Nyora Cemetery
Our buried treasures
It's one of our nicest local gardens. Manicured, practical, respectful, peaceful. A lasting tribute and resting place for many of our early settlers and their descendants. The Nyora cemetery accommodates more than 400 internments.
On average, about every six weeks there is a call from the undertakers announcing an impending arrival. Recently the cemetery went for six months with no incoming traffic. Then three funerals in the space of four weeks. That's how it is. The attending mourners , limited of late due to Covid restrictions, are well pleased with this pleasant rural garden setting.
Forty years ago the cemetery Trust didn't enjoy the same status. Bracken fern grew unchecked, blackberries crept closer to headstones, the lawns were grass rather than lawn, there was talk of locking the non-existent gate permanently. The mid eighties saw a revival of the Nyora cemetery and the Trust members over recent decades deserve due recognition.
A series of "departures" and Trust members retiring, or retiring to warmer climates, has left the Nyora Cemetery Trust with just three members. Geoff Ferrier has been on duty for 40 years, Daryl Smith and Peter Levey both for 14 years. The grounds and the books are a credit to this now small band of volunteers.
The graves are dug and filled mechanically. Gone is the spade work and wooden beams made famous in early movies. A gardening contractor is paid to mow the lawns. Daryl spends any spare hours "doing the edges", pruning, planting and presenting.
Geoff has a story to tell about every plot.
Peter has been the Secretary/Treasurer for most of his time on the Trust dealing with all things administrative and clerical. He speaks highly of Cemetery Trust Victoria.The ambit of any Trust is to maintain both the physical and the financial. It all screams civic duty, town pride, care and respect.
The gardens use a third of the fifteen acre site. The earliest internments date back to the 1890's. One of Loch's founding fathers, Augustus Richard Smith is buried at Nyora.
A plot costs $1,500, a figure mandated by Government authority. The cemetery Trust receives no annual funding allocation. New projects like the developing Lawn Cemetery attract Shire funding from time to time.
If you have the urge to volunteer, talk to Geoff, Daryl or Peter about being elected to the Nyora Cemetery Trust. They would welcome some new blood.
Geoff says "it's time the next generation, history buffs, gardeners and community minded people helped perpetuate this iconic and necessary asset". Cemetery Trusts are committed to equal opportunity and provide a free induction course on the finer points of your local cemetery.
Geoff Ferrier 5659 6333
Daryl Smith 0438 596 408
Peter Levey 0409 809 795