West Terrace Cemetery
Encyclopedia
The West Terrace Cemetery is South Australia’s
oldest cemetery, first appearing on Colonel William Light’s
1837 plan
of Adelaide. The 27.6 hectare site is located in the south-west corner of the Adelaide
central business district
, between West Terrace
, Anzac Highway, Sir Donald Bradman Drive
and the Noarlunga/ Belair
Railway Lines. Originally known as the Adelaide Public Cemetery, it is divided into a number of sections for various communities and faiths, including two Catholic areas, as well as Jewish
, Afghan
, Islam
ic and Quaker
sections.
In 1843 the establishment of a Jewish burial area began the distinctive denominational division of the cemetery. In 1845 a Catholic cemetery was established on land adjacent the main public cemetery and in 1849 a third of the public cemetery was given over to the Church of England.
The Smyth Chapel was built in 1871 as a memorial to the Very Reverend Dr John Smyth, Vicar General, who lies buried in the crypt beneath the chapel. It was designed by E.J. Woods in the latter part of 1870 as a result of a competition conducted by the Smyth Memorial Fund and built by Peters and Jones for approximately 472 pounds.
Situated within the Catholic area, the foundation stone was laid on 18 December 1870 by the venerable Archdeacon Russell, Vicar General, and was officially opened and formally consecrated on 22 October 1871.
In 1920, the Kendrew Oval and Light Oval sections were opened and are reserved for AIF
veterans who died after the end of the First World War.
In 1902, the first crematorium in the southern hemisphere was built and began operating in 1903. For the next 20 years, this was the only crematorium in Australia
. A number of famous and important South Australians have been buried in the cemetery and since 2002, the site has been administered by the Adelaide Cemeteries Authority, which also controls a number of other cemeteries within the metropolitan area.
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
oldest cemetery, first appearing on Colonel William Light’s
William Light
Colonel William Light was a British military officer and the first Surveyor-General of the Colony of South Australia...
1837 plan
Light's Vision
The first surveyor-general of Adelaide, South Australia, Colonel William Light designed a layout and development programme for the city. This plan is now known as "Light's Vision"...
of Adelaide. The 27.6 hectare site is located in the south-west corner of the Adelaide
Adelaide city centre
The Adelaide city centre is the innermost locality of Greater Adelaide, known by locals simply as "The City" or "Town". The locality is split into two key geographical distinctions: the city "square mile", bordered by North, East, South and West Terraces; and that part of the Adelaide Parklands...
central business district
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
, between West Terrace
West Terrace, Adelaide
West Terrace is a street in Adelaide, South Australia. It is the western-most street of the Adelaide city centre. It ends at North Terrace and South Terrace, and connects to Port Road and Anzac Highway....
, Anzac Highway, Sir Donald Bradman Drive
Sir Donald Bradman Drive, Adelaide
Sir Donald Bradman Drive is a major arterial road that travels east-west through the western suburbs of Adelaide, Australia. It is the main route from Adelaide to Adelaide Airport....
and the Noarlunga/ Belair
Belair railway line, Adelaide
The Belair railway line is a suburban rail commuter route within the City of Adelaide, South Australia, that runs from the Adelaide Railway Station to Belair in the Adelaide Hills.-History:...
Railway Lines. Originally known as the Adelaide Public Cemetery, it is divided into a number of sections for various communities and faiths, including two Catholic areas, as well as Jewish
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
, Afghan
Afghan (Australia)
The Afghans or Ghans were camel drivers who worked in outback Australia from the 1860s to the 1930s. While called Afghans, not all of them were from Afghanistan; some came from the northern regions of British India, areas that now constitute modern-day Pakistan...
, Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic and Quaker
Religious Society of Friends
The Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
sections.
History
Throughout much of its early history the West Terrace Cemetery was plagued with controversy and mismanagement. It was the subject of much public and religious debate and was many times under threat of closure. As early as the 1880s the size of the cemetery was considered insufficient to keep up with demand.In 1843 the establishment of a Jewish burial area began the distinctive denominational division of the cemetery. In 1845 a Catholic cemetery was established on land adjacent the main public cemetery and in 1849 a third of the public cemetery was given over to the Church of England.
The Smyth Chapel was built in 1871 as a memorial to the Very Reverend Dr John Smyth, Vicar General, who lies buried in the crypt beneath the chapel. It was designed by E.J. Woods in the latter part of 1870 as a result of a competition conducted by the Smyth Memorial Fund and built by Peters and Jones for approximately 472 pounds.
Situated within the Catholic area, the foundation stone was laid on 18 December 1870 by the venerable Archdeacon Russell, Vicar General, and was officially opened and formally consecrated on 22 October 1871.
In 1920, the Kendrew Oval and Light Oval sections were opened and are reserved for AIF
Australian Imperial Force
The Australian Imperial Force was the name given to all-volunteer Australian Army forces dispatched to fight overseas during World War I and World War II.* First Australian Imperial Force * Second Australian Imperial Force...
veterans who died after the end of the First World War.
In 1902, the first crematorium in the southern hemisphere was built and began operating in 1903. For the next 20 years, this was the only crematorium in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. A number of famous and important South Australians have been buried in the cemetery and since 2002, the site has been administered by the Adelaide Cemeteries Authority, which also controls a number of other cemeteries within the metropolitan area.
Notable interments or cremations
- William and Ann Margaret BickfordBickford's AustraliaA. M. Bickford and Sons was one of the first manufacturing chemists in South Australia and until 1930 one of the State's most significant family owned companies. In 1930, they amalgamated with half a dozen other similar Australian companies to form "Drug Houses of Australia" , which very...
, manufacturing chemists - Arthur Seaforth BlackburnArthur Seaforth BlackburnBrigadier Arthur Seaforth Blackburn VC, CMG, CBE, ED was an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces....
, military officer and Victoria CrossVictoria CrossThe Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
recipient from the First World War - Abraham Tobias BoasAbraham Tobias BoasAbraham Tobias was a rabbi of a Hebrew congregation in Adelaide, South Australia.-Early life:Boas was born at Amsterdam, Holland, son of Tobias Eliesar Boas, rabbi, and his wife Eva Salomon Levi, née Linse. Boas was educated at Amsterdam Theological Seminary and studied theology under a well-known...
, long serving Rabbi of Adelaide’s Jewish congregation - Poltpalingada BooboorowiePoltpalingada BooboorowiePoltpalingada Booboorowie was a Ngarrindjeri Aboriginal of the Thooree clan prominent among the community of Fringe dwellers in Adelaide, South Australia during the 1890s...
(Tommy Walker), a NgarrindjeriNgarrindjeriThe Ngarrindjeri are a nation of eighteen "tribes" consisting of numerous family clans who speak similar dialects of the Ngarrindjeri language and are the traditional Aboriginal people of the lower Murray River, western Fleurieu Peninsula, and the Coorong of southern, central...
Aboriginal and popular Adelaide personality in the 1890s - Charles ChewingsCharles ChewingsCharles Chewings was an Australian geologist and anthropologist.-Early life:Charles Chewings was born at Woorkongoree station, near Burra, South Australia, the third son of John Chewings, pastoralist, and his wife Sarah, née Wall. He was educated by a tutor and at Prince Alfred College, Adelaide...
, geologist and anthropologist - Sir Dominick DalyDominick DalySir Dominick Daly was the Governor of Prince Edward Island from 11 July 1854 to 25 May 1859 and later Governor of South Australia from 4 March 1862 until his death on 19 February 1868....
, 7th Governor of South Australia - Philip DaveyPhilip DaveyPhilip Davey VC MM was an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces....
, Victoria Cross recipient from the First World War - Boyle Travers Finniss, settler, soldier, surveyor and the first Premier of South Australia
- Thomas GilbertThomas Gilbert (pioneer)Thomas Gilbert was a pioneer of Adelaide, South Australia, having arrived with the first settlers in order to operate the first Colonial Storehouse....
, early pioneer and the colony’s first Post Master General - Percy GraingerPercy GraingerGeorge Percy Aldridge Grainger , known as Percy Grainger, was an Australian-born composer, arranger and pianist. In the course of a long and innovative career he played a prominent role in the revival of interest in British folk music in the early years of the 20th century. He also made many...
, international musician and composer - Charles Beaumont HowardCharles Beaumont HowardCharles Beaumont Howard was a colonial clergyman in South Australia.Howard was born in St Peter's Parish, Dublin, Ireland, the son of William Howard, a lieutenant in the Dublin City Corps of the Liberty Rangers. Howard graduated from Trinity College, Dublin with an M.A. in 1836.Howard was ordained...
, South Australia's first colonial chaplain - Reginald Roy InwoodReginald Roy InwoodReginald Roy Inwood VC was an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces....
, Victoria Cross recipient from the First World War - Jorgen Christian Jensen, DanishDenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
-born Victoria Cross recipient from the First World War - Charles KingstonCharles KingstonCharles Cameron Kingston, Australian politician, was an early liberal Premier of South Australia serving from 1893 to 1899 with the support of Labor led by John McPherson from 1893 and Lee Batchelor from 1897 in the House of Assembly, winning the 1893, 1896, and 1899 state elections against the...
, a Premier of South Australia and a founding member of Australian Federation - Carl LingerCarl LingerCarl Linger was a German Australian composer who wrote the "Song of Australia". For his song he received a price of ten guineas.German-born intellectual Carl Linger, who had studied at the Institute of Music in Berlin, came to South Australia in 1849 on the Princess Luise. He settled in Gawler,...
, musician and composer of Song of AustraliaSong of Australia"The Song of Australia" was written by English-born poet Caroline J. Carleton in 1859 for a competition sponsored by the Gawler Institute. The music for the song was composed by the German-born Carl Linger , a prominent member of the Australian Forty-Eighters.The song was popularised in Australia... - Philip LeviPhilip Levi (pastoralist)Philip Levi was an early settler and pastoralist of South Australia.Born at Brixton Hill, Surrey, England, at the age of sixteen, Levi arrived in South Australia, aboard the Eden in 1838 with his father, Nathaniel Philip Levi...
, early settler and pastoralist - John McPhersonJohn McPhersonJohn McPherson was a Scottish footballer who played for Kilmarnock and Rangers.-Early career:Born in Kilmarnock, McPherson started his career with his local side Kilmarnock F.C., moved to Cowlairs in 1888, then joined Rangers in 1890...
, first leader of the South Australian division of the Australian Labor PartyAustralian Labor PartyThe Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia... - Frederick "Fred" Metters, founding partner of metal goods manufacturer, Metters LimitedMettersMetters was a brand of kitchen appliances originally made by Metters Limited, an Australian company established in Adelaide by Frederick Metters in 1891....
- Sir John MorphettJohn MorphettSir John Morphett was a South Australian pioneer, landowner and politician.-Early life:Morphett was born in London, the second son of Nathaniel Morphett, a solicitor, and his wife Mary, née Gliddon, of Cummins, Ide, Devon, and was educated at Plymouth and Highgate Grammar Schools...
(along with other members of his family), early settler, pastoralist and businessman - Augusta ZadowAugusta ZadowChristiane Susanne Augustine Zadow was a German-Australian trade unionist.-Early years:...
, female suffragette and early trade unionist - The unknown victim of the mysterious Taman Shud CaseTaman Shud CaseThe Taman Shud Case,While the words that end The Rubaiyat are "Tamam Shud", it has always been referred to as "Taman Shud" in the media, presumably due to a spelling error that persisted. In Persian "tamam" is a noun that means "the end". "shud" is an auxiliary verb indicating past tense, so "tamam...