Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Goodwood Road, Pasadena, South Australia.

Centennial Park Cemetery was established in 8 June 1936 to mark the centenary of South Australia, from which its name is derived.  It is the State's largest provider of burial, cremation, funeral and memorial services.

Derrick Gardens
There are over 3,500 memorial headstones within the Derrick Gardens within the cemetery.

Each year students from various schools and colleges join with members of the 2nd/27th AIF to place Australian flags on the graves of returned servicemen and women in the Derrick Garden at Centennial Park Cemetery.

World War II Cemetery
Within Centennial Park there is also a war cemetery, where 195 World War II veterans are buried.
Most of the War Graves in this civil cemetery are in special plts, which lie on each side of the central path (from the entrance of the cemetery), established by the Army in 1942 for the burial of those who died of wounds in military hospitals after the return from operational areas, and those who died during thier war service, of sickness or accident. In 1946, these war graves plots were taken over by the Commission, and a Cross of Sacrifice, the first of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere, was erected in the centre of the groups of graves.

Set on 40 acres of parkland, Centennial Park Cemetery boasts an award-winning chapels complex, modern crematorium and more than 50 individually themed gardens, including South Australia's only memorial island.  

Since 1938, more than 85,000 burials and 149,000 cremations have taken place at Centennial Park Cemetery. 

Throughout the cemetery's history there have been many significant milestones, including the opening of the WA Norman Chapel in 1955, one of the State's first crematoria, followed by the establishment of a separate upgraded crematorium in 1983, which featured three new cremators of modern design.  The development of the Jubilee Chapels Complex in 1986 put Centennial Park Cemetery at the forefront in the provision of combined chapels and lounges, boasting world standard facilities unequalled anywhere else in Australia.

Thank you to DVA for their information.

Sourced and submitted by Julianne T Ryan.  17/3/2015.  Lest we forget.