Tour to explore Greendale Cemetery

A guided tour at the Greendale Cemetery will be held on the opening day of the Victorian Seniors Festival, exploring the deep history and connections within the site.

Hosted by the Ballan Shire Historical Society (BSHS), the tour will begin at 1.30 pm sharp on Sunday 2 October, and afternoon tea will also be provided at the end of the tour.

BSHS Secretary Richard Biden said there was a wealth of information and stories to be shared by local history buffs.

“We’ll be doing a walk around the cemetery, with information on various local dignitaries, things like that. The main presenters will be Pat Shanahan and Catherine Green,” Mr Biden told the Moorabool News.

“There’s quite a good history there, four of our Shire Presidents are buried there for one thing. And it sort of follows on from our tour at the Old Ballan Cemetery a few months ago. Pat Shanahan is a trustee of the Greendale Cemetery, and knows quite a lot about it, and who’s where. He’s gathered a lot of information, and had quite a bit of contact with people around Victoria wanting to come along.”

The Historical Society is hoping for a sunny day to conduct the tour, but if it does end up being rainy, there are alternative plans.

“If the weather’s going to be rotten, and there’s every chance it is, who knows, we’ll be able to have a lot of the graves and headstones up on a slideshow at the fire station, so people can still talk about it and reminisce,” Mr Biden said.

Registering or calling ahead isn’t necessary, and the event is completely free.