Our community
We are a community-based organisation, dedicated to serving the needs of all Victorians. We are committed to active engagement and meaningful consultation with all stakeholders.
The Southern Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust (SMCT) administers 11 cemeteries across the state, touching more than half of Victoria’s grieving families that have experienced loss.
We proactively engage with diverse representatives within our communities to help us plan for and respond to the needs of our evolving society. As we grow our understanding, we also increase our collaboration and capacity to better serve our communities now and into the future.
Engage with SMCT
Help us understand the needs and wants of our diverse Victorian community. Have your say via our community hub.
Community Planning Service
Our consultants can help your community group plan ahead for end-of-life options.
Community Engagement
SMCT actively engage with various community and cultural groups to ensure we develop an understanding of the needs, wants and preferences of the diverse communities we support.
Community Advisory Committee
Our CAC representatives bring diverse experiences and perspectives, helping to guide our major initiatives and communications.
Community Care & Wellbeing Program
We offer activities, events, tools, and resources, creating a safe space for people to connect and normalise conversations about grief and death.
Events
Coming together with the community can be a wonderful way to acknowledge, reflect and remember loved ones on special days.
SMCT Projects
As caretakers of our cemeteries, we are regularly undertaking projects to maintain and restore our beautiful spaces and historical pieces.
Recommended articles
A legacy of hope: sharing the history of Victorian Chinese Australian veterans
- 7 May 2021
Through collaboration with community partners such as the Museum of Chinese Australian History, SMCT seeks to strengthen connections and foster understanding to help our communities honour and celebrate loved ones in the way they choose.
- Community
Creating space to acknowledge miscarriage and early pregnancy loss at Bunurong
- 23 May 2023
Southern Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust (SMCT) is proud to announce our commitment to co-designing a memorial garden at Bunurong Memorial Park solely dedicated to miscarriage and early pregnancy loss.
- Events
Exploring Design and Death: Time Immemorial event at Bunurong Memorial Park
- 30 July 2024
On 1 June 2024, Southern Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust partnered with Open House Melbourne to host a series of panel discussions, tours and workshops on design and death at Bunurong Memorial Park.
- Events
Honouring the legacy of service: on National Police Remembrance Day 2024
- 10 January 2024
At Southern Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust (SMCT), we are honoured to care for the Police Memorial at Springvale Botanical Cemetery—a tribute to the brave officers who lost their lives in the line of duty, ensuring their stories live on.
- Events
Honouring Remembrance Day at Springvale and Brighton
- 14 November 2024
Every year on November 11 we commemorate Remembrance Day, the anniversary of the moment in 1918 when the gunfire on the Western Front fell silent and the Great War ended.
- Events
Partner with SMCT
Partner with us to create memorable experiences and make a positive impact through our community events and programs.
The Museum of Chinese Australian History
For many years Southern Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust (SMCT) has partnered with the Museum of Chinese Australian History (the Chinese Museum). Together, we have collaborated on projects as diverse as the development of culturally appropriate spaces and rituals through to the recognition of the contribution of Chinese Australian veterans through an ongoing Honour Roll project.
Based in the heart of Melbourne’s Chinatown on Little Bourke Street, the Chinese Museum is a vibrant not-for-profit organisation. They curate a collection of over 8,000 items which display Chinese Australian history and support understanding of Chinese culture and contribution in Melbourne. More information about the Chinese Museum can be found on their websiteExternal site.