Worried about extra fees set at cemetery: Letter

We paid by cheque the sum of $1070 and now learn that if one of us were to die now council would want another $2397.

Council insists we did not buy an allotment, only a right of burial.

Nevertheless we have a paper from the council that clearly states “ The fee payable (at present $925) includes the cost of the allotment, the grave digging fee, provision of the bronze plaque with four lines of wording and maintenance in perpetuity”. It is further stated in part in that same paper from council, that “the only future charges being for reopening of the grave and provision of the additional inscription”.

Frankly we don’t particularly care what it’s called, the fact is we bought it whatever it’s called and paid the full price, as would be paid for a burial at that time.

If council wished to charge more at a later date, the general manager should have seen to it that all purchasers of allotments/rights of burial, lots, etc were made fully aware of all the changes. Of course it would of been difficult to tell us further fees would be charged, as we were give written assurance that no further fees would be incurred.

It’s interesting to note that some people who have bought a plot or allotment in the monumental section years ago when a child or spouse has died and intend to use that site for a double internment, now find themselves in a very nasty predicament. We have been told that at least some of those plots cannot be used as the digger can’t reach them.

We can’t choose when we leave this world. That’s Gods choice and council should remember this. Councillors need to show some compassion, especially if they wish to be re-elected.

It’s not the amount of the primary cost that we take exception to. It’s the charging twice for the same product.

Councillor Doug Phillips was reported in the Cootamundra paper as saying that the system was not put in place so people could get a cheap lot. We find this to be hurtful, insensitive and inappropriate for a councillor to imply. We can assure Mr Phillips that we paid full price for our lot, which we are now informed we don’t own. Mr Trethewey’s statement reported in the Wagga paper that it’s just a storm in a teacup is equally offensive to us as Mr Phillips statement is. People buy the burial rights for several reasons, such as peace of mind, such as, to have their affairs in order, such as, to be next to loved ones, such as, to avoid being a burden on their families.

We cannot stress too strongly just how much stress council’s double fee policy has on the elderly. We are both in our eighties and we believed that all this was behind us in 1994, after all, when a council document states no further charges will be incurred one does believe it. We and many others are too old and sick for this type of stress. 

We find councils documents to be most confusing. One speaks of allotments, another says, right of burial, another uses grave plot. Then to top it all off we have a letter from the Cootamundra council stating in part, and I quote Furthermore the ‘applicant’ on the certificate of the right of burial is the only approved person who can authorise the details and placement of memorial headstones / plaques on this location. Since the applicant will frequently be the deceased, are now to believe that council has managed to communicate with the dead?.

Could council; please handle the cemetery money better and be compassionate? We can’t understand why the money was not invested, so that it kept pace with inflation until time of internment of applicant.

In 1994 $1070 was a lot of money, as is the amount charged today.

When the next council elections are held in 2016 we do hope that your paper interviews each person seeking election to canvas their intentions regarding fee policy at the Cootamundra cemetery. 

Jeff & Joyce Hodges

2 Phillip St

Cootamundra