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| SIGN ON WESTBURY RD |
Around 2010-2011 there seemed to be a
great deal of activity around the convict cemetery in Rose Lane,
South Launceston. The National Trust was involved, children from
Glen Dhu school made commemorative tiles (unfortunately some are
already worn and broken) and a small sign was placed on Westbury
Road. I'm having some difficulty finding out what has happened
since.
There may be more burials there than
the size of the cemetery, which existed as such between 1846 and
1874, might suggest, as it has been claimed that bodies were interred
5 or 6 deep at each gravesite, and that Rose Lane may be the final
resting place for around 320 people.
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| Memorial Tiles |
I'd venture to suggest that most people
who live in Launceston remain unaware of the cemetery's existence,
and in honesty there's not much to see, if “seeing” rather than
“being” is your thing. There is a low walled circle of stones,
and some arrows marked on the ground, but there is no sign at the
actual entrance, nor anything to say what the arrows mean, and no
information about the overall significance of the burial ground. The
children's tiles record the names, and other information about some
of the people known to be buried there. It is tremendously sad to
think that having survived a long and dangerous sea voyage, they died
alone in a strange and distant land, away from families and friends.
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| SITE OF ROSE LANE CONVICT CEMETERY |
