Community comment sought on Garrawarra cemetery

MEDIARELEASE

19 September 2013

Wollongong City Council is inviting all community members to have a say on the future management of the Waterfall General (Garrawarra) Cemetery.

The cemetery, located North West of Helensburgh, was used from 1909 to 1949 as a burial site for more than 2000 tuberculosis patients from the nearby Waterfall Sanatorium, which operates today as the Garrawarra Centre.

Care of the abandoned cemetery was handed to Council in 1967, along with four other general cemeteries that were in use at the time (Helensburgh, Scarborough, Bulli and Wollongong]. The site has not been actively managed for many years and in 2012 Council resolved to prepare a conservation management plan and consult with the community on options for future management.

Today, the site has almost completely returned to bushland, and there is currently no public access.

Since 2012, Council has been conducting research into the issues presented by the site. A draft Conservation Management Plan has been prepared by consultants BIOSIS. Council is now asking the public to comment on the various options available for the site's future management.

Wollongong City Lord Mayor Councillor Gordon Bradbery OAM said: “This is a site that has great significance, not only for our area, but also for New South Wales, and further afield. As Waterfall Sanatorium was the only state-run facility for this purpose, tuberculosis patients came from all over New South Wales, and even from other countries, to seek treatment there.

“The site's greatest value lies in the human stories behind it. The debilitating effect that tuberculosis had in the early 20^th century is something that's difficult for us to comprehend.

“While the site is in an overgrown condition and presents us with a lot of challenges, there is still a surprising amount of physical evidence remaining that gives us insight into its history. It's important that we manage this site appropriately to preserve this evidence of an important chapter in our city's past.”

Exhibition documents and feedback forms are available on Council's website, along with a copy of the original Burial Register for the cemetery and a photographic index of identifiable graves located within the Cemetery.

A short documentary-style film, Not Forgotten: The Story of Waterfall General Cemetery, has also been produced to provide people with an insight into both the history and current condition of the site.

Council would also like to hear from anyone who has photographs, documents or other information about the cemetery, or the nearby hospital, in the first half of the 1900s, to help us better understand the history of this significant site.

All community members can make a comment or suggestion on how to manage this cemetery from 20 September to 15 November 2013.

For those wanting more information, a drop-in information session will be held at Council's Administration Building on Thursday 24 October from 5pm to 7pm.

For more information you can contact Council's Customer Service on (02) 4227 7111 or visit Council's Have Your Say website.