Affiliated Cemeteries and Memorial Parks

Riverstone

Riverstone Cemetery is a traditional rural cemetery of monumental graves situated at the corner of Cemetery Road and Garfield Road West, Angus. THIS CEMETERY IS NOW CLOSED FOR ANY NEW BURIAL.

Maintenance and repair of existing gravesites

Blacktown council owns the land of Riverstone cemetery and has granted perpetual interment rights for burial to plot owners. The holder of the interment right (nominated surviving relative of the deceased) is responsible for maintenance and repair of their gravesite(s).

Kemps Creek

Catholic Cemeteries & Crematoria is a trust established by the Archdiocese of Sydney, with a tradition that dates back to 1867. The agency currently manages five Catholic and general cemeteries within the greater Western Sydney region and is charged with the special mission of creating and maintaining sacred burial places for all we serve.

Kemps Creek Cemetery’s Muslim section is also fully managed by Catholic Cemeteries & Crematoria trust as such.

Rookwood

Rookwood Cemetery has operated continuously since 1867, making it one of the oldest working cemeteries in Australia. Today Rookwood serves as a significant and fascinating source of Australian history, dating from Victorian to more recent times.

All burials were through carpenters/cabinet makers doubling as undertakers in early years and it’s difficult to identify the date of the first burial of Muslim deceased at Rookwood, but it’s not unrealistic to assume it would be late 1800’s. The first section was opened for Muslim burial in the Anglican section of the cemetery in 1900. Headstones were not mandatory in those days but there is a headstone located there dating back to July 1919, as a proof of burial in the section. A second Muslim section with headstones was found as part of the independent section in 1974. The first land allocation by the government of NSW for Muslim-only burial at Rookwood was in 1979 and it was developed by the Muslim community in 1983.

Following NSW cemetery legislation reforms, Rookwood General Cemeteries Reserve Trust (RGCRT) was established in 2012 to unite Rookwood’s former Anglican, General, Independent, Jewish and Muslim Trusts; each of which had previously managed parts of the cemetery.

With over 6000 burials on the site, only a limited number of plots are still available for Muslim burial at Rookwood cemetery. The search is now on to find a new home for our dead.

Varroville

In 2013, the Catholics bought a 113-hectare parcel at Varroville, which could provide 136,000 burial spaces. It has overwhelming public approval but pending council and state government approval to proceed with development. The Catholics also acquired 42 hectares at Wallacia, where it plans to create 88,000 burial spaces to meet ongoing demand and ensure equitable access to interment by all faiths – says Peter O’Meara.

If these cemeteries are approved, based on the success of MCB’s partnership at Kemps Creek we hope to reserve a sizable Muslim section at both Varroville and Wallacia to cater for future needs.

Discussions are ongoing as the development application progresses through government functions.