Cemeteries

Boddington - Marradong - Quindanning

All cemeteries must conform to a range of laws both state and local and these guidelines are designed to assist.
For more information, please contact ea@boddington.wa.gov.au or phone 08 9883 4999.

Downloads:

Shire of Boddington - Cemetery Guide

Shire of Boddington Cemeteries Local Law

Cemeteries Act 1986

Australian Standard 4204 - 1994 Headstones & Cemetery Monuments

Grant of Right of Burial

Forms for Funeral Homes:

Application for Grant of Right  -  Please check with the Shire for an existing Grant of Right

Application for Single Funeral Permit

Application for Burial 

Forms for Monumental Masons

Form 18 - Application for preparation of works

Form 16 - Application for Monumental Masons Licence

Cemeteries Act 1986

The Cemeteries Act 1986 changed the way Grants of Rights of Burial are administered. Prior to the Act, all cemetery boards set their own Grant tenures. The 1986 Act sets a state-wide tenure for Grants at 25 years. Any Grants that pre-date the new Act were automatically converted to 25 years as of 01 July 1987. It is these older grants that have expired on 02 July 2012.

A Grant must be current if additional interments in the form of burials or ashes placements are to take place at the plot. If monumental work on the plot is to be modified, the Grant also needs to be current. Some families prefer to purchase additional tenure for peace of mind even if they aren’t anticipating additional interments or the modification of monumental work. If your family wishes to secure additional tenure then please contact our offices to discuss the options available to you.

Grants can generally only be renewed by the original Grantee. This Grantee is traditionally the family member who organised the first interment. Given the passage of time and the likelihood that many original Grantees may now be deceased, our staff will be able to discuss the processes required for verification and legal compliance in the issuing of a Grant for an existing plot to a new Grantee.

Under the 1986 Act, the maximum guaranteed tenure on any given plot is 50 years although this is able to be extended for further 25 year periods at the discretion of the managing Cemetery authority. Extensions can only be in 25 year increments. So as to set a uniform expiry date for all Grants issued under the 1897 Act and provide Cemetery authorities with the ability to both manage their land holdings and have a known consistency of Grant expiry dates across their cemeteries, Parliament endorsed legislation stipulating that Grants of Rights of Burial issued prior to 01 July 1987 that had not expired by 02 July 2012 would, collectively, expire on 02 July 2012.

For further information on our Cemeteries please do not hesitate to contact the Administration Office during normal office hours on 08 9883 4999.

For further information on Australian Cemeteries, including the Shire of Boddington click here.

What is the Right of Burial?

The Right of Burial is granted when a reservation is made or when an interment (burial or ashes) occurs. The Right of Burial entitles the holder to arrange interments and monuments or plaques-only the holder of the Right of Burial has the authority to arrange any of these.

Who is the holder of the Right of Burial?

The holder of the Right of Burial is the person who made the original reservation (if this is applicable) or the person identified as the holder on the Application for Burial Permit (which would have been completed at the Funeral Home).

If the former holder of the Right of Burial is deceased, they may have bequeathed the Right of Burial to another person/s. Where the Right of Burial has not been bequeathed to a specified person/s, it automatically passes to the next of kin of the deceased.

Reservations

A reservation means that the Right of Burial has been paid for (a non-refundable reservation fee) however this payment is NOT a down-payment on future burial costs. The Right of Burial form, which is issued after a reservation has been made, should be kept with the grantee's important papers, such as a Will, or with a solicitor.

While reservations are non-refundable, they can be transferred to another person with the consent of Council. If you hold a Right of Burial and would like to transfer it to another person, please contact Council's cemetery officer.

Authority to Arrange Placement of a Plaque or Headstone

The person who holds the Right of Burial is the only person who has the authority to arrange a plaque or headstone.

If the holder of the Right of Burial wishes for another person to arrange the plaque or headstone, the holder can provide written consent to the Shire of Boddington Council or specified Monumental Mason. This will not transfer the Right of Burial to another person, unless specified, but demonstrates that the holder consents to arrangements being made by the named person

Forms:  

Purchase of Grant of Right

Application for a Pre Need Grant of Right of Burial