Bunbury Cemetery Board Halt the 28-Day Removal of Family Graveside Tributes!
The issue
Our family is devastated. Thirteen years ago, our beautiful daughter passed away suddenly at just 36, leaving behind two children. Due to traumatic family dynamics and legal restrictions, her grave does not have a commercial, professional headstone. Instead, for 13 years, we have poured our love into a beautiful, safe, and neat homemade gravesite tribute that matches the size and scale of the surrounding plots.
Recently, the Bunbury Cemetery Board appointed new management. Without warning, families are being given an aggressive 28-day ultimatum: remove all private setups, homemade memorials, and tributes, or the graves will be stripped back to plain lawn with nothing but a number.
My daughters father only found out yesterday about the above order through a family friend who received formal notice about his own family member, otherwise we may not have received any warning (our family has no legal rights to her gravesite, her husband at the time of her death continues to have full legal control of her gravesite & still refuses to relinquish that control). Her father informed me and we both (forever linked as grieving parents) immediately went to the Bunbury Cemetery office for information and what happens to families who are trapped in legal battles, or who simply cannot afford thousands of dollars for a professional mason, we were literally met with shrugged shoulders from the new "manager" and told, "see the by-laws," a copy given to us & no further comment.
This is cruel, heartless, and completely lacks basic human empathy. Many families are doing the absolute best they can amidst poverty, trauma, and grief to honour their lost loved ones.
We are demanding that the Bunbury Cemetery Board immediately place a halt on the 28-day enforcement to allow for fair public consultation, compassionate extensions, and affordable, safe alternatives for families who cannot install professional headstones.
Please sign and share to stand up for dignity in grief. Our loved ones are more than just a number!
#DignityInGrief #BunburyCemetery #SouthWestWA #CommunityAction
733
The issue
Our family is devastated. Thirteen years ago, our beautiful daughter passed away suddenly at just 36, leaving behind two children. Due to traumatic family dynamics and legal restrictions, her grave does not have a commercial, professional headstone. Instead, for 13 years, we have poured our love into a beautiful, safe, and neat homemade gravesite tribute that matches the size and scale of the surrounding plots.
Recently, the Bunbury Cemetery Board appointed new management. Without warning, families are being given an aggressive 28-day ultimatum: remove all private setups, homemade memorials, and tributes, or the graves will be stripped back to plain lawn with nothing but a number.
My daughters father only found out yesterday about the above order through a family friend who received formal notice about his own family member, otherwise we may not have received any warning (our family has no legal rights to her gravesite, her husband at the time of her death continues to have full legal control of her gravesite & still refuses to relinquish that control). Her father informed me and we both (forever linked as grieving parents) immediately went to the Bunbury Cemetery office for information and what happens to families who are trapped in legal battles, or who simply cannot afford thousands of dollars for a professional mason, we were literally met with shrugged shoulders from the new "manager" and told, "see the by-laws," a copy given to us & no further comment.
This is cruel, heartless, and completely lacks basic human empathy. Many families are doing the absolute best they can amidst poverty, trauma, and grief to honour their lost loved ones.
We are demanding that the Bunbury Cemetery Board immediately place a halt on the 28-day enforcement to allow for fair public consultation, compassionate extensions, and affordable, safe alternatives for families who cannot install professional headstones.
Please sign and share to stand up for dignity in grief. Our loved ones are more than just a number!
#DignityInGrief #BunburyCemetery #SouthWestWA #CommunityAction
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Petition created on 9 September 2026