Hoons have caused grief by busting into Helensburgh Cemetery and driving over graves, litter is a problem and the entry portico remains a controversial topic, residents heard at the Neighbourhood Forum 1 meeting on March 12 at Helensburgh Community Rooms.
Afterwards, a Wollongong City Council spokesperson told the Flame that council is taking action to protect the historic bushland cemetery.
"In 2024 we responded to community concerns about vehicles driving on graves by placing sandstone blocks around graves. We’ve also restricted access to certain areas has been completed to ensure graves are not further impacted," the spokesperson said.
"We also encourage people visiting the cemetery to report to Council any concerns or issues through our Customer Service team. If people witness anti-social behaviour at the site, this should be reported to the NSW Police."
Portico to go
The cemetery's entry portico – built in the 1960s and badly damaged by a truck one night in 2021 – has been the subject of heated debate, with some residents seeing its upcoming removal as a big loss.
In an online council quick poll, 73 per cent of respondents voted to repair the portico and construct a new access road. This was part of a wider consultation, run last year via Our Wollongong, which also included a community survey.
Helensburgh and District Historical Society deems the 1960s structure of no heritage value and has welcomed council’s $235,000 plan to knock it down and build a sandstone arch with a wrought-iron gate that hearses may access. Society members said restoring the portico would not only cost more, it would require another entry road to be built, putting historic grave sites at risk.
A development application for the "demolition of existing damaged portico structure, fixtures and associated concrete footings and tree pruning" at Helensburgh Cemetery is on exhibition until April 3.
"We anticipate the first stage, which includes the demolition of the portico and reinstating the driveway, will be completed as soon as possible should approval be granted," the council spokesperson said. "At this stage, we don’t have a timeframe locked in for these works. The improvement works at the site will include better fencing and entrance gates along Cemetery Road.”
To view the DA, visit council's webpage.
Keeping it tidy
Residents at the March NF1 meeting were also worried about litter, including people not picking up after their dogs.
Council's spokesperson said: “There are bins on site for the disposal of rubbish, including dog poo, and we encourage everyone to use them… Council has a scheduled rotation for a works team who undertake mowing and general maintenance, at the cemetery approximately every three weeks. They also support burial and ash interments at the site.
"The cemetery has capacity for both burial and ash interments in a variety of locations across the site. The cemetery currently has approximately 796 interments."
Trees growing into graves
As reported last week, the Helensburgh and District Historical Society has been campaigning for 20 years to remove big trees growing into graves.
Asked about the delay, the council spokesperson said: “We have some tree-removal works planned for a small area within the Cemetery’s Catholic section.
"We have investigated the potential removal of some trees within the pauper area of the cemetery. However, due to their well-established nature, there is too greater risk of potentially disturbing remains within the unmarked graves within some of the cemetery’s oldest sites. Instead, these trees will remain in place.’’