South Australia's First Pet Graveyard To Close Its Gates

[Tara and Sam]

South Australia's first pet graveyard to close its gates

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/ipad/south-australias-first-pet-graveyard-to-close-its-gates/story-fn6bqpju-1226326670734

ATKINSON'S Pet Cemetery was once a peaceful, manicured resting place for more than 200 beloved animals.

Today, South Australia's first pet graveyard at Roseworthy is covered by weeds, and knee-high grass; row upon row of headstones barely visible to the small trickle of visitors who pay respect to the memory of their beloved pets.

Now pet owners, some of whom say they paid up to $400 for a plot, coffin and burial service, have learned the 25sq m site at Roseworthy, which was established in 1972, has been sold and will eventually be part of a new housing estate.

The Hickinbotham Group bought the Krieg Rd site 18 months ago and has appealed for anyone who has a plot to collect their pets' tombstones and remains ahead of the development, which is not scheduled to start for at least another 10 years.

Heather Hassell, 82, of Woodville buried her cat Nattie in the cemetery in 1986, then her rabbit Bunzi in the next plot in 2002.

The grandmother said she chose a spot for Nattie in the corner of the cemetery so he would have a "beautiful view out over the fields". She made the 50km trip to the cemetery every month until it became too difficult a few years ago and was devastated to see its condition when the Sunday Mail took her out there this week.

"I used to love walking through and having a few tears reading some of the lovely messages on the headstones - it was so peaceful and well-kept," she said.

"I'm very upset that it will become housing - I'm going to collect the headstones before that."

Lorraine Muzyka, of Salisbury North, visited three months ago and was unable to find her miniature dachshund Kojak's headstone amid the overgrown weeds.

"I was shocked and just so sad - the reason I had buried him there was because it was peaceful and quaint and I felt he was in a place with lots of other much-loved pets, so I felt at peace with that," she said.

Bob Atkinson established the cemetery and it was later taken over by his son Bevan Atkinson and Michelle Khouzam who sold it to the Hickinbotham Group.

The company's land acquisition manager Des Dunn said it was never given a plan of the burial plots or any contact details for plot owners.

He urged anyone who had a pet buried there to contact him if they wanted to collect a headstone or the animal's remains.

Mr Atkinson and Ms Khouzam could not be contacted by the Sunday Mail.

Contact the Hickinbotham Group on 8366 0000.

So sad for anyone who has a pet there

[Dame Aussie]

So shitty. Housing estates are big business

[RiverStar-Aura]

It's so horrible that people can have such disrespect. Just because they're animals doesn't mean they aren't loved. Would these developers suggest to turn a human cemetery into a housing estate?

I know I wouldn't buy a property built over a pet cemetery. There is just no way.

When I was in England, I couldn't even walk over the graves of people buried under the churches' floors as I found that disrespectful. It did make walking through the churches very difficult but I just couldn't bring myself to "step" on someone.

Maybe I'm just overly sensitive I don't know, but that's just how I am!