As 99 year leases on cemetery plots expire, diggers buried outside protected areas could have their headstones removed and their plots reused.
Percy Bolte is among the fallen, wounded while serving at the western front and later buried in the civil section of Adelaide’s Centennial Park cemetery.
There’s no mention of his military service on his headstone and his grandson Bill Lasscock said that come November, the grave lease expires and could be up for reuse.
Mr Lasscock told SBS that he and a cousin are trying to pull together more than $3000 to extend the grave lease for another 50 years, but fear it’s effectively dead money.
“It’s not about the money, but there are some people out there who can’t afford the money,” he said.
“It’s not just us – we’re not rich, but you can scrape it up if you have to scrape it up. But to save the grave, we’ll pay it.
“The point is after 50 years’ time, if there are no members of the family around, it’s going to get dug up anyway.”
‘It would have to be in the thousands of men who served, whose graves would be coming up’
Deanne Harchant-Nicholls, from Saving Graves South Australia, said that many hundreds - perhaps even thousands - of graves were at risk.
“It would go into the thousands, literally,” she said.
“At Centennial Park alone we’ve identified about 500 that would be in danger in the very near future. So across South Australia, it would have to be in the thousands of men who served, whose graves would be coming up.”
While the Centennial Park Cemetery is doing what it can to help relatives to manage costs by offering internment extensions, Ms Harchant-Nicholls said that doesn’t solve the challenge of ongoing protection.
“What we’re hoping to achieve is to come to some sort of compromise with the cemetery trust that veteran graves won’t be removed and they will be saved in perpetuity,” she said.
“Similar to what’s happened in Victoria where the legislation was passed in early March that no veteran’s grave would be removed.”
‘I don’t think this is a way of looking after them’
The graves of soldiers who died in action or later from wounds are protected by the Federal Government’s Office of Australian War Graves, but those who returned from active duty and got on with their lives may not have any protection depending on where they’re interred.
In the early part of last century, many burial leases were for 99 years, meaning grave leases from the era of the First World War are nearing expiry.
Leases were later issued for 50 years, meaning the graves of veterans who died during the 1960s could also be close to expiry.
The South Australian Government struck a ten year deal at two cemeteries to preserve more than 8000 diggers’ graves outside of federally protected war plots, but only if there’s formal notification of the veteran’s status.
At Centennial Park, thousands of veterans have been commemorated in a special section called Derrick Gardens as a result of the arrangement. That deal is due to expire next year, and cemetery authorities are hoping it will be extended.
Meanwhile, there remain unknown numbers of veterans who have requested burial in civil plots, the future of which rests with families.
If there are no surviving relatives, it means there’s no one to pay the plot lease – and Ms Harchant-Nicholls says it could mean a loss of history.
“We’re losing people, men and women who fought for their country and who the country promised to look after, and I don’t think this is a way of looking after them,” she said.
“But I think what we lose also is a lot of history, just across the board. For example, four years ago when we were in the UK, I was able to visit relatives’ graves that went back to the mid-1700s. Here, we won’t be able to do any of that.”
‘The cost would be absolutely astronomical - many, many, many, many millions of dollars’
Laws regarding the reuse of plots vary from state to state – Victoria has full protection of all graves and no policy of reuse, whereas reuse of all graves is standard practice in Western Australia.
South Australian law was recently changed to provide for in-perpetuity protection, but Centennial Park Cemetery CEO Bryan Elliott said there have been practical obstacles to its implementation.
Mr Elliot said the law in South Australia was changed last year to allow in-perpetuity.
“Obviously the cost of a 50 year interment right is a specific cost - in perpetuity means forever,” he said.
“And if we are to maintain the cemetery and grounds in the manner that people are accustomed to, that cost for perpetuity will be potentially significantly more than a 50 year interment right.”
Bill Denny, chair of South Australia’s RSL Anzac Day committee, said that the question of who should pay the costs of protection of graves is contentious.
“It’s a very convoluted, very difficult way to find an equitable solution,” he said.
“And of course the cost would be absolutely astronomical - many, many, many, many millions of dollars.”
Like Ms Harchant-Nicholls and Mr Elliot, Mr Denny said it was a responsibility beyond the means of individual states and territories.
“Fighting for the nation was a national obligation, it wasn’t a state thing,” he said.
“So you’ve got to remember that the state’s being asked to pick this up on behalf of, effectively you’d think if anyone is going to pick this up it would be the federal government.”
‘He fought, he did what he had to do. Leave him alone’
The continuing debate is of little comfort to relatives like Mr Lasscock, who want the certainty of their ancestors final resting place being just that – final.
“He deserves not to be dug up – or anyone for that matter,” he said.
“I’d like to see across the board that nobody gets touched, but obviously that’s not going to happen. But that’s the way I feel about it.
“He fought, he did what he had to do. Leave him alone.”
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