A GROUP of about 100 people travelled to Wilberforce Cemetery on Sunday, November 22 to mark the completion of the restoration of two hugely significant historic graves.
Louise Wilson was part of the Paul Bushell and David Brown Heritage Grave Restoration Project, and is a descendant of David Brown.
She told the crowd that this cemetery holds the remains of seven First Fleeters, 15 Second Fleeters and 12 Third Fleeters.
Two adjoining graves hold an extended family of Browns and Bushells: David Brown who came in 1792, and his Third Fleeter wife Eleanor Fleming, their daughter Isabella born here in 1801, and her Second Fleeter husband Paul Bushell, their daughter Ann Brown, their son David Brown and his wife Mary, their granddaughter Selina Brown, Paul and Isabella’s daughter-in-law Corah Bushell and Isabella’s grandson David Brown.
They used grainy photos from the 1950s to work out what the main vault grave looked like so they could restore it.
Around 1990 some members of the Brown and Bushell families decided to rescue the now-collapsed vault grave from total destruction. It’s likely that the vault had already filled with soil washed down the hill, and it was sealed up and bricked in at that time.
All the surviving pieces of both graves were laid out for sorting and photos were taken. The pieces were then stacked, to save the stonework from further destruction and pilfering. The goal was to restore the grave. Barry Brown of Newcastle rallied the Brown family to the cause.
When Louise Wilson and helpers came along years later, the photos couldn’t be located, until Tony Bushell at Sussex Inlet found them among the paperwork of his brother Ken, who’d died some years earlier.
The work of Jill Vincent, backed up by her husband Lester and the Friends of Wilberforce Cemetery led to the construction of sturdy fencing and drainage works. There was no point starting if continuing vandalism and erosion would undo expensive restoration work.
The painstaking work of Cathy McHardy in documenting the graves in this cemetery in her book ‘Sacred to the Memory’ gave the restorers a starting point for the people in the grave site.
“When my book ‘Paul Bushell, Second Fleeter’ was published in 2010 it got other people interested in the idea that we should honour his memory, as he was quite a remarkable man, with an impeccable record as a citizen in his enforced new home,” Ms Wilson said.
“While I was preparing the Bushell book I also made a rash promise to write a book about David Brown. I did a lot of research and got as far as an extensive first draft, which remains in my computer.
“A committee was formed to work on it.
1. Louise Wilson (South Melbourne, VIC) Chairperson
2. Patsy Templeton (St Ives, NSW) Minutes Secretary
3. Catherine Broady (Thornleigh, NSW)
4. Barry Brown (Gold Coast, QLD)
5. Barry E Brown (Perth, WA)
6. Stan Brown (Wilberforce, NSW)
7. Connie Bushell (Richmond, NSW)
8. Stephen Bushell (Knoxfield, VIC)
9. Marj Clarke (Wilberforce, NSW
10. Rachel Hargrave (Penrith, NSW)
Money for the project was raised through crowdfunding group Pozible and overseen by Council.
The Monumental-Heritage team of the Rookwood General Cemeteries Reserve Trust got on board and its lead hand and cemetery conservation specialist, Sach Killam, prepared a detailed quote.
$17,150 was raised from 73 donors, enabling the restoration to take place.
The restoration included the adjoining grave with Ann Brown in it.
