SHADE PLAQUE RETURNED HOME

Sue Speed (FOBC) Jenny Coppens & John McLean at Coburg Cemetery 5 March 2022

UPDATE March 2022

A large shield shaped plaque inscribed “In Loving Memory of Ebeneza and George Shade” was found on the perimeter road at Balmoral Cemetery, Brisbane in 2016 by a BCC worker.

This worker took the plaque back to his base at Hemmant Cemetery, Brisbane thinking it would just be a matter of looking up the grave number and then returning it to its original location.

ALAS there is no record of anyone named Shade buried in the cemetery.

The plaque was then handed to FOBC by BCC last May 2021 in the hope that we might be able to find more information.

FOBC have carefully searched the graves around where the plaque was found but again could not connect the Shades to any of these graves.

FOBC also carried out broader research and discovered the brothers George and Ebeneza (Ebenezer) were buried at Coburg Cemetery in Victoria. Contact was made with Ebenezer and George’s grand-niece Jenny Coppens (her grandfather, William Shade, is their brother) through John McLean, the Shade family researcher. (John and FoBC connected via a post on the Ancestry.com site)

Whilst Jenny knew about Ebenezer and George she did not realise that they were buried at Coburg Cemetery. Not to far from where she grew up. Both Ebenezer and George are buried in the same plot and both passed away in 1907, June and November respectfully. (only 5 months apart).

Restored by Friends of Balmoral Cemetery Friends of Coburg Cemetery supplied photos of their grave as did the Coburg Cemetery Trust. The grave had no headstone but did have a place where such a plaque may once have been.

SUCCESS. Friends Of Balmoral Cemetery member, Sue Speed was in Melbourne 5 March 2022 and spent a productive morning in Coburg Cemetery with the Friends of Coburg Cemetery, Jenny Coppens, John McLean (Shade family researcher) and reinstated the plaque to the grave of the two brothers. FOBC and John McLean had connected via Ancestry.com.

Why this plaque ended up in Brisbane and in Balmoral Cemetery remains a mystery. Perhaps one of our creative Facebook friends could start a novel with the plaque story being the opening chapter!

THE MYSTERY OF THE MISPLACED PLAQUE

Seeking SHADE descendants or connections

A large shield shaped plaque inscribed “In Loving Memory of Ebeneza and George Shade” was found found on the circular drive at Balmoral Cemetery in 2016 by a BCC worker. This worker took the plaque back to his base at Hemmant Cemetery thinking it would just be a matter of looking up the grave number and then returning it to its original location.

ALAS there is no record of anyone named Shade buried in the cemetery.

The plaque was recently handed to FOBC in the hope that we might be able to find where its final resting place was at Balmoral Cemetery.

FOBC has carried out extensive research and have connected with George and Edeneza’a grand-niece Jenny (her grandfather, William Shade, is their brother).

George and Ebeneza are both buried in Coburg Cemetery in Victoria. They are buried in the same plot and both passed away in 1907 (5 months apart).

Friends of Coburg Cemetery have supplied photos of their grave (it is in a poor state of repair and maybe once have had a plaque but this is unclear from the photo).

So far our research has found no connection with Brisbane or any other area in Queensland.

Their father was Andrew Robert SHED (name changed to SHADE) and mother Mary FINNE or FINN. Ebenezer (Plaque spelling Ebeneza) was born 1861 and George was born Geelong 8 June 1869. Both Andrew and Mary died young leaving 8??? children the eldest of whom was only xx when their father died and xx when their mother died in xxx.

Our next step is to have another look around the area where the plaque was found to see if here are signs on any graves that the plaque once rested here. We will be doing this at our clean up next Saturday 19th June 9am-12midday - all welcome.

Friends of Balmoral Cemetery Headstone Project Progress 3 May 2021 update.

During the Anzac Centenary 2014-2018 Friends of Balmoral Cemetery produced two books with the funding from the Qld Government Anzac Centenary Grant. From our research into the First World War, we found 57 killed in action memorials and 299 veterans who were laid to rest in Balmoral Cemetery, Morningside, Brisbane.

The first book ‘Into the Fire’ records the memorials of 57 soldiers who were killed in action either in Gallipoli, Middle East or the Western Front. These memorials were found on family monuments. The second book records 299 veterans who returned to Australian after the First World War and lived, worked, raised families and who either lived in the local area or Queensland and passed away and who were laid to rest in the cemetery. These two books are available through: treasurer@balmoralcemetery.com

During this research we realised that many were in unmarked graves. We connected with the Headstone Project in Tasmania and formed a Headstone Project at Balmoral Cemetery.

At the time of the Anzac Centenary, we had found almost 70 veterans buried in unmarked graves or in formed graves where they are not recognised. Since then, we have found 20 extra First World War veterans buried at Balmoral with some in unmarked graves.

For the last two years we have searched for descendants and applied for War Graves through the Office of Australian War Graves or Dept Veteran Affairs (DVA). Where we are unsuccessful in obtaining a War Grave, we are applying for DVA Funding Assistance for WW1 veterans in unmarked graves programme. This has enabled us to obtain a brass plaque for these veterans and with the very generous help of volunteers and voluntary contributions we are able to erect a simple headstone.

In total there were 74 veterans in unmarked graves. Of these 28 have been approved for an OAWG (Office of War Graves) grave, 11 approved through the DVA Funding Assistance Program (3 applications about to be processed awaiting approval by BCC), 4 small plaques for existing graves, 28 awaiting a decision or yet to be lodged, 2 we will appeal, and one family is handling the application themselves.

In early May 2021 we have only few more Veterans to go and we will have applied for War Graves for all our veterans in unmarked graves. Over the next week our final profiles will be posted on Facebook – so please share as we would love to connect with descendants.

Approved (OAWG) 28

Small plaque for existing grave 4

Family applying 1

Headstone DVA (FAVUGP) 8 (3)

Possible appeal 2

Awaiting decision or yet to lodge 28

TOTAL 74