Karrakatta Cemetery

Child Places

• 13628 Perth War Cemetery: West Australian Garden of Remembrance
• 13627 Perth War Cemetery: Dutch War Cemetery
• 04376 Norfolk Island Pine Trees, Karrakatta Cemetery
• 17706 Annie Whistler-Dorrington Grave
• 13626 Perth War Cemetery: Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery

Statement of Significance

The Karrakatta Cemetery has strong aesthetic, historic, social, scientific and representative cultural heritage
value. A close look at the development of the cemetery reflects the growth of Perth's population and a
transition of customs and traditions surrounding burial and cremation ceremonies. As a final resting place of
many prominent Perth citizens it has an historic link to politics and social change. Karrakatta is a fine and
leading example of a class of cemeteries in W A.

History

The Karrakatta Cemetery covers an area of approximately 98 hectares. The City of Nedlands has special
rights to seven hectares behind the Perth War Cemetery in the south east corner. This land acts as a buffer,
supposedly to minimise the cemetery's proximity to nearby schools.

The Board of Trustees of the Karrakatta Cemetery was gazetted on 12 November 1897 and met for the first
time a mere seven days later. Mr Alexander Forrest, brother of the Premier, Sir John Forrest, was the first
Chairman. The Board's office was situated at 18 Weld Chambers, St Georges Terrace, Perth before it moved
to Karrakatta itself in 1921.

In the beginning, conditions at the cemetery were extremely primitive. As no real road existed to this large
stretch of bushland, access to funerals was either by rail, or by cart or sulky following the horse-drawn hearse.
In 1917 the cemetery was described 'as a thoroughly disgraceful affair'. The Board even went as far as
offering to pay up to one-third of the cost of repair and maintenance, just to keep its main access road -
Railway or Subiaco Road, in good order.

A study of Karrakatta Cemetery Board records reveals the calibre of the men who administered it. The lists
contain many names important in the history of our State - men such as Sir Winthrop Hackett. LieutenantGeneral
Sir J Talbot Hobbs, Mr T G A Molloy, Sir Thomas Meagher, and many others. But one who deserves
more than passing mention is the Board's Secretary from 1901 to 1946, Mr Lionel T Boas. He can be given
much of the credit for the final transition from bush to some semblance of a cemetery, and its consolidation
into a Memorial Park known and admired throughout W A. He must have faced a daunting task. When he
assumed office he had a paltry staff. When he retired (his last report was dated 30 June 1946) his staff had
grown to Secretary and Assistant Secretary, superintendent and head gardener, a relieving superintendent, one
clerk, five grave diggers, thirteen gardeners, one truck-driver and a cremation attendant. His superintendent,
Kenneth Beaton, had completed thirty-three years service, and his assistance secretary, Mr Wilfred Brophy,
twenty-two. Of his outside staff, nine had been in the service of the Board from sixteen years to forty-two.
Lionel Boas was a brother of Mr Harold Boas, who designed the Nedlands Park Hotel, and was also the
cemetery's architect.

A top administrator, Lionel Boas was scrupulous about office records and kept a vigi lant eye on Board
finances. He prepared plans for all sections of the cemetery, researched its history and in days before
typewriters were in common use, he wrote out his reports and minutes in a beautiful flowing hand.

After World War I, the 1919 influenza epidemic caused many deaths, and the cemetery had a sudden rush of
interments. During the Depression - in order to assist the unemployed - the Board offered work to several
hundred men to grub out trees and cut up the wood for fuel. More than 2,000 loads of firewood were thus
removed from the cemetery. In the 1950s the Board found similar work for many New Australians.

The first cremation took place on 30 November 1937.

Among the hundreds of important graves in Karrakatta are three worthy of a special mention: Lord John
Forrest, Sir James Mitchell and John Curtin. When the latter was buried in July 1945, more than 30,000
people attended the cemetery on that day. These graves are among a number that are noted on the Karrakatta
Historic Trail.

No less than thirty-four religious and national denominations are provided for in their own special section in
the total area. There are about forty-two kilometres of roadways. In the early days water troughs for horses
and teams were placed in strategic spots. One such trough is in the keeping of the Royal Western Australian
Historical Society at Stirling House in Broadway, Nedlands.

Changes to Kan·akatta have been created with transitions in tradition and ceremony surrounding death.
Cremation has increasingly been chosen. By 1971 cremation accounted for half the services. By 1997 this
proportion had increased to 79.5% of all services. By 1997 133,000 cremations and 186,600 burials had been
performed at Karrakatta Cemetery.

It is important to note that the story of the cemetery is dynamic. Changes in custom has still not relieved all
the pressure on the increasing need for land. This pressure has led to the renewal programme of existing
graves. Karrakatta, which is now under the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan Cemeteries Board, needs constant
maintenance and the 1990s has seen total renovation and rebuilding projects of the Chapels and Crematorium.
The old church which had been previously used was recycled by being transferred to Kings Park. It is today
used by the Vietnam Veterans Association.

Three chapels today (1998) are used, Norfolk (after Norfolk Pine trees nearby), Dench and Brown (after
Chairmen of the Works and Finance Committees). A new service has also been supplied in the construction
of the Mausoleum in 1995. This is new to WA, other changes include the expansion of the present
administration offices in the mid 1990s. To enable this expansion the Lodge had to be moved further north
near the entrance way.

Karrakatta cemetery has had a number of buildings over its 100 years of operation. Still standing are the
Lodge (built in 1897) for the original caretaker, the Waiting House (built in 1906) and the Administration
Office from the 1930s. The Administration office, however, is greatly changed as this was extended over a
period of time with the latest changes made in the 1990s.

Condition

Good

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Last Update

Disclaimer

This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.