Press Release – 2 December 2022
Construction has commenced this month on a world-class memorial and botanic parkland destination at Varroville in south-west Sydney, providing the people of Campbelltown with a new place to care for loved ones, enjoy, gather and exercise.
Located at 166-176 St Andrews Rd, Varroville, the Macarthur Memorial Park will feature a new botanic parkland with 136,000 burial plots to be established over the next 100 years, partly fulfilling the pressing need for space in Sydney’s rapidly growing and diverse multi-cultural population.
A recent government report found that if there is no change to existing cremation and grave occupancy rates, cemetery capacity in metropolitan Sydney for Jews and Muslims would be exhausted in the next five years.
CEO of the not-for-profit Catholic Cemeteries + Crematoria, Mr Peter O’Meara said “We are delighted to commence the construction of these new botanic parklands, which will feature facilities for the local community such as lakes, walking tracks and a café, creating a place of peace and reflection for the whole community.
“We will be adopting a successful overseas model where memorial parklands are now quiet and beautiful places of recreation for all the family, with groves of trees, lakes and open space. For all intents and purposes they are not cemeteries but beautiful open spaces.
“We will ensure that the burial plots are discreetly positioned inside bush-lined enclosures and the interment practices and beliefs of all religious and cultural groups are respected, with a state of the art chapel and function centre”, he added.
Chairman of the Muslim Cemeteries Board, Mr Kazi Ali said the lack of burial space has created a real crisis for his community and the new multi-faith cemeteries are long overdue.
“Our cemetery space is close to capacity and with the Muslim community forecast to continue growing over the coming decades, new cemeteries like the Macarthur Memorial Park are critical.” Mr Ali said.
The NSW Jewish Board of Deputies also welcomed the start of construction, stating the Jewish community was projected to run out of graves available for purchase in Sydney within a few years, and the new cemetery will provide for our community’s burial needs at least until the end of the century.
The botanic parklands at Varroville will include passive recreation areas, gardens and landscaped walkways accessible to everyone in the community in perpetuity.
For further information call:
Tim Allerton
City PR
Ph: 0412 715 707
