Trust to offer counselling sessions as Lovell pushes for board to be fired

By Max Stainkamph

Feb 9, 2023

Removed: Flowers at the grave of Mitchell Hilton, before Remembrance Parks workers swept through Pine Lodge cemetery and removed flowers and keepsakes at the graves.

The Remembrance Parks Central Victoria Cemetery Trust is expecting a report into the handling of removing mementos from gravesites to be completed next week.

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The trust is also planning to give family members of those buried at the trusts’ cemeteries access to grief counselling sessions.

State Member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell has continued her push for the board of directors of the trust to be removed and replaced with an administrator.

The board has begun interviewing for the interim chief executive role, having removed chief executive Emma Flukes last week.

Ms Lovell, speaking during the adjournment debate to Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas in state Parliament this week, said the “heartless” management practices were just cause for the minister to remove the board.

“The current board of RPCV have been heartless in their dealings with families of departed loved ones, failing to show any compassion and empathy to people experiencing unimaginable grief,” Ms Lovell said.

“Section 10 of the Cemeteries and Crematoria Act allows the minister to remove the current board and appoint an administrator, and I urge her to do so until a more compassionate and suitable board of directors can be appointed.”

Ms Lovell said the removal of the treasured keepsakes came in the wake of RPCV’s controversial proposal in May 2022 to introduce exorbitant price rises for internment and cremation services, a proposal that was ultimately abandoned.

Ms Lovell said these two controversial incidents showed a pattern of failure in governance by the current board.