Cemetery Maintenance

Rookwood Necropolis is one of the largest cemeteries in the world and many would argue that it has an administrative structure to match!

Rookwood Necropolis is Crown Land which means that it is owned by the State government. The responsibility of managing all of the land and all structures thereon, is vested in the nine separate administrations below. Each cemetery Trust is managed by a Board of Trustees, who is nominated by the Minister of Lands. The Trustees manage the affairs of the cemetery on behalf of the Minister in charge of the Crown Lands Act. Today over 100 staff are employed by the various administrations at Rookwood Necropolis (this includes office and grounds staff). The Trustees work in an honorary capacity but each administration has an office at Rookwood and employs its own managers, office staff and grounds staff.  Each Trust owns and operates its own equipment and manages its individual sections.

Currently land allocations in Rookwood cemetery are roughly as follows:

In 1925 the Government amended the Necropolis Act by creating a Joint Committee, consisting of one representative from each body of Trustees. This Joint Committee was to estimate each year the amount that would be required for the construction and maintenance of roads, fences, paths, drains and other necessary “common property” within the Necropolis.  It was given the power to levy an amount from each Trust to carry out this work.

The Joint Committee still operates on this basis. It levies the Cemetery Trusts at a ‘rate per funeral’ based on the previous year’s income. The fee, payable every three months, is used to maintain the infrastructure of the Necropolis and to provide services such as general security between the Trusts and outside organisations.  Along with the six cemetery Trustees, representatives from the following organisations also sit on the Joint Committee:

• Department of Lands
• National Trust of NSW
• Heritage Council of NSW
• NSW Cremation Company

Although Rookwood is one of the largest public open spaces in Sydney (Rookwood is larger than the Botanic Gardens and Centennial Park which both receive funding through the Premier’s department), Rookwood does not receive any direct financial assistance from the government, with the exception of the War Graves section which is managed by the Federal Government. 

Money for the restoration of heritage items must be applied for on a piece-by-piece basis through government and private grant schemes. Rent is paid in an annual lump sum to the Joint Committee. These days about 50% of all funerals at Rookwood are cremations. This means that the crematorium is a large contributor of funds to the Joint Committee. Likewise the Catholic Cemetery Trust, which has conducted the largest number of burials every year for more than 40 years and holds the largest area of land at Rookwood, is also a major user of the cemetery.