Peri Cemetery


 

Greenmount Parish Map showing approximate location of the Peri Cemetery.


Location: On northern banks of Bakers Creek, near Walkerston  Queensland.

Local Government Authority: Mackay Regional Council

Access: No public access. On private land. (Trespassers will be Prosecuted). Contact Mackay Historical Society for contact numbers to access site.

History:   With Queensland Legislation being introduced to reduce South Sea Islander labour in the Queensland sugar industry, it was decided to try other indentured labour to help minimise costs to the sugar plantations.  

The first Javanese labourers arrived in Mackay in 1885.  They were brought here by the management of C.S.R. Homebush Mill and the Palms Mill.  Most of these 200+ immigrants came from around a small village in Western Java near Jakarta called "Cikande" (pronounced chik-un-day).  There were Malayan labourers already working in the district and the Javanese were incorrectly referred to as "Malays" as well.  The cemetery has been incorrectly referred to in the past as the "Malayan Cemetery".

The Javanese settled on the northern banks of Bakers Creek and set up market gardens.  They pooled their resources together to buy horses to enable their goods to be sold in town.

The Javanese like the South Sea Islanders usually buried their dead in lone graves on the plantations where they worked.  The Manager of The Palms Mill in 1913 Mr. John W. Inverarity understood that the Malays and Javanese being practising Muslims, buried their dead differently to Europeans and set aside some land for the Javanese to create a burial ground on the northern banks of Bakers Creek.

Javanese buried their dead in a small alcove built in to the side of the grave walls before the earth was filled in.   Another feature of this cemetery was the use of wooden "Maisuns" which were a carved piece of timber used to indicate the burial like a headstone.  Unfortunately a lot of these have rotted away but some are still in existence.

This cemetery is located on private farm land which was part of the old Palms Estate  and was neglected for many years until recently when local Imam Mr. Barry Hassan with his wife Fay and Mr. Charlie Johnston lovingly restored the cemetery.

 Number of Burials: at least 23 as per the Mackay burial register. Another possible 37 burials may have been interred following research by Barry and Fay Hassan.

Burials:    The following is the list of  23 burials recorded in the Mackay Death Register

Surname First Names Death Date Age Notes
ALEMAN Frank 19 November 1934 60 yrs. Peri Cemetery. Entry No. 13429.
ALEMAN Lily 12 March 1926 1 yr. 4 days.  Peri. Entry No. 11674.
SEDRICK (registered as AMERIAN) Amena/Amerine 21 January 1937 73 yrs. Neé Sudick. Peri Cemetery. Entry No. 13918.
AMERINE (recorded as AMERIAN) Charlie 17 January 1935 86 yrs. Peri Cemetery. Entry No. 13467.
CARDOO Joe 1 September 1925 75 yrs. Peri. Entry No. 11572.
CONTOR Maggie 14 October 1929 75 yrs. Neé Moore. Peri. Entry No. 12400.
CONTOR Samuel 20 January 1945 88 yrs. Peri. Entry No. 15901.
DULVARIE Cissie 3 March 1951 49 yrs. 3 mths. 8 days. Neé Contor. Peri Cemetery. Entry No. 17373.
DULVARIE Kenneth Vincent 7 November 1940 4 mths. Peri Cemetery. Entry No. 14889.
DULVARIE William 20 April 1929 65 Yrs. Palmyra.  Entry No. 12298.
HASSAN Jack 31 January 1934 63 yrs. Palmyra Private Cemetery.  Entry No. 12298.
SAM (registerd as Kassiman) Kassiman/Kasmin 9 June 1920 55 yrs. Peri. Entry No. 10667.
MADAM (MUDAM) Amina/Amy 2 June 1938 48 yrs. Neé Doolawar. Peri Cemetery. Entry No. 14265.
MADAM (MUDAM) Denis Brian 1 June 1938 2 mths. Peri Cemetery. Entry No. 14266.
MADAM (MUDAM) Emma/Weir 22 October 1963 47 yrs. Neé Aleman. Peri Cemetery. Entry No. 21094.
MADAM (MUDAM) Kay 13 May 1931 51 yrs. Neé Agoosh. Peri. Entry No. 127183
MOOLTAN Lucy 8 September 1921 28 yrs. 2 mths. 7 days. Neé Contor. Peri near Walkerston. Entry No. 10897.
SAIRAN (known as SARON) Gregg Lindsay 13 March 1961 33 hrs. Alexander Cemetery. (twin to Rusty) Entry No. 20221.
SAIRAN (SARON) (recorded as SARIAN) Jack 10 March 1932 52 yrs. Peri Cemetery. Entry No. 12862.
SAIRAN (SARON) Lily 2 November 1922 4 yrs. 6 mths. 13 days. Peri. Entry No. 11067.
SAM Gwen Mavis 22 December 1931 1 mth. 18 days. Peri. Entry No. 12829.
SARGAR (SAGAR) (Male) 13 August 1930 80 years Peri. Entry No. 12578.
SAIRAN (recorded as SARIAN) Jack 10 March 1932 52 yrs. Peri Cemetery. Entry No. 12862.

 


The Following is a list of 37 possible burials from research by Fay and Barry Hassan, however the names are not recorded in the Mackay Courthouse death registers.

Surname First Names Death Date Age Notes
AERIMA Marie 20 October 1924    
ARFAT   30 November 1947    
ARONALOUS   28 February 1929    
ARSAM   1942-1948?    
ARWAN (ARWIN)        
CONTOR (COOUTA/GOONDER) Sapaya (Alma) 3 March 1951    
CONTOR (COOUTA/GOONDER) Tom 29 November 1927    
CONTOR (COOUTA/GOONDER) Joesa 31 July 1877    
CONTOR (COOUTA/GOONDER) Anne 12 March 1936   Neé Hassan
CONTOR (COOUTA/GOONDER) Alex 12 March 1935    
DOOLAR Sam 27 March 1932    
DULVARIE (DOOLAWAH) Morna ?    
DULVARIE Charles 20 July 1954    
EMMITE George 1 February 1916    
FRANK (Malay) 22 August 1939    
IDION/EDON   13 February 1927    
LONG Harry 30 July 1923    
LONG Seeria 16 March 1913 12 hrs listed in Death Register as being buried at the "Palms"
MAROOGAR Sam ?    
MAALUI Joe (Malay) 21 August 1941    
MEEON (Malay)      
MOHAMED Hassan 2 November 1891 abt. 50 years listed in Death Register as being buried at "Te Kowai"
POWIE Dick 25 November 1942    
SAJAH Jackie 20 July 1929    
SAM Kamut 24 January 1948    
SAM Katey/Mavis 22 December 1931 11 mths. 18 days.  
SANI (Malay) 7 November 1940    
SANI Maryanne ?    
SANI Nall (baby) 26 January 1938    
SARON (SAIRAN) Maludin (Matthew) 20 March 1973    
SARON (SAIRAN) Tina ?    
SEDAN Jack 7 December 1928    
SERIKA Thomas 2 August 1929    
SERON Jack 18 November 1926    
SOLIMAN (Malay) 5 April 1937    
SOROAMAN/SARRIMAN Charlie 21 September 1929    
SURATMAN Alma/Apih 4 June 1965   Neé Aleman.

Other Burials in Peri area recorded in the Mackay Courthouse Death register:

Surname First Names Death Date Age Notes
ATKINSON Florence 27 June 1892 11 Mths Peri. Entry No. 6018.
YOUNG Tony 26 June 1873 40 yrs. Peri Plantation.

 


Sources:

Mackay Court House Death Registers.

Interviews with Barry & Fay Hassan, Ooralea, 1992, 1993.


If you can supply any further information or photographs on the above please contact us by EMAIL
Glen Hall.


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page created 26 February 2004.
last updated 19 July, 2017 .
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