Refurbishment of the pagoda within Melbourne General Cemetery’s dedicated Chinese area

On Sunday 27 October we were delighted to celebrate the refurbishment of the beautiful and iconic pagoda at Melbourne General Cemetery in partnership with the Chinese Museum and the Victoria Memorial Foundation.

Forming the entrance to Melbourne General Cemetery’s dedicated Chinese community area, the Chinese pagoda symbolises the migration of Victoria’s Chinese community and the making of their new home in Melbourne – a place where they can now rest peacefully and have their legacy preserved for future generations. It is a symbol of the early history of Chinese workers in Victoria and the significant contributions made by this loyal and enduring community. The refurbishment of the pagoda helps to honour ancestors here in Victoria while preserving Chinese traditions and history.

During the event, we were pleased to welcome Anthony Carbines MP, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health and Member of Ivanhoe, and local Chinese community leaders including the See Yup Society’s former President Mr John Wong, Vice-President Michael Lam and Co-Founder and former President, Mr Maurice Leong.

A special thank you to the Chinese Memorial Foundation who undertook the refurbishment work, and the Chinese Museum for partnering with us for this special community event. It has been our pleasure to support all efforts to refurbish this iconic pagoda, along with the many generous individuals and community organisations who contributed to fundraising efforts for this refurbishment.

Our purpose is that every person, regardless of their religion, culture or personal preferences should be able to honour and celebrate their loved ones as they choose. Events like these help us to share and bring life to this purpose in a meaningful way.

We value our strong relationships with multicultural communities. Our relationship with the Victorian Chinese community helps shape our service to be culturally relevant and responsive.

We are fortunate to work with so many different multicultural communities and understand the vital role of tradition and ceremony, in saying goodbye to loved ones and supporting the living through their grief journey. As an organisation, we are proud to be custodians of the stories and memories of our communities, so they can be preserved for future generations.