Old Busselton Cemetery Project

Background and update

Over the last three years, the City has been investigating the names of the people buried in the Old Busselton Cemetery. This number has grown from 250 to just under 1,000. The names have been cross checked in several ways:

• A comprehensive list through the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages on line search platform
• Burial books from Faulkingham Funeral Directors, ancestors of the late Mrs Annie Faithfull
• Access to St Mary’s Burial Registers from 1841 - 1935 courtesy of the State Library
• Busselton Family History Group researchers and online lists
• Busselton Historical Society research and lists
• Respondents to two sets of community feedback
• Past lists compiled by:
  • Pat Snowdon and Anne Malarki (1966)
  • Marie Pavey and Leeanne Riordan (1996)
• Busselton Cemetery database of early records
• Find a Grave website
• Local Historical Society members who have an interest in cemeteries:
  • Augusta
  • Margaret River
  • Karridale
• Capel Districts Cemeteries Project

With the earlier records (before 1900), there have often been differences that needed to be considered and a best informed guess made. The reasons include:

• Illegible handwriting of names and dates resulting in differences in several platforms
• Spellings differing across platforms and documents
• Dates might be burial dates instead of dates of death
• There are infants that may have been buried in the cemetery and some buried elsewhere and these have been included where it seems logical that they may be buried in the cemetery. If not, they are included in a list “Maybe buried in the cemetery or in the district”.
• A separate list identifies people included in the cemetery after it was closed. They were
  • buried in a family plot and have a headstone
  • were not buried in the cemetery and have a memorial plaque or headstone.
  • One person who was reinterred in Scotland

The list will soon be set in stone on new granite plaques on the outside walls of the Old Busselton Cemetery. The City will maintain a database of information of the people buried in the cemetery, that includes the research that has been found.

A final list is now available for you to view. Descendants of Aboriginal and pioneering families, interested history buffs and the wider community are asked to please review the updated list, taking note of names and dates included. If you believe something may be incorrect, please email Jacquie Happ jacquie.happ@busselton.wa.gov.au.

The updated list of burial names can be found under 'Documents' on the right-hand side.

Consultation closes 4pm 7 May 2025.