West Terrace Cemetery

West Terrace Cemetery

The Smyth Chapel in the Catholic section of the West Terrace Cemetery was built in 1871.
Details
Year established	before 1837
Country	Australia
Location	Adelaide, South Australia
Size	27.6 hectares (68 acres)

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, Islamic and Quaker 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 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.

Notable interments or cremations

• William and Ann Margaret Bickford, manufacturing chemists
• Arthur Seaforth Blackburn, military officer and Victoria Cross recipient from the First World War
• Abraham Tobias Boas, long serving Rabbi of Adelaide’s Jewish congregation
• Poltpalingada Booboorowie (Tommy Walker), a Ngarrindjeri Aboriginal and popular Adelaide personality in the 1890s
• Charles Chewings, geologist and anthropologist
• Sir Dominick Daly, 7th Governor of South Australia
• Philip Davey, Victoria Cross recipient from the First World War
• Boyle Travers Finniss, settler, soldier, surveyor and the first Premier of South Australia
• Thomas Gilbert, early pioneer and the colony’s first Post Master General
• Percy Grainger, international musician and composer
• Charles Beaumont Howard, South Australia's first colonial chaplain
• Reginald Roy Inwood, Victoria Cross recipient from the First World War
• Jorgen Christian Jensen, Danish-born Victoria Cross recipient from the First World War
• Charles Kingston, a Premier of South Australia and a founding member of Australian Federation
• Carl Linger, musician and composer of Song of Australia
• Philip Levi, early settler and pastoralist
• John McPherson, first leader of the South Australian division of the Australian Labor Party
• Frederick "Fred" Metters, founding partner of metal goods manufacturer, Metters Limited
• Sir John Morphett (along with other members of his family), early settler, pastoralist and businessman
• Augusta Zadow, female suffragette and early trade unionist
• The unknown victim of the mysterious Taman Shud Case

External links

• Official West Terrace Cemetery site
• Burial records of West Terrace Cemetery
• Information and photos of historic graves