"Heartless": Widows told they cannot be buried next to their late husbands
A group of heartbroken widows in Perth have been told they cannot be buried next to their husbands in pre-purchased plots because of a technicality.
The women paid for the plots more than two decades ago when their partners passed away, but were never told the leases for the plots were only valued for 25 years.
Now, the local council has closed the cemetery and told the women they cannot be buried there next to their loved ones.
Sheila Goble, who was married to her husband Fred for 40 years before he died, said the council's decision was "heartless" and "nasty".
"Oh good grief, it's just nasty of the council, it really is, how can they do this to all the widows," Sheila told A Current Affair.
"He thinks we're going to be buried together there, it's heartless, it really is," Sheila said of her husband.
Prior to Fred's death, the couple has decided they wanted to be buried next to each other.
"We knew we were losing, and I said 'shall I go and buy a plot?', and he said 'yes'," she said.
That plot, as well as Sheila's, was purchased in 1998, for the pair to be buried side by side at Perth's East Rockingham Pioneer Cemetery.
The Governor of Western Australia then closed the ceremony in 2009, with the City of Rockingham then adopting a policy which allowed it to "provide persons who do not hold a Grant of Right of Burial", meaning a current lease, the right to be buried with family".
That policy was scrapped in April this year, and after Sheila's lease expired one year ago unbeknownst to her, she was told she could not renew it and had to find other burial plans.
"(They) told me I could dig my husband's marble grave stone up, I could dig my husband up at my expense, he mentioned, take him to the new cemetery which is about eight to ten kilometres away buy another plot and bury him there."
Gayle Parker's mother Lorna is experiencing the same plight, as she is also fighting for the pre-purchased plot next to her husband, as both widows claim they were never told about the 25 year lease.
"No one's been contacted, if they're saying, okay you should have renewed your lease or something, why didn't someone contact us and say that?" Gayle asked.
"Lets face it, Mum's 94, she's not going to be thinking in 25 years down the track after dad went 'oh hang on, I've got to go renew a lease' because they forget about it."
A social media post on the women's issues has attracted dozens of comments, and the City of Rockingham has confirmed it's aware of at least 20 other cases of people fighting for their pre-purchases plots.
The City of Rockingham issued a statement on the matter, saying, "Although the City is responsible for cemetery management - burial functions, including the issuing of grants, must comply with legislation, therefore there is no avenue for the City to grant an exemption or to permit a burial in these circumstances."
Because it is the Governor's closure it can only be rectified by our advice to the Governor, a potentially lengthy process that could leave widowers and families in limbo.
Gayle said it is hard to take in that her parents might not be buried together, while Sheila said she just "wants to be buried in a nice dress with a bottle of wine" next to her husband, who was buried with a beer.
Image credits: A Current Affair