunda, get some money and get organised.”
Dr Laming said money for the work came mainly from government grants and donations to the cemetery trust.
“Cemeteries don’t have any income apart from the fees that they charge, and fees are capped for obvious reasons, so we mostly rely on government grants,” she said.
Trust members Graham Thompson, Bob Humm, Dean Saita, Eric Javor and John Schwartz were also involved in the beautification works.
“These roses are called memoire and they came from Silkies Rose Farm out at Clonbinane,” Dr Laming said.
“The headstones for the plaques have been made in Seymour. We’ve got a policy of supporting local businesses within Mitchell Shire.”
