Peri Cemetery

Location: On northern banks of Bakers Creek, near Walkerston  Queensland.

Greenmount Parish Map showing approximate location of the Peri Cemetery.

Local Government Authority: Mackay City Council

Access: No public access. On private land. (Trespassers will be Prosecuted). Contact Mackay Historical Society for contact numbers to access site.

History:   With Queensland Legislation being introduced to reduce South Sea Islander labour in the Queensland sugar industry, it was decided to try other indentured labour to help minimise costs to the sugar plantations.  

The first Javanese labourers arrived in Mackay in 1885.  They were brought here by the management of C.S.R. Homebush Mill and the Palms Mill.  Most of these 200+ immigrants came from around a small village in Western Java near Jakarta called "Cikande" (pronounced chik-un-day).  There were Malayan labourers already working in the district and the Javanese were incorrectly referred to as "Malays" as well.  The cemetery has been incorrectly referred to in the past as the "Malayan Cemetery".

The Javanese settled on the northern banks of Bakers Creek and set up market gardens.  They pooled their resources together to buy horses to enable their goods to be sold in town.

The Javanese like the South Sea Islanders usually buried their dead in lone graves on the plantations where they worked.  The Manager of The Palms Mill in 1913 Mr. John W. Inverarity understood that the Malays and Javanese being practising Muslims, buried their dead differently to Europeans and set aside some land for the Javanese to create a burial ground on the northern banks of Bakers Creek.

Javanese buried their dead in a small alcove built in to the side of the grave walls before the earth was filled in.   Another feature of this cemetery was the use of wooden "Maisuns" which were a carved piece of timber used to indicate the burial like a headstone.  Unfortunately a lot of these have rotted away but some are still in existence.

This cemetery is located on private farm land which was part of the old Palms Estate  and was neglected for many years until recently when local Imam Mr. Barry Hassan with his wife Fay and Mr. Charlie Johnston lovingly restored the cemetery.

 Number of Burials: at least 23 as per the Mackay burial register. Another possible 37 burials may have been interred following research by Barry and Fay Hassan.

Burials:    The following is the list of  23 burials recorded in the Mackay Death Register

The Following is a list of 37 possible burials from research by Fay and Barry Hassan, however the names are not recorded in the Mackay Courthouse death registers.

Other Burials in Peri area recorded in the Mackay Courthouse Death register:

Sources:

Mackay Court House Death Registers.

Interviews with Barry & Fay Hassan, Ooralea, 1992, 1993.

If you can supply any further information or photographs on the above please contact us by EMAIL
Mackay Historical Society

© Mackay Historical Society and Museum Incorporated 2001-2006.
page created 26 February 2004.
last updated 19 August, 2006 .
Site maintained by Glen Hall.