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Politician calls for sacking of cemetery trust directors

By Monique Preston

Jan 30, 2023

Sad: Ash Napolitano was among locals angered to discover items had been removed from loved one’s graves at Pine Lodge cemetery. She is pictured at her son, Hunter Boyle’s grave after many of his toys and other momentos were removed. Photo by Rechelle Zammit

A Shepparton politician is calling for the directors of the organisation that runs the Pine Lodge cemetery to be sacked after mementos were removed from graves.

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State Member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell Remembrance Parks Central Victoria – which runs the Pine Lodge cemetery as well as 11 others – was a Class A Cemetery Trust and as such was appointed by the government.

Ms Lovell has called on Victorian Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas to sack the directors of Remembrance Parks Central Victoria after grieving families were left devastated by the removal of personal keepsakes from the graves without any warning or consultation.

Ms Lovell described the removal of items from headstones without prior consultation with families as a heartless decision that has caused unimaginable grief and said the entire board of directors should be immediately sacked and replaced with an administrator until a more compassionate board could be appointed.

Ms Lovell said this heartless act comes in the wake of Remembrance Parks Central Victoria’s controversial proposal in 2022 to introduce exorbitant price rises for internment and cremation services.

This move was overturned following pressure in parliament from Ms Lovell and The National leader and Member for Murray Plains Peter Walsh and significant negative media regarding the issue.

Remembrance Parks Central Victoria’s mission statement and values require the trust to deliver a caring service and act with compassion and integrity.

Clearly, the trust only complies with these requirements when a spotlight is shone on their decisions that are not compassionate or in the best interests of the public, Ms Lovell said.

“The honouring of departed loved ones by grieving families is a very emotional issue and a compassionate cemetery trust would fully engage with families before taking any action,” she said.

“It’s something that must be handled with utmost delicacy.”

Ms Lovell said she could understand the need to make the cemeteries safe but that the directors needed to work with the families about how to do so.

“There needs to be dialogue and not just go through and clear,” Ms Lovell said.

“I think there’s a pattern of behaviour of no compassion and not consulting.”