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Armidale Cemetery Damaged Gravestones
In
the early hours of Sunday 4th
October 2009 vandals desecrated many graves in the Armidale cemetery.
Headstones were pulled from graves, many were broken and some were
smashed beyond repair. Initial estimates put the cost of complete repair
of the damage between $400,000 and $500,000.
Armidale Dumaresq Council and Piddington Funeral Directors have made an
audit of the damage, assessed the number of broken stones and determined
the names of the families affected by the damage. Council is attempting
to locate the relatives of those whose graves were vandalised. However,
most of the headstones are old and the families may have moved from the
area. A list of damaged graves originally identified is available.
Apparently there has been a few more graves damaged since the original
vandalism; supplementary list should be available shortly.
Click here to view/print the
current list.
Many of the marble headstones were carved by master craftsmen; they are
thick Florentine marble with glorious three-dimensional carvings. These
memorials are irreplaceable but, with the aid of modern adhesives, some
may be able to be restored to their former glory. Ron Piddington of
Piddington Funeral Directors is coordinating the rectification work and
he can be contacted on: 02 6772 2288.
Armidale Dumaresq Council, at the urging of the Armidale Historical
Society and the Armidale Family History Group, has set up a Trust fund
in an attempt to raise some money to help repair graves where families
can’t be located, or for those who cannot afford to pay for restoration
of the damage. We urgently need more funds to help with this enormous
task. People wishing to donate to the Trust should contact Armidale
Dumaresq Council on: 02 6770 3600 or 1300 136 833 |