A milestone of service to our Victorian community

We’ve just done one decade and the next decade is not just a small change; I think it’s the next step change for this organisation.

- Jane Grover CEO Southern Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust

This year, we are proud to celebrate Southern Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust’s (SMCT) ten-year anniversary since its establishment as a Trust in March 2010, marking a milestone of service to our Victorian community.

Over these last ten years, SMCT has challenged the thinking of the role that cemeteries should play. Our organisational philosophy is that cemeteries are not only places to memorialise loved ones but become places of connection, healing and support the living.

Over the last decade, we have listened to our community, understanding the social changes that impact today’s multifaith, multicultural and multigenerational community. We demonstrate a contemporary approach to supporting the living through inclusion, respect and community connection. There are many things that we have collectively achieved with our community and these have occurred through listening and hearing what they have to say, harnessing their thoughts and ideas and turning that into something tangible. We recognise the importance and value of ongoing engagement with the various culturally, linguistically and religiously diverse communities through Victoria.

Reinventing the role that cemeteries play in meeting the evolving needs of the Victorian community is at the core of our vision - we are achieving this transformation by repositioning memorial parks as community spaces for the living, and by continuing to introduce innovative and exceptional services and facilities such as the Centre for Care & Wellbeing.

We are aware of the importance of living well and we know that it’s not about surviving – it’s about cherishing the time we have. For SMCT, this is at the core of our purpose. We exist to support our community when they are most vulnerable - when things are the most difficult; when at times there does not seem a way forward.

We are proud of all we have been able to achieve over the last ten years and within this new, upcoming decade, we’re looking at how we can continue to meet the evolving needs of our community as well as, how we support our employees, with the importance of mental health and general wellbeing.

Unless we have the right people, the right culture, the right care and respect for each other, we wouldn’t have been able to achieve what we’ve achieved as an organisation. It’s because of the way our employees have worked together as one team, for their amazing dedication, their commitment, their passion and hard work, that we have seen such amazing achievements come into fruition.