Auburn Cemetery Vandalism – Families Still Sought

A plea has gone out to find the relatives of 10 of the 38 grave sites damaged in an horrific vandalism attack at the Auburn Cemetery in late October this year.

Council has now obtained family many of the older graves and contacts for a further eight of the minor damaged graves but is still seeking information for the remaining 10 sites.

Recent vandalism at the Auburn Cemetery continues to mystify, anger and sadden the community and the Clare & Gilbert Valleys Council is working with families to assess the damage, estimated to be in the region of many of thousands of dollars.

A total of 38 graves, headstones and memorials were damaged in the October attack, of which 31 were older headstones dating from 1864 onwards.

Damage has varied between complete destruction, to others which have been broken in several places.

Some of the most conspicuous damage has been to the WWI Memorial for the Millard family and the older, more decorative headstones.

The grave of James and Ann Horne is the oldest damaged headstone, dating from 1864, while one of the prominent recent graves for a young man sustained extensive damage to the glass surface.

“Eleven headstones/memorials have lesser damage including broken decorations, tiles, headstones tipped off bases and so on,” Council’s Acting Chief Executive Officer John Coombe OAM said.

The Clare History Group has been assisting Council in the search for existing family members affected by the destruction.

“If anyone knows of families or contact details of those who have yet to be informed about the vandalism we would be pleased if they would get in touch with Council,” Mr Coombe said.

Clare & Gilbert Valleys Council is available on 08 8842 6400 or email: admin@cgvc.sa.gov.au.

Gravesites affected for which Council is seeking relatives are as follows:

• Charlies A Thomas and Grace Thomas;

• Mary and Guildford Dudley;

• Alfred Harris;

• William and Mary Ann Trimming;

• Eliza and Alfred Reason;

• Charlies and Elizabeth and Lily Thomas;

• Richard and Jane Roberts;

• Henry Kerley;

• Alfred Gustav Schober;

• Samuel Frederick & Annie & Annie Elizabeth Claridge.