Fawkner Crematorium and Memorial Park

Fawkner Memorial Park is located in the northern Melbourne suburb of Hadfield, Victoria, Australia. It is the largest cemetery by land size in the state, and managed by Greater Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust. Merlynston Creek, a tributary of Merri Creek, is a major geographical feature running through both Fawkner Cemetery and the Northern Memorial Park. History In 1906, the Municipal Cemetery, Fawkner (as it was then called) opened to meet the needs of the north . The cemetery was designed and run by Charles Heath, a surveyor and architect. The first burial took place on 10 December 1906. This was considered to be the unofficial opening of the cemetery. The funeral was conducted by John Allison from Sydney Road. The cemetery was adjacent to Fawkner railway station on the Upfield line, with special trains carrying the deceased to the cemetery from 1906 to 1939. In 1952, the Jewish section of the cemetery was desecrated. On 1 November 1997, Mersina Halvagis was murdered in the cemetery by Peter Dupas. Management Fawkner Memorial Park is operated by Greater Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust (GMCT), who manage 18 other sites across Victoria, Australia. Interments Lilian Alexander (1861–1934), pioneering surgeon John Barrett (1858–1928), Senator John Batman (1801–1839), pioneer, one of the founders of Melbourne Kathleen Best (1910–1957), founder of the Women's Royal Australian Army Corps Thomas Blamey (1884–1951), Field Marshal (cremated) Ellen Cahill (1863 – 1934), street singer also known as "Killarney Kate" Deirdre Cash (1924–1963), novelist, wrote under the nom-de-plume "Criena Rohan" George Ward Cole (1793–1879), pioneer Revel Cooper (c.1934–1983), Nyoongar artist Charles Dight (1813–1852), pioneer Alphonse Gangitano (1957–1998), underworld identity James Henry Gardiner (1848–1921), North Melbourne Football Club founder and administrator Pinchas Goldhar (1901–1947), writer Henry Gregory (1860–1940), WA politician Edward Harrington (1895–1966), writer Sybil Irving (1897–1973), army officer, founder of the Australian Women's Army Service Donald Alaster Macdonald (1859–1932), nature writer, conservationist Kylie Maybury (1978–1984), murder victim Arthur William Murphy (1891-1963), Air Commodore, aviator (cremated) Charlie Mutton (1890–1989), Labor politician Laurie Nash (1910–1986), footballer and Test cricketer (cremated) Jack Patten (1905–1957), Koori activist, leader, writer Peeter Pedaja (1931-1985), Estonian-Australian adventurer Marie Pitt (1869–1948), journalist James Quinn (1853–1934), finder of Ireland's famous Ardagh Chalice also known as the Ardagh Hoard Mark "Chopper" Read (1954–2013), underworld identity and writer Alice Ross-King (1891–1968), nurse in both world wars, "Australia's most decorated female" Bernard Rubin (1896–1936), first Australian winner of 24 Hours of Le Mans and member of the Bentley Boys William Ruthven VC (1893–1970), soldier, politician Isaac Selby (1859–1956), historian Ernie Shepherd (1901–1958), Labor politician Issy Smith VC (1890–1940), soldier, born Ishroulch Shmeilowitz Ethel Spowers (1890–1947), artist Lyra Taylor (1894–1979), pioneering social worker Alfred Tipper (1867–1944), outsider artist, showman, cyclist Frank Traynor (1927–1985), jazz musician War Graves Fawkner Memorial Park contains the war graves of 173 Commonwealth service personnel from World War I and World War II. In addition Fawkner Crematorium has a Commonwealth War Graves Commission memorial to 28 Australian service personnel of World War II – 23 soldiers, 4 airmen and one naval officer – who were cremated there. They included Elwyn Roy King (1894–1941) who had been a fighter ace in World War I. References External links Greater Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust Fawkner Memorial Park – Billion Graves