About Us

• Establishment and Purpose:

  • The Friends of Balmoral Cemetery Inc. (FOBC) was founded on 28 July in 2001 with the goal of preserving and enhancing Brisbane’s historic Balmoral Cemetery.

  •  We are a small but high energy group with a vision to work to maintain, preserve and document history of those buried in Balmoral Cemetery.

  • The Balmoral Cemetery holds historical significance and continues to be a place of remembrance and preservation.

• History of Balmoral Cemetery:

  • Originally known as the Kangaroo Point Burial Ground, the cemetery had various other names over time.

  • It was also referred to as the Bulimba and Balmoral Cemetery, the Bulimba Cemetery, and the Morningside Cemetery before adopting the name Balmoral Cemetery about 50 years ago.

  • The name “Balmoral” comes from Gaelic, meaning “beautiful residence” or “majestic castle”. The surveyor John Watson named gave the area Balmoral after the town of his birth in Scotland.

  • Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It was associated with one of  Queen Elizabeth 11 favourite residences and where she passed away on 8 September 2022.

  • The area was previously called “Toogoolawah” by Aborigines, signifying “place of the heart”. 

• Establishment and Growth:

  • In 1864, an area of 55 acres was surveyed for the cemetery due to the growing population in Brisbane and the need for additional burial space.

  • Pioneers settled in the area to farm crops such as cotton, bananas, and sugar.

  • Access to the area from the north of Brisbane was limited until the construction of the bridge over Norman Creek in 1856. Previously access to this south east area was by ferry across the river to Bulimba or by travelling from Kangaroo Point to Stones Corner.

  • Residential Most subdivisions commenced from the early 1880s.

• Initial Trustees and Burials:

  • In 1865, a public meeting in Kangaroo Point announced the selected site for the cemetery and nominated the initial trustees. These were;   Mr. McDonald (Secretary ) , Mr. Eliott (Church of Scotland), Mr Douglas (Church of England); Mr. Darragh (Church of Rome), Mr. Augstein (German Lutheran), Mr. Cairncross (Church of Scotland), Mr. Lyons (Church of Rome) and Mr. Male (Wesleyan).  July 1869 the land for the cemetery was finally gazetted.

  • The first burial date remains uncertain, but  2024 research suggests it may have been Mrs. Eliza Davis of Bulimba in 1874. Eliza passed away in Bulimba on 20 June 1874 and her death certificate states she was buried on 21 June 1874. Over 150 years ago.

  • The first funeral advertised in local newspapers was that of Mrs. Thorpe Riding in 1877. Mrs Riding predeceased her husband by only 12 days.

• Other early Trustees and  Burials:

  • Trustees in 1877 included Wilhelm Wendt, Andrew Joseph Thynne, and Robert Jamieson.

  • While still referred to as the Kangaroo Point Cemetery, the name Bulimba Cemetery was also in use during this period.

  • An early burial involved William Pointon, a 8-year-old who drowned in Norman Creek in 1879. His brother George, who died of diphtheria aged 6 years old on 22 June 1874 and was buried in Brisbane Cemetery (Lang Park), was later reinterred to Bulimba Cemetery alongside his brother William. William and Georges’ parents William Pointon (7May 1842-11 July 1932) and Annie M. Pointon (26 October 1842-15 January 1928) are also buried in this grave.

  • The Pointon family grave is located near the cemetery gates off Bennetts Road entrance. Portion 1 Plots 63 and 64

• Early improvements:

  • In February 1879, the Brisbane Courier advertised tenders for stumping and fencing ten acres at the “Kangaroo Point Cemetery.”

  • Mr. J. Male, a grocer (shop opposite Kangaroo Point School near Quinton Street) and one of the original Trustees, oversaw the project.

  • The Male family grave is in Portion 1 Plot128.

• Land Reduction and Recreation Reserve:

  • Originally spanning 55 acres, the cemetery’s size was reduced to around 15 acres in 1891 due to the extension of the rail line to Cleveland.

  • The remaining acres to the southwest became Balmoral Park, a recreation reserve.

• Frederick Wecker and Greenslopes:

  • Frederick Wecker, another early Trustee, loved the area and expressed his wish to be buried there.

  • His impressive grave stands at the highest point of the cemetery.

  • Wecker Road in Mansfield was named after him, and the suburb of Greenslopes derived from “Wecker’s green slopes.” Wecker grew lucerne on the sloping land. He passed away aged 82 in 1910. Portion 8 Plot 312.

• Stone Wall and Administrative Changes:

  • The stone wall surrounding the site is believed to have been built during the 1930s depression years as part of a labour relief program.

  • Early administrative arrangements faced criticism in the 1900s especially around inaccuracies in early cemetery records and the maintenance of the cemetery.

  • In July 1911, management and control were transferred to the Balmoral Shire Council, with this move ratified by  Queensland Executive Council in 1912.

  • In 1924, the City of Brisbane Act consolidated local authorities around Brisbane into the Brisbane City Council.  Balmoral Cemetery and eight others became part of  Brisbane City Council Cemeteries.

  • 2025 will be the 100th anniversary of the first sitting of the Brisbane City Council.

• Records and Notable Burials:

  • The Brisbane City Council maintains records of over 15,500 interments in  the Cemetery.

  • The original burial registers from 1888 to 1949 exist in the State Archives. 

  • Nearly 360 First World War veterans and many Second World War veterans are buried in the cemetery a major project of FOBC ensured that all WW1 veterans are acknowledged with plaques, headstones or war graves.

  • The cemetery  remains active for burials, ashes internments, and memorials, primarily on family graves and a columbarium.

• Challenges and Rediscovery:

  • Time, erosion, poorly placed or naturally seeded trees, pollution, and vandalism have affected many graves.

  • More and more families are now rediscovering their ancestors and taking care of their resting places.

• Historical Research:

  • Since 2001, FOBC has been actively researching the history of Balmoral Cemetery and the lives of those interred there.

  • Their focus has particularly centred on individuals associated with the First World War.

  • We have identified nearly 400 people buried or memorialized in the cemetery who served during the First World War.

  • FOBC produced two books as part of this project:

    • “Into the Fire”: Launched on Anzac Day 2018.

    • “After the Fire”: Released on Armistice Day 2018, accompanied by a memorial walk at dusk around the cemetery. This event was a collaboration with the Morningside Scouts.

  • Since then, dedications have been made to new First World War Commonwealth War Graves or Headstone Project Plaques, usually around Anzac Day or Remembrance Day.

• Balmoral Art Month (2022):

  • FOBC organised the inaugural “Balmoral Art Month” (BAM) in June 2022 at Balmoral Cemetery.

  • Events held each Sunday in June included:

    • Smartphone Photography Workshop

    • Sketching with a Tutor

    • Creatives Walking Trail

    • Walk and Talk with a Stonemason

    • Additionally, a photo competition encouraged photographers to submit cemetery photos taken in June on Facebook, with a winner chosen through a voting poll.

• Clean-ups and Meetings:

  • FOBC holds regular clean-ups and meetings throughout the year:

    • March/April: Preparatory clean-up and meeting before Anzac Day.

    • Late May: Another clean-up and meeting related to Balmoral  Art Month (BAM).

    • August: The Annual General Meeting.

    • September/October: Additional clean-up and meeting.

    • November: Pizza and Planning meeting.

  • These meetings take place in the cemetery, often near the green shed, and are open to all interested individuals.

  • Meeting details are posted on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/123324571048719/
     

Website: http://www.balmoralcemetery.com

For more information: fobc.sec@gmail.com
 

Get involved
 

Follow us on Facebook – post photos and stories and ask our large Facebook family questions you might have about people buried in the cemetery.

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Join us each Sunday in June for Balmoral Art Month – Art to die for

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Join us for a clean up or come to other events
 

June 2024