Walkaway cemetery, WA
Aileen Maud DESMOND d: 4 Feb 1993 aged 89
Anthony Joseph DESMOND d: 27 Apr 1949 aged 50
Denis DESMOND d: 23 Jan 1881 aged 33
Denis DESMOND d: 23 Apr 1961 aged 80
James Peter DESMOND d: 28 Dec 1923 aged 89
John Patrick DESMOND d: 3 jul 1961 aged 74
Joseph DESMOND d: ?
Mary DESMOND d:Aug 1921 aged 62
Thomas William DESMOND d: 6 Nov 1946 aged 53
John JACKSON d: 2 May 1869 aged 16 mo
Charles Treneald MAHER d: 7 Mar 1915 aged 16
Hannorah O'BRIEN d: 27 Jun 1904 aged 69
Michael O'BRIEN d: 11 Aug 1912 aged 76
Charles PEARCE d: 28 Jan 1866 aged 16 days
Elizabeth PEARCE d: 29 Jan 1862 aged 3
James PEARCE d: 25 Feb 1865 aged 20 mo
John PEARCE d: 2 Jun 1868 aged 3 weeks
Mary Anne PEARCE d: 9 Jul 1901 aged 74
Catherine REYNOLDS d: 30 Nov 1908 aged 52
James REYNOLDS d: 17 Mar 1938
John Bernard REYNOLDS d: 6 Sep 1938 aged 47
Laurence Denis REYNOLDS d: 21 Aug 1892 aged 22 mo
William Fintan Alphis REYNOLDS d: 22 Jan 1910 aged 5 days
Mary Anne STAFFORD d: 27 Apr 1864 aged 4 mo
Mary Jane STAFFORD d: 6 Jan 1863 aged 3 1/2 mo
Peter STAFFORD d: 21 Jan 1864 aged 37
John WALSH d: 19 Dec 1890 aged 37
Walkaway cemetery, WA
Walkaway cemetery, WA
From sign erected by Shire of Greenough
This part of Greenough was originally known as "Wagawa" referring to the nearby break in the hills, where the Greenough River flows from the Back to the Front Flats. With the coming of European settlers in the early 1850's, the name was anglicized to Walkaway.
William Phelps surveyed this site on 20 June 1867. He marked out four cemeteries reserved for the use of Anglicans, Wesleyans, Congregationalists and Roman Catholics, along with land allocated for a Roman Catholic Chuch, Presbytery and Glebe. In his notes, Phelps recorded that burials had already taken place in the Roman Catholic section. Although the Roman Catholic church never took ownership of the land allocated to them, their cemetery was the only site ever used for the designated purpose.
At least 33 people (nearly half being infants) were buried here, many in unmarked graves.
One unmarked grave possibly holds the remains of 16 year old Charles Maher, who drowned on 7 Mar 1915 whilst swimming in the Greenough River near the Railway Bridge.
When John Walsh was accidentally killed in 1890 by an explosion of dynamite, whilst working on the Midland Railway south of here, his workmates collected funds to provide a suitable memorial.
Many of those interred in this cemetery were related to the Desmond family. Initially farmers at South Greenough, the Desmond family later took up land on the Back Flats.
The Walkwaway Cemetery was closed for burials on 30 January 1981. The last person to be interred here was Aileen Maud Desmond, who died 4 Febuary 1993. She had been granted special permission by the Governor to be buried next to her husband.
The Roman Catholic cemetery was vested with the Shire of Greenough in November 1995 for the purpose of "Historical Cemetery Precinct".
More information about
Greenough / Walkaway district
find-a-grave: Walkaway Cemetery
BillionGraves: Walkaway Cemetery
Lorraine's cemetery records, ozburials.com: Walkaway Cemetery
Historical Cemeteries in the City of Greater Geraldton
shutterstock Walkaway cemetery images
Pioneer Graves in Western Australia
Australian Cemeteries Index: Cemetery 5997 - Walkaway
wikimapia: Walkaway Cemetery
alamy: Greenough, WA, Australia - November 24, 2017: Graves in old Walkaway cemetery on Brand highway in Western Australia
Lonely Graves of Western Australia
Greenough, WA
wikipedia: Walkaway, Western Australia
australias guide: Walkaway
Photographed: Sep 2009
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