New South Wales Premier Chris Minns, Minister for Lands and Property Steve Kamper and Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP were among the many faith and civic leaders to meet in Sydney’s picturesque Scenic Hills on 7 April to celebrate the opening of the state’s first crown cemetery in more than 80 years.
Macarthur Memorial Park at Varroville in south-west Sydney spans 113 hectares of semi-bushland landscape. It will accommodate 136,000 burial plots plus thousands of cremation niches, resolving an urgent need for new burial space in Sydney’s rapidly growing and diverse population.
Operated by the not-for-profit Catholic Cemeteries and Crematoria Trust (CCC), the memorial park features a large interfaith chapel, 250-seat function centre and a café, 20 dedicated burial areas for specific religious and ethnic groups, six lakes and eight kilometres of walking and bike tracks.
The occasion was a major milestone for the state and the faith and wider community, coming after a decade-long fight for the Catholic Church to continue offering burial services across Sydney.
Nearly 20,000 people signed the interfaith “Save Our Graves” petition over the issue in 2021.
Last June the state’s parliament passed legislation confirming a two-operator model for the Crown cemeteries sector in NSW, with the other operator the state government.
At the official opening local politicians, other community representatives and religious leaders representing 25 different faith communities took part in a multi-faith prayer service which commenced with an acknowledgment of country led by Dharawal elders Uncle Edward Burge and Auntie Lisa Hunter.
Wollongong Bishop Brian Mascord, whose diocese is home to the new cemetery, was among the special guests who included representatives of Orthodox and other Christian churches along with Muslim, Jewish, Sikh, Buddhist and Baha’i leaders.
Bishop Mascord offered a prayer to bless the site, written by him especially for the occasion and inspired by Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’.
“It’s incredibly important to make space to farewell our loved ones in accordance with their custom, and if the Government and this Trust hadn’t acted we would have run out of burial space by 2050 with some faith-based sites filling up much sooner,” said Premier Minns in his address to the assembly.
“So today is a great marker of that progress and also a mark of our building capacity here for our cemeteries.”
Archbishop Fisher told the gathering that the historic day marked a new stage in the collaboration between Catholic Cemeteries and the various faith communities of Sydney and beyond, as well as between “Church and state.”
“People of different faith traditions should respect each other, be dialogue partners, good neighbours and friends to each other. But this is most real and inspiring when people see us actually doing things together, things that testify to the fact that, whatever our differences, we have far more in common in our humanity and faith,” he said.
The path to the new cemetery had not been easy and more than once the continued offering of burial sites by faith groups seemed to be “seriously threatened” the archbishop said.
“Yet thanks to the perseverance of many, and the recognition by our civic leaders, along with our religious ones, of the importance of honouring our dead, we are ready to offer a grand new cemetery to our community at last.”
Also present was former chair of the board of CCC Greg Smith SC, who led a tribute to its former chief executive officer, the late Peter O’Meara as the cemetery’s “fearless champion.”
“For over a decade Peter was infectious, relentless, charming, determined and utterly focused to build this cemetery. He brought all the faiths represented here today in a united cemeteries front,” he said.
Chief Executive Officer of CCC Lauren Hardgrove said the memorial park had been inspired by international facilities that “welcome not only those honouring their loved ones but also the wider public seeking a place to reflect, connect with friends, or enjoy the outdoors.”
Maronite Bishop Antoine-Charbel Tarabay, President of the Muslim Cemeteries Board Kazi Ali, and Chief Executive Officer of the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies Michele Goldman have also expressed their appreciation for the new burial space and parklands.
“The opening of Macarthur Memorial Park is a momentous occasion for all faith communities in New South Wales,” said Bishop Tarabay.
“As Maronites, we deeply value the importance of honouring our deceased loved ones with dignity and respect. This park provides a sacred and peaceful place where families can gather, reflect, pray, and continue their traditions for generations to come. We are grateful for this commitment to ensuring all communities have access to a respectful and enduring place of remembrance.”
CCC has also announced the expansion of its Kemps Creek burial grounds, with the purchase of an additional 4.73 hectares for 10,000 burial spaces, which will also be the property of crown lands.
10 April: Updated to include missing information about the ceremony.
