Sign to be refined at cemetery

NEW signage is on the way for the Old Ballan Cemetery thanks to a collaboration with the Ballan Shire Historical Society and funding through the Yaloak South Wind Farm.

The idea to update the site’s yellow entrance sign was spearheaded by Ballan Cemeteries Trust secretary Merilyn Meadows, who said it’s due for an overhaul.

“It’s been looking very shabby so I asked the historical society if they could help do anything about it because they installed it some years ago,” she said.

“The wording on the bottom on the sign, they’ll have to change as well, and the cemeteries trust will have to fix some of the timber around it because that was very shabby, too.

“When you pull up at the gate, the first thing you see is that yellow sign. This will give people who visit the old section the historical society’s email so they can contact them if they want to make an enquiry, and a lot do.”

A presentation was held on Monday last week at Beremboke Recreation Reserve between the three organisations, during which the local groups were given a plaque in preparation for the new sign.

The updated signage is expected to be installed within the coming weeks once the $550 grant is received.

Ms Meadows said it will add to other upgrades planned for the old cemetery.

“We’re also receiving a grant of almost $8000 for roads which will help to upgrade what we have at the cemetery,” she said.

“The old cemetery itself is still used on a regular basis and we have a lot of state trustee burials with white crosses so a new bit of road will make it easier for undertakers to arrive.

“It will also help with regrading and extra materials.”