Consultation on possible Pine Lodge cemetery headstone changes

The 43 people either have a loved one buried in one row of the cemetery or have bought a plot there.

The row in question has been the subject of community outrage recently, with RPCV changing the layout of the graves from having an angled raised headstone that is uniform with all of the others in the row, to having a flat footpath-like surface.

Under the current version of this row, people then stick their plaques to the flat concrete base or pay to have it on a piece of granite that sits flat to the path.

It is a concept that many of those with loved ones buried there in the past five months are upset with.

Eleven family members met with new RPCV chief executive officer Lauretta Stace on Tuesday, September 12.

State Member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell also met with Ms Stace the same day.

On Friday, September 15, an RPCV spokesperson said letters had been written to the 43 rights of internment holders to gain approval to change back to the original style of graves.

“The letter is part of the process RPCV is following to engage with all of the impacted customers at Pine Lodge,” the spokesperson said.

She also said the matter of angled headstones was on the agenda of an RPCV infrastructure committee meeting on Wednesday, September 20.

“The CEO’s recommendation is to revert the (flat) beam back to angled,” the spokesperson said.