The Bendigo Cemeteries Trust, trading as Remembrance Parks Central Victoria, will assume the management and maintenance of the Pine Lodge and Kialla West cemeteries.
Managed by Greater Shepparton City Council, the changes are set to come into effect from July 1.
Remembrance Parks Central Victoria chief executive Dean McElroy said the changes would ensure the smooth operation of daily tasks while maintaining the practices already in place.
‘‘Remembrance Parks Central Victoria is a highly experienced service provider in after life care and can offer a level of specialist service provisions in an area that can be difficult for any council to offer,’’ Mr McElroy said.
‘‘The arrangement ensures that day-to-day operations are undertaken efficiently and effectively by Remembrance Parks Central Victoria, meeting the expectations of both right of interment holders and the general public.’’
When the council initially announced the plans in May last year, Shepparton Cemetery Trust’s David Gawne queried how a trust based more than 100km away could adequately service the two cemeteries.
Mr Gawne said at the time no-one had been given the opportunity to form a trust and take carriage of the two established sites.
Following a call for applications this year, Mr McElroy said the trust was working to assign a community advisory group (Greater Shepparton) to contribute to the strategic direction and activities on a regional level.
The committee will be made up of nine community representatives, one funeral director member and two board members, with the aim to represent the region’s diverse community.
‘‘Following advertising we have received several expressions of interest — we are in the process of following these up and will be convening an initial meeting in late July/early August,’’ Mr McElroy said.
Mr McElroy said the voluntary group would reflect the needs and interests of a broad range of consumers, be representatives with heritage, cultural, religious or environmental knowledge, and be committed to the quality, appropriateness and accessibility of the services his body provided.
While there are no plans to make any changes to the cemeteries or to acquire any additional sites in Shepparton, Mr McElroy said his organisation was in the process of establishing an office at the Pine Lodge Cemetery.
Council’s community director Kaye Thomson said there would be a seamless transition of cemetery operations at the start of the next month, ensuring a high standard of management was maintained.
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