IN the gentle breeze of Sunday evening, a group gathered at the sun-dappled Delungra cemetery for the dedication of the new columbarium; a wall to inter the ashes of loved ones.

NEW WALL: Delungra residents Harry McNaughton and Jim Townsend with Rev Jean Bell (centre).

Jim Townsend is president of the Delungra District Development Corporation (DDDC) and said the idea for the wall sprung from a request by a local woman over a year ago.

“We got an enquiry from a local lady who had lost her husband, and we just took it on board from there,” Jim said.

Inverell Uniting Church Reverend Jean Bell officiated the dedication. She opened the ceremony with a reminder that the end of life does not mean the end of memory.

Jim Townsend

“Death does not end love or community,” she said.

Rev Bell spoke about the wall as a place of comfort for individuals, family and community to remember their loved ones.

“This will be a place where we can come and remember,” she said. “This will be a place where we can remind ourselves of the generations of our families.”

She invited local residents Ian Davidson, Elizabeth Sheather and Mike Partridge to read some brief passages from scripture and Margaret Davidson used a leafy branch and holy water to bless the columbarium.

The official opening on the weekend.

After a few brief prayers and conclusion from Rev Bell, the gathering of 20 took time to visit. A few some browsed through the cemetery stones that age back to the early 20th century. 

Coming improvements will be the installation of the refurbished cemetery gates and a flagpole for Anzac Day. 

Jim said the DDDC are talking with the Inverell council about a new gravel road through the cemetery up to the columbarium.