Wamberal Cemetery Plan of Management - Gosford City Council

• Monument of special interest include:
- Original ANZAC Jack Christie – 18/10/1964
- To the families of Gleeson, Swadling, Christie, Smith, Ward, Brooks, Scott, Towell, Whitehead
and Nunn.
- Yim Cheung Wong 1986 – only Asian monument at 1991.
- Another is the only Greek inscription to a Scotsman, David Grace.
• The fact that Wamberal wasn’t opened until 1861 suggests little local organised settlement before
then. Borne out in inscriptions referring to ‘pioneers” during the period 1900-1930.
• Significant increases in burials each decade after 1930. There are mainly Anglo-Saxon and few
Roman Catholic burials.
• The majority of headstones are modest, reflecting socio-economic profile.
• Wamberal Cemetery is a valuable historical resource and should be maintained as a monument to the
people of the area.
• The largest number of burials are in the Lawn Cemetery section, opened in 1970.
• Most burials are Church of England and the war periods are reflected in increased male graves.
The following information is drawn principally from the publication “Six Brisbane Water Cemeteries. A
Heritage Tour: by Jillian Baxter and supplemented by the Cemetery Survey undertaken in 1991 by Anne
Jordan.
The Cemetery was drawn up on Survey September 1880. The Plan of Survey provided for the Cemetery to
be divided into the following sections: Church of England, Roman Catholic, Wesleyan, Presbyterian,
Independent and General.
The fact that the Cemetery was not dedicated and opened before 1881, suggests little local organised
settlement before then. This is borne out in inscriptions referring to the deceased having been local are
“pioneers” during the first few decades of the 20 th Century.
The trend obviously continued until as late as the end of the 1960’s, because the largest number of burials in
the Cemetery, are in the Lawn Cemetery section, operational only after 1970. However, compared with the
very early years, there were significant increases in burials each decade after 1930, mainly of Anglo-Saxons
(Protestants) and few Roman Catholics.
Most burials are of Church of England people and the war periods 1914-1918 and 1939- 1945 are reflected
in increased male graves during those periods. The majority of headstone were (and remain) modest,
accurately reflecting the socio-economic profile of the area.
The Cemetery was dedicated the following year, but the earliest burial occurred in 1888. The exact location
of the first grave is not known but it is probably one of the graves in the General section or possibly one of
the unmarked graves. Parts of the Roman Catholic and General Sections were never cleared of scrub and
the present day Cemetery does not contain Wesleyan, Presbyterian or Independent section. The area
originally set aside for them was an unpaved carpark in 1991 and is now (2007). However, many of the dead
were born in the United Kingdom.
Even by 1967 when control and responsibility for management of the cemetery passed to Gosford Council,
the area originally designated for Church of England burials, was not fully used. IN 1970 the remaining area
was converted to Lawn Cemetery use.
The earliest, fully legible gravestone is that of Gladys Dorothy Swadling 12 January 1905, but the illegible
gravestones may be of older dates. If is known that both the Swadling and Gleeson families were local
pioneers. Both families are well represented in the Cemetery. Other families of likely early social significance
are those of: Gleeson, Christie, Smith, Ward, Brooks, Scott, Towell, Whitehead and Nunn, as various of their
number have monuments erected to them.
There is only one obelisk and one sarcophagus in the Cemetery. The headstones are generally ornamented
concrete prior to 1970 and then (Lawn Cemetery mainly), they are generally chunks of pink or black granite.
However, there are a few unusual and interesting monuments. They include:
• The early ones which are of marble with lead lettering - rare in this Cemetery and appear to have been
brought in from Sydney. They are distinctive and would probably have been costly.
• That honouring an original ANZAC Jack Christie, who died on 18 October 1964.
Gosford City Council, Plan of Management Wamberal Cemetery Page 4
Andrews Neil Pty Ltd
FM/07210/051207RevB