Old Cemetery and Pioneer Memorial

Statement of Significance

Pioneer Cemetery Augusta is of significance: • For its historical associations with nineteenth century settlement at Augusta, and with the personal loss sometimes faced by these settlers. • For its social significance as an early cemetery in Western Australia. • For its familial significance to descendants of those who were buried in this location. The cairn is of significance: • As a community memorial recognising the colonial settlers of Augusta.

Physical Description

The former cemetery is a large rectangular site (roughly 70 x 48m), bounded by a traditional rough hewn post and rail fence to the Osnaburg Street frontage and a rectangular, sawn post and rail fence to the other sides.The old cemetery is now an open bush area with low scrub and scattered mature trees, with only three sites marked as graves. These are located in the back, NW, corner and include two modern, picket-fence enclosures (one with a replica of the original timber headstone) and an open site featuring a heart-shaped headstone for an infant.At the centre of the old cemetery there is a stone monument, constructed of roughly squared stones as a tapered rectangular pillar, approximately 3m high.Plaques have been mounted on each face, the original brass plaque dating from the commemoration of 100 years of European settlement in 1930: In memory of the pioneers of Augusta 1830. Erected in 1932 by the State Government, the W.A. Historical Society and the Augusta-Margaret River Road Board.The other three plaques are made of polished granite and dated 1975 & 1976. The commemorate: 1. Burials in the Augusta area 2. The pioneers who arrived on the Emily Taylor in May 1830 3. Other pioneers who settled in Augusta in 1830. At the Osnaburg frontage there is another rough-hewn stone memorial on the street reserve, which designates this as ‘The Old Cemetery’. More modern signage at the entry designates it as ‘The Old Cemetery and Pioneer Memorial’.

History

Colonial Settlement (c.1830-1849) • The Establishment of Augusta Second Wave of Rural Settlement (c.1850-1922) • Resettlement of Augusta and Nearby Areas. The cemetery holds grave sites for an unknown number of the early settlers of the Augusta region. A list of nineteenth century deaths and burials for Augusta has been posted at www.ozburial.com. Many of these state “burial place unknown”, although some of the earliest entries refer to possible burial at Molloy Island (which was well separated from the main residential area). Only two early entries (dating from the 1850s) specifically refer to “reputed” burial “in the old cemetery, Part of JW Turner's original town grant.”Based on the available evidence it seems likely that the cemetery was established as part of the second wave of settlement in the district from 1850 (when settlement was more scattered and public health issues not as relevant for this site).In 1929 the Pioneer Cemetery was dedicated, and the State Government donated £50 for its reconditioning and the erection of a memorial. At that time a newspaper photograph of the site showed it with a mixture of picket fencing and dilapidated post and rail fencing, which appears to surround grave sites (with at least one grave monument visible in the background).The memorial for the Pioneer Cemetery was built in 1932 with the cooperation of the State Government, the Augusta-Margaret River Roads Board and the WA Historical Society.

Integrity/Authenticity

Site - Low: The use has been altered and the original use cannot be readily discerned. Memorial - High: The original use has been maintained. Site - Low: The place has been considerably altered, with the loss of significant fabric. The original intent/character is no longer clearly evident. Memorial - High: The original/significant fabric is largely intact.

Condition

Fair *Assessed from streetscape survey only

Uses

Creation Date

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