Historic Durack graves crumbling down

Patrick Durack (great-grandson of Patsy Durack and Mary Costello)

9/3/23 Update

Hi all.

We have just reached the initial target to do the essential work and I have been in touch with the stonemason to schedule the job. The account has $6,411.49 which is the donations $6,510 less the GoFundMe fee.

It looks as if the funds to do the second part of the work may be out of reach at this time unless somebody/s comes through big time..

Wonderful work to all who put their hands in their pockets and have made the effort to share and publicise etc. Mostly family but several friends including my mate Finny who has already passed away so he will be supervising from up or down there as the case may be.

Also, to acknowledge my aunt Maggie who kicked this thing off but who doesn't do technology. She arranged to have her donation straight into the account.

I am currently working out with the Council the hoops I need to jump to actually do the work. There is an application and of course a council fee ($224). I am assuming a single fee, but the message is not 100% clear on this. This was not in my initial estimates.

Also, the council want a Statutory Declaration, but I am not sure what for as yet. I think to the effect that I represent the family and there is agreement that the work can be done. Let me know if anybody has a problem with this.

I am hoping that John can stay with his initial quote although some time has passed and there may be contingencies.

In other words, any additional donations could be very useful to be comfortable about finishing phase 1.

I plan to keep the fundraiser open for some time.

In the event that there is small excess but not enough to tackle the second phase there are some options. A suitable plaque acknowledging the restoration works and or displaying the Durack family historical notes would be good. Alternatively, any balance could go the Friends of the Cemetry organisation who have enthusiastically supported the project.

Thanks

Patrick

Hello everyone,

I have been alerted by my aunt and local Bungonia resident Maggie Durack that the graves of our ancestors in the old Goulburn cemetery in New South Wales, Australia, are in poor repair and require some much-needed maintenance.

The graves in question belong to Patsy Durack (died 1898) and his wife Mary Costello (died 1893) whose story is immortalised in Dame Mary Durack's books "Kings in Grass Castles" and "Sons in the Saddle", also Patsy's father Michael who died in 1853, and two of their infant children Mary (2 years old) and Jeremiah (aged 6 weeks).

The main problem is subsidence at the base of the central tombstone due to the apparent collapse of the coffins underneath. This will ultimately lead to the headstones tipping forward. From what I understand there is no actual danger of the skeletons or spirits escaping but I believe the respectful thing to do would be to fill in the voids and reinstate the plinth and foundations, and optionally the kerbing around the three grave sites.

I have received a quote from a well-recommended local stone mason (see the full quote in the invitation email) to fill the void above the collapsed coffins and restore the plinths in the first instance ($6,372.50), and then reinstate the kerbing if sufficient funds allow (a further $14,070.10), bringing the total outlay to $20,397.60.

Apparently, the old Goulburn cemetery and the Durack graves are a significant drawcard for people who have read "Kings in Grass Castles" and "Sons in the Saddle" and the local historical society has installed a short 'history' of the family at the site. (It is possible that some of the maintenance work could be eligible for a council grant and I will be following this up. Along with contacting the Friends of the Cemetery - (Goulburn.Historic.Cemeteries gmail.com).

I don't expect that there will be a big take-up for this fundraiser but you have to start somewhere. I am also hoping that the younger generations will take on some of the responsibility for the task rather than just leaving it to us "oldies" to put our hands in our pockets. It would certainly help spread the financial burden across a wider field of potential starters! From some rough calculations if we manage to get 50 contributors then the initial outlay would be about $140 each, or $400 for both phases of work. The more participants then the less we each have to contribute. You can also contribute more than once if the spirit strikes!

I understand there are about 120 direct descendants who could/perhaps would like to contribute. I plan to circulate an accompanying email to everyone I can find with an electronic version of the family tree so you can see where you fit in relation to Patsy , Mary and the extended Durack family. The .pdf version has been supplied courtesy of Michael Clancy and his sister Perpetua (surprisingly the file is only 82kb for an A0 document). It would also be good if people could forward the email/GoFundMe link details to others in the family who I don't have contact details for to spread the word even further.

Some of you are probably wondering what happens to the money if we don't reach our target figure. I understand that as the initiator of this GoFundMe page, I would be responsible for handling the funds and reimbursing if required. I hope that situation doesn't eventuate and that we at least reach our initial target figure of $6372.50 for the first phase of work.

There are no doubt profound things one could say about honouring our ancestors, or perhaps it is just sad to see something that needs to be fixed. Whatever your motivations it would be very much appreciated if you could help contribute to the maintenance of these crumbling graves.

Regards Patrick Durack

(son of Bill and Noni Durack, formerly of Toowoomba)