More than 60 unused graves have been reclaimed by Keilor Cemetery management.
The Greater Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust, which operates Keilor Cemetery and 18 others in Melbourne’s north, east and west, began last year attempting to track down the owners of grave sites purchased more than 25 years ago.
Victorian legislation allows a cemetery trust to cancel a right of internment if the owner cannot be found “after diligent inquiries” or the right of internment has never been exercised.
Unlike burials in South Australia, which have limited tenure on grave sites, once a plot is used in Victoria it cannot be reclaimed, resold or reused.
But they can hold up to three bodies if authorised by the plot’s owner.
Trust chief executive Jacqui Weatherill said 64 graves had been reclaimed at Keilor since the trust began attempting to contact grave site owners last October.
She said 46 of the reclaimed graves had been on-sold to “at-need” customers who required plots immediately.
The existing cemetery reached capacity a year ago.
“We encourage anyone who has a right of interment for a plot at Keilor Cemetery or any of our 19 sites, or who believes they may be entitled to claim a right of interment, to contact the Greater Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust to ensure we have your correct and current contact details on file,” Ms Weatherill said.
She said many graves purchased ahead of time had never been used, either because the owner had moved overseas or interstate or had decided to be buried elsewhere.
The purpose of what the trust calls the “tenure program” is to identify long-term unused graves that are no longer needed and can be offered back to the community.
In October, Star Weekly reported that Taylors Lakes resident Kathryn Malic wanted to be buried alongside her relatives in Keilor Cemetery, but was unable to secure a plot because the cemetery had reached capacity.
