CATH NEWS REPORT-
Screenshot of The Courier-Mail report
---
The forced cancellation of all ceremonies at the New Ingham Cemetery in north Queensland, in the wake of Cyclone Yasi, has left families unable to hold funerals for their dead, reports The Courier-Mail.
"You can't have closure," Mr Olivero said. "It just feels like you're in limbo.Brian Olivero is in the grip of an agonising wait to hold a funeral for his mother, Vita, who died on January 30 at the age of 80. She was supposed to be entombed the day Yasi struck.
The Oliveros are one of six Ingham families increasingly anxious to say their last goodbyes to loved ones.
Having brushed off the storm and its ensuing flood, the families learned supplies had been cut to the companies tasked to build the grand concrete vaults they had ordered.
Within Ingham's large Australian-Italian population, it is traditional to choose mausoleums or large interment spaces for partners and family.
Concerned Catholic priest Fr Damian McGrath said the shortage of concrete vaults and the cemetery's closure was causing unrest.
"It's hard on them," he said.
"Closure is very important."
It is believed the low-lying grounds of the cemetery are still sodden and it may be unsafe for mausoleums to be placed until the ground hardens.
Workers have been clearing the grounds for days and there have been reports some headstones have been damaged.
Comments