By Chris Thomson | posted on September 22, 2017
SIX paintbrush-wielding ‘cemetery fairies’ are working to ensure deceased Denmarkians, while gone, are never forgotten.
In 1995, the centenary of the town, Bill Pinniger, a professional fisherman now buried in the cemetery, donated granite for headstones to mark 224 unmarked graves.
But time and the elements had worn the headstones’ writing away.
Bev McGuinness, chairperson of the Denmark Historical Society, said she and five fellow fairies had spent the equivalent of 12 person-days repainting the headstones.
“Genealogy is a big thing these days,” Mrs McGuinness said.
“Being able to know where your missing relative is, and any information the headstones might contain, is invaluable for people researching their family histories.
“When we started here, most of the headstones were illegible.”
Fellow fairy Linda Humphries, who paints each headstone from the back, as she can see better through her bifocals that way, said it had been “a really rewarding task”.
“We’ve done this job out of respect for those who are interred here, and for the families that can’t attend to the headstones themselves,” she said.
The group had to strip each headstone back, as many were flecked with faded paint.
Despite the hard yakka and the gravity of their surrounds, the volunteers are quick with a quip.
Asked if painting the headstones was hard on his joints, cemetery fairy Ashleigh Murch said:
“That’s nothing to do with the gravesites, more with our proximity to them.”
Long-time Denmark local Don Redman said he observed the fairies’ work on September 10 when visiting on the birthday of his late mother, and thought it was “absolutely fabulous.”
“For us oldies, it brings back all sorts of memories,” the 76-year-old said.
“When I was a boy, there was a child kicked in the head by a horse and he died, and that’s the kind of story that’s out there.
“These stories must be passed on, and keeping the headstones in order is a good way to do it.”
The other cemetery fairies are Leanne Laurie, Ross McGuinness and Margaret Pomery.
The fairies received a $200 ad hoc grant from the Shire of Denmark, which allowed paint, brushes and stripper to be bought.
There’s a litre or two of paint left. Anyone wanting a tombstone touch-up can call Mrs McGuinness on 9848 1781.
