Long-term resident Mervyn Page asked in a recent community meeting when the markers moved years ago were going to be replaced. 

“I have got family over there in the old cemetery. 

“I can’t find my son’s grave. I can’t find my uncle’s grave, because all the markers are gone.” 

His words resulted in expressions of sympathy from among the 100 attendees of the meeting held at the community precinct. 

These numbers had been used to mark the graves due to the isolation of the shire and the costs of headstones. 

Mr Page said he found the numbers in the shire council’s depo four years ago. 

Cloncurry mayor Greg Campbell described the removal of markers as a “terrible tragedy” caused years ago when a fence was built in the cemetery. 

“And some of the markers were taken away the same time. 

“It will be difficult (to fix) but I think with the right combination of the council and the Cloncurry Historical Society and the people whose loved ones are in the area, we can come to an outcome,” he said.  

One suggested action was to recreate the original markers after tracking old records and in the meeting Councillor Campbell suggested x-ray technology as an option to match the markers with the correct graves. 

Cloncurry Historical Society member Gail Wipaki said in the meeting that it may not be possible to learn exactly where people were buried. Many numbers had not been matched in order along the graves. 

“We did see these markers there, there’s a lot still down in the cemetery but they are scattered everywhere. There’s quite a few near where the fence was taken out.” 

Cloncurry resident Yvonne Lennon said the council’s health department kept a red book of the records of the graves. 

“One of my jobs was to make sure everyone was buried in the right place...council did have very good records. I spent two weeks doing that.” 

But nobody who spoke at the meeting seemed to know where the red book might be. 

Mr Page said to the mayor after learning of the difficulties in tracking down the records, “You can do your best, that’s all mate. 

“If you can’t fix it up at least you tried.”