New beams secure memorials

The Victoria Street Cemetery in Warragul is undergoing maintenance work that will see eroded concrete beams that hold memorial plaques in lawn one and parts of lawn three, replaced.
In lawn one the concrete beam will be replaced with a more enduring concrete product. In lawn three the graves have been put on individual slabs which have, over time, sunk to varying degrees, creating a misalignment of the plaques.
The new concrete beam in this section will be set across all the graves, so the plaques can be replaced and maintained at the same height.
There are more than 400 plaques to be removed, and the Warragul Cemetery Trust (WCT) has ensured each will go back into the same position.
"We want to do it right, rather than quickly," said Warragul Cemetery Trust manager Cassandra Keenan, who estimates the entire project will be completed in about four weeks.
Ms Keenan said the cemetery would remain open and there also would be access to the plaques, even if they had not yet been reinstalled.
The project is being delivered with a grant from the Department of Health and with a significant portion of WCT's own funds.
Other recent works included top dressing graves with crushed rock, gravel or stone, that may be between 80 and 100 years old and were eroding and leaving holes. WCT engaged with justice community service workers who attended once a fortnight or month to help volunteers complete the project.
During current work heavy machinery and removed concrete will be on site and the WCT asks that people be careful while visiting over the next couple of weeks.