Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and Urban Water) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Acting Deputy President, I pose this question to you: what do an American ballerina with a Russian stage name; internationally renowned musician and composer Percy Grainger; South Australia's first Premier, Boyle Finniss; artist Horace Trenerry; and four Victoria Cross recipients have in common? Well you may wonder, Madam Acting Deputy President. The answer is that they are all buried in the Adelaide West Terrace Cemetery and have been commemorated by a unique, self-guided, 90-minute heritage trail.

More than 150,000 people are buried in the West Terrace Cemetery, which is operated by the Adelaide Cemeteries Authority. This trail, which opened recently, reflects the innovative and imaginative way the authority and its staff see the very special role that cemeteries play in our history. The West Terrace Cemetery's historical value has been recognised by state heritage listing. I am not aware of any other cemetery in Australia that has approached the concept of heritage, tourism and interpretation in such an innovative way.

This heritage trail transforms the cemetery into a centre for cultural tourism, education and research. This enhancement of West Terrace Cemetery provides a unique and engaging visitor experience and contributes to the state's reputation as a leading cultural tourism destination. Visitors to the cemetery can collect a brochure at the main entrance and navigate their way to 29 sites that provide unique insights into the state's history and the lives of both eminent and everyday South Australians. Regular guided tours are also available with the valuable and enthusiastic support of the authority's volunteers. The trail is part of the authority's continued commitment to the conservation, management and promotion of the cemetery's cultural and heritage value. As Adelaide's principal cemetery for almost 100 years, the historic West Terrace Cemetery brings together one of the most complete histories of the state, from colonisation to the present day. Visitors can immerse themselves in the captivating and long-forgotten stories of the state's early pioneers, notable figures and controversial characters. They can discover the famous names and noteworthy people who have shaped South Australia's arts, industry, government and society. They can also delve into the social and cultural beliefs and attitudes of the living community that created and developed the cemetery.

Visitors can see how changes in society are reflected in the way the dead have been commemorated. Among the people they meet as they walk the heritage trail are: composer Percy Grainger; political icon Charles Cameron Kingston—the Canberra suburb I stay in was named after him; women's suffrage campaigner Mary Colton; and campaigner for women's working rights Augusta Zadow. Augusta Zadow's tombstone, incidentally, was paid for—I am sure you are interested in this, Madam Acting Deputy President—by nearly 1,000 threepenny subscriptions, raised by the South Australian Trades and Labour Council, in honour of her tireless efforts on behalf of the labour movement.

The heritage trail also takes in the final resting places of: musician and composer Carl Linger, who composed Song of Australia; pharmaceuticals entrepreneur Francis Faulding; American ballerina Madeleine Parker, who performed under the Russian stage name Mira Dimina, and who died while on tour in Adelaide; and merchant and Chinese community leader Yett Soo War Way Lee. This person might be of more appeal to you, Senator Joyce: media magnate, politician and philanthropist Sir John Langdon Bonython. This one will not appeal to you so much: there is also the grave of socialist and feminist campaigner Julia Margaret (Bella) Guerin.

In the Jewish section of the cemetery, visitors will find businessman, state Premier and member of the first Commonwealth parliament, Vaiben Solomon. In the Australian Imperial Force section, they can see simple marble headstones marking the graves of the state's Victoria Cross recipients: Arthur Seaforth Blackburn, Joergen Christian Jensen, Philip Davey and Reginald Roy Inwood.

Also buried in the West Terrace Cemetery are the first governor of the Adelaide jail, William Baker Ashton, and police constable William Hyde, who was killed in the line of duty in 1909. The West Terrace Cemetery also has the Overland Telegraph Monument, a memorial to four telegraph workers killed and injured in incidents at Barrow Creek and Roper River, in the Northern Territory.

West Terrace is also home to the Smyth Memorial Chapel, which has a connection to Australia's first saint, Mother Mary MacKillop. Among those buried beneath the chapel are members of the Catholic clergy who were key figures in the Mary MacKillop story. I was recently in the Catholic section of West Terrace Cemetery for the burial of my cousin Joan Farrell. While I was there I noticed the grave of John Malone just nearby. John Malone went to school at Christian Brothers College in Adelaide, with my grandfather, and they went off to fight in World War I together. John Malone's granddaughter, Justice Rosie Davey, recently used my grandfather's war letters to retrace their steps on a battlefield tour in France. That is the sort of very personal history that can be found in a cemetery. West Terrace Cemetery also features the Caroline Emily Clark Memorial Garden—a contemporary memorial to those buried in unmarked graves. Those who walk the heritage trail are able to see South Australia's history through the eyes of the people who helped shape the state. They can imagine the world the early pioneers inhabited and the lives they would have led.

The trail is just the beginning. Over time, additional trails will be developed and existing facilities refreshed to give people more reasons to visit and to return to the cemetery. Progressively, the trails will delve into the cemetery's development and the social and cultural beliefs and customs of the community that created it. They can also explore the diverse monuments and symbolism present in the cemetery and the remnant native vegetation found on site. There are literally thousands of monuments in the cemetery, and together their designs and inscriptions offer a fascinating insight into life in South Australia. Each has its own unique tale to tell: the tragic loss of a child; the legacy of a patriarch; bravery and resilience in the face of adversity.

People are encouraged to take some time, as they weave their way through the cemetery, to read the stories immortalised in these silent memorials. The cemetery has provided an unexpected refuge for native plants, so walkers are also able to see some rare and endangered species that have long been cleared from the Adelaide Plains.

The board and staff of the Adelaide Cemetery Authority are to be congratulated on this trail, which was launched earlier this year. Already hundreds of locals and visitors have walked the trail, either independently or as part of a guided tour, and have found their experiences extremely rewarding. It is a unique trail, and one that many other cemeteries in Australia could benefit by following.