I learnt a new word today and thought I’d share it with you. And the word is graving. Graving is the hobby of searching out and often photographing specific graves for genealogy or curiosity about the rich and famous.
One famous, short story writer and balladist can be found buried in a world famous cemetery in Sydney. This famous Australian, whose parents were Norwegian, was born in Melbourne in 1867. He is none other than Henry Lawson (died 1922) and this cemetery is Waverley Cemetery in NSW. Bloomberg has listed this in its top 12 most beautiful cemetery of the world (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/photo-essays/2016-10-21/these-are-the-12-most-beautiful-cemeteries-in-the-world). This cemetery was opened in 1877.
"In the late 19th century, books and newspapers were full of stories of terrifying premature internments, although it's not clear how many actually occurred. The solution to the possibly-made-up problem was the safety coffin, or coffin alarm. These devices—of which there were several—most often employed a bell or other noise-making apparatus that could be manipulated by a person trapped inside a buried coffin to alert those aboveground. Many also included a hatch that would let fresh air into the coffin, allowing the prematurely buried victim to breathe until rescue came. One of the more famous of these devices was created by the Russian Count Michel de Karnice-Karnicki, and included a spring-loaded compartment atop the grave that would pop open like a jack-in-the box if there were any bodily movement below.
“A more elaborate cousin of the safety coffin, [was the] escape coffins. [These] were built for those prematurely declared dead who didn’t have the patience to wait for someone else to come to the rescue. One such coffin, patented in 1843 and intended for use in vaults, had a spring-loaded lid that could be opened with the merest movement of a head or hand. Another more extreme example was the burial vault retired firefighter Thomas Pursell designed for himself and his family at a cemetery in Westport, Pennsylvania. The ventilated vault could be opened from the inside by a patented wheel lock. Pursell was indeed buried there in 1937, but so far he has not emerged” (https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/59584/7-weird-graveyard-inventions).
“You might have noticed that gravestones sometimes have carved symbols on them but did you know the meanings behind them? The winged hourglass tells us that time flies and the hourglass on its side indicates time stopping for the dead. A broken flower or tree symbolizes a life cut short. Hands in a prayer position can signify devotion and a hand pointing down can indicate sudden death. Even a handshake has meaning! A handshake can reflect the clasped hands of a couple to be reunited in death” (http://heavensmaid.com/five-fun-facts-about-cemeteries/).
Here are other interpretations of other images (https://www.iamhrsinclair.com/2015/10/26/10-graveyard-facts/):
anchor: hope
chain with a broken link: loss of a family member
cross: faith
hand with the index finger pointing down: God reaching for the soul, often in association with an unexpected death
hand with the index finger pointing up: hope of heaven
mother and child: charity
skeleton: life’s brevity
And if you’ve ever noticed obelisks in cemeteries, they began appearing “in American graveyards in the 1840s during a period of Egyptian Revivalism. They were associated with greatness and patriotism. They were also cheaper than intricate sculpted monuments” according to the same above source.
THE CACHE
Now about this cache that you have come here to look for in the Burwood Cemetery, the visiting hours are:
Monday to Sunday: 7.00am - 5.30pm and
7.00am - 7.30pm (during daylight savings)
There are three gated entries to this cemetery (Gilmour St and Highbury Road). Please note that you cannot drive into the cemetery from the Highbury Road entrance. Parking is available on Evans Street or Gilmour Street.
Do respect other visitors to this place and I would highly advise that you do not attempt to retrieve this cache when there are other visitors nearby.
This cache is a micro and you need to bring your own pen. After you have signed the log, please return it to its hiding spot where you found it and ensure that it has adequate camo over it.
As per geocaching etiquette, do share about your adventures but leave spoilers out of your log so as not to spoil the fun for others.
Have fun, stay safe, and I look forward to reading about your visit.