BE PART OF A POWERFUL AND UNFORGETTABLE MUSICAL EXPERIENCE AT EAST PERTH CEMETERIES SOUND FROM THE GROUND PROGRAM FRIDAY 29 APRIL & SATURDAY 30 APRIL 2016 Government of Western Australia Department of Culture and the Arts EAST PERTH SOUND FROM THE GROUND: CEMETERIES HISTORY PROJECT BACKGROUND From tuberculosis, brought to the colony from St Bartholomew’s, consecrated in 1871 as a Church of The collection of graves at East Perth Cemeteries From its initial conception, Sound from the Ground has the Old World, to typhoid, a fever that struck England mortuary chapel, became a Parish Church from represents a cross section of Perth society from 1829 been underpinned by a number of aims that include Perth at the same time as gold fever, the graves 1888 and after extensions in 1900 it almost doubled in size. to 1899 in a setting that provides a rare experience of enhancing awareness and understanding of the collection of East Perth Cemeteries are a record of the first It remains a consecrated church still in use today. Other isolation and tranquillity in the midst of a busy city. of graves, to ensure its relevance to contemporary society 70 years of European migration. denominations used their own church or place of worship It is an extremely significant collection generally and to introduce some of the stories the collection for the ‘celebration of death’ prior to the cemetery burial. considered by few other than genealogical researchers. represents to new audiences. In addition the project The first burial ground on what was called “Cemetery Hill” has challenged notions of how heritage collections was a general cemetery. The earliest colonists were mainly As Perth grew so did concerns about Cemetery Hill being a There is no doubt the individual grave markers at may be understood and what they might mean, Church of England but Methodists arrived as early as health hazard – “noxious matter will gradually drain down East Perth Cemeteries provide an invaluable resource and demonstrates how a collection may inspire 1830 and large numbers of Roman Catholics in the 1840s from the summit of the hill”. These concerns coupled with the for people tracing their family histories. They are also artistic endeavour. so subsequently land was granted for denominational loss of religious grants to the denominations led to the reminders of our own impermanence and mortality. cemeteries: Church of England 1842, Catholic 1848, closure of the Cemeteries in 1899. Some burials continued in But when considered as a collection these tangible Classical guitarist Dr Jonathan Fitzgerald has spent hours Independent 1854, Wesleyan Methodist 1854, Jewish 1867, existing vaults or family graves until 1916 and again in 1924. elements of stone, slate, iron and marble are prompts wandering the Cemeteries and immersed in diaries and Presbyterian 1881 and Chinese 1888. An eighth cemetery for memory and contemplation. books while pondering the stories the graves represent. Despite criticism of neglect and vandalism during the 20th was assigned for the burial of felons in 1867. An intriguing and fascinating music repertoire has century, little action was taken until many grave sites had Uniquely West Australian stories are embodied in this emerged from this process. Private John Mitchell (died of ‘dropsy’) was the first interred been lost forever. In the 1930s the site was declared a disused highly significant collection that reflects the stories of in January 1830, but no grave marker exists. The earliest burial ground under the control of the State Gardens Board 10,000 lives. It reveals to us today the stories of the past The grave markers have also inspired fellow guitarist and burial for which we know the location is that of Louisa Jones and its fate was uncertain during the Depression and war – of commerce and government, family and relationships, composer Duncan Gardiner. He has been commissioned (grave #441) who died in December 1830 but her headstone years. In the late 1940s damaged headstones were bulldozed, exploration and change, faith and community, hardship by the National Trust to compose an original work for dates from 1876 following the death of her husband Richard. piled in heaps and removed. The Presbyterian, Jewish and and struggle, love and ultimately of loss. Sound from the Ground that will serve as a contemporary The oldest extant grave marker is for William Stirling (grave Chinese cemeteries were relinquished and the land made response to the graves. The title Stone, Shell, Bone and Gaps and absences in the collection also tell stories. #417), nephew of Governor Stirling, who died in April 1831. available to the Education Department. Some surviving Feather is taken from the material evidence Duncan has Some of the grave markers have been lost through headstones were relocated to a former road reserve within observed as he has explored the graves in their unique Inscriptions on the grave markers are a record of people fire, decay, and well intentioned clean ups of the site. the main area of the current site. landscape setting. and burial customs in the Colonial and Victorian eras of Others never came to be, because scarce resources settlement. The layout of individual cemeteries even reflects Growing recognition of its cultural heritage significance saw were needed for the living as opposed to the dead. Superbly interpreted by Jonathan, Duncan, Melissa the Victorian class system with Church of England graves St Bartholomew’s Church vested in the National Trust in 1975. There were doubtless cases where the deceased had Fitzgerald and Jameson Feakes, the musical narrative, arranged in rows of descending order of status. The rest of the place was transferred to the Trust in 1994 previously requested the anonymity of an unmarked both historical and contemporary, reveals new and which manages it according to conservation plans and in grave. Then there are the spaces where the absence unexpected layers of significance and will doubtless line with contemporary heritage conservation practice. of grave markers tells of the shame surrounding those inspire audiences to consider the collection of graves who died but were never spoken of such as illegitimate in new ways. Fittingly, Sound from the Ground will leave children or suicides. a musical legacy for the future. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS www.eastperthcemeteries.org.au was key to the research behind Sound from the Ground. It is the culmination of fifty years of collective effort by a legion of committed volunteers and professional researchers. The National Trust in partnership with the Friends of the Battye Library Inc, and supported by Sound from the Ground has been generously supported by the Department of Culture and the Arts Connect Community Collections Program, Lotterywest, has made East Perth Cemeteries burial records readily accessible to the community. specifically the category that enables collecting organisations to engage an artist-in-residence to interpret or work with collections in an The National Trust of Australia (WA) would like to thank the artists in residence Dr Jonathan Fitzgerald, Duncan Gardiner, Melissa Fitzgerald and innovative way. Jameson Feakes for the enthusiasm, passion and professional musicianship they have brought to the project. ARTIST PROFILES OLMAN WALLEY MELISSA FITZGERALD Olman is a descendent of the Wadjuck clan and several other clan groups within Melissa’s “sleek, polished perfection” has seen her become an in-demand soloist and Nyoongar country. Olman is an established Aboriginal dancer and accomplished chamber musician. Her prowess as a performer has been recognised through several didgeridoo player and has performed at a professional level both nationally and awards and competitions. Most notably, in 2013, Melissa was a finalist in WAAPA’s Warana internationally for a number of years. Concerto Competition, where she performed Leo Brouwer’s Concerto Elegiaco with the Faith Court Orchestra. She has also been a finalist for the Helen Court Award for most Olman has worked within the school education system and the private and public outstanding graduating classical music student at WAAPA. sector delivering cultural awareness and cultural education programs over the last ten years within the family owned company. Melissa Fitzgerald studied at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts under the guidance of Dr Jonathan Paget. She graduated with her Bachelor of Music in 2010. http://aboriginalproductions.com.au In 2011 she received First Class Honours for her dissertation, Minimalism and the Guitar. Melissa returned to WAAPA in 2013 to commence her PhD, focusing on researching and recording the guitar works of Nigel Westlake. http://www.melissafitzgerald.com.au DR JONATHAN FITZGERALD JAMESON FEAKES Praised for his “impeccable tone” and performances filled “with passion from the Jameson Feakes is an Australian guitarist specialising in experimental and modern start to the end,” American classical guitarist Dr Jonathan Fitzgerald is quickly gaining classical music. A graduate of the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA), an international reputation. Highlights have included performances with the West he has received lessons and masterclasses from world renowned guitarists such as Australian Symphony Orchestra, West Australian Opera, radio performances for Radio Johannes Möller and Timothy Kain. He is an ongoing proponent of experimental/new National and RTRFM, television performances for Westlink, and solo concerts for the music in the Perth music community and regularly performs with the aim of introducing Classical Guitar Society of Western Australia and Western Australian Academy of this music to a wider audience. Performing Arts among many others. Currently he is studying an honours degree at the University of Western Australia, A recipient of the Jack L. Frank Award for Excellence in Teaching, Jonathan is a dedicated preparing repertoire to release in 2016, as well as continuing to regularly perform pedagogue invested in the success of his students. Jonathan currently teaches at the around Perth both as a soloist and with various ensembles.