General News
10 September, 2025
Cemetery Trust partner with CCCAV
The Warracknabeal Cemetery Trust is proud to announce a new partnership with the Chinese Community Council of Australia – Victoria Chapter (CCCAV) to recognise, commemorate and enhance the Chinese section of the Warracknabeal Cemetery.
The Warracknabeal Cemetery Trust is proud to announce a new partnership with the Chinese Community Council of Australia – Victoria Chapter (CCCAV) to recognise, commemorate and enhance the Chinese section of the Warracknabeal Cemetery.
The cemetery contains approximately 30 unmarked graves in its Chinese section.
In recent years, members of the Cemetery Trust and the Warracknabeal Historical Society have undertaken efforts to research and identify the individuals buried there.
However, the area remains unmarked and the graves lack formal recognition or memorials.
This collaboration with CCCAV represents a shared commitment to honour the contribution of Chinese migrants to the region’s history.
"This partnership is an important step in recognising and respecting the lives of those buried in the Chinese section," chair of the Warracknabeal Cemetery Trust David Baxter said.
"We are proud to be working with CCCAV to ensure their stories are not forgotten."
Together, the Cemetery Trust and CCCAV will develop a masterplan and accompanying budget to guide the respectful restoration, commemoration, and landscaping of the site over the coming years.
"The CCCAV is honoured to support this project, which reflects our ongoing commitment to cultural heritage, reconciliation, and inclusion," president of CCCAV Jimmy Li said.
"We look forward to bringing dignity and remembrance to these forgotten graves."
A Forgotten Chapter of Local History
Like many rural towns in Victoria, Warracknabeal saw the arrival of Chinese migrants during the 19th and early 20th centuries, many of whom worked in agriculture, labouring, and service industries.
Despite facing hardship and discrimination, they played an important role in the development of local communities.
Though the documented Chinese population in Warracknabeal was small, archival photographs and genealogical records confirm the presence of Chinese settlers engaging in market gardening and local commerce during the early to mid-20th century.
These individuals contributed to the agricultural and social fabric of the Wimmera region, despite historical marginalisation and limited visibility within official records.
Much of the historical record remains fragmented, but the Cemetery Trust and CCCAV aim to recover and preserve this legacy through consultation, archival research, and culturally appropriate memorialisation.
Next Steps
The first phase of the project will include development of a heritage-sensitive masterplan, and scoping of works including signage, landscaping, and memorial markers.
Funding opportunities will also be explored to support implementation.
For more information or to support this initiative, please contact David Baxter, chair of the Warracknabeal Cemetery Trust on 0409 603 922
Contributed by WARRACKNABEAL CEMETERY TRUST