‘It spooked me’: Woman finds grave markers in her bathroom wall
Updated
Emma Strong did not know her home was host to a strange kind of graveyard until she started a home renovation.
Key points:
- The gravesite markers were likely placed there by thrifty renovators
- The crosses date from the 1940s and 50s
- Renovator Emma Strong’s ‘detective work’ uncovered relatives of the people named on the grave markings
Ms Strong, from Murwillumbah in far-northern New South Wales, noticed something strange after pulling down a wall.
She found crosses with names, dates and gold lettering.
“To be honest, it spooked me for the first one or two nights because our bed is right there where we’re sleeping, looking at the names,” she said.
“After the second night, we actually came to enjoy it and got to learn more about the stories, and now we’re not spooked at all and we really like it.”
The crosses, which date from 1945-1958, were used as temporary placeholders on graves before tombstones had been completed.
The mystery of how they came to be used in the walls probably comes down to a simple case of ‘waste not, want not’, and someone trying to renovate resourcefully.
Tweed Regional Museum curator Erika Taylor described the wall as a “well-preserved time capsule” that said a lot about how thrifty people were after the World War II.
“Resources and materials were scarce and every scrap of wood and metal would have been re-used,” she said.
Ms Strong has researched the people behind the memorials, and even contacted family members.
“Everyone that’s come [to get their cross] has given a bit of a story about the family member and whose cross it is,” she said.
“A lot of them have been quite significant people in the area which has been really nice and it’s been really warm. It’s been lovely.”
For Gladys Daisy Gilliland, receiving her father’s gravesite cross was a sign with special significance.
“Today is the date that Dad passed away in May 1950 — unbelievable, the same day,” she said.
“I can’t believe it, just can’t believe it and my sister’s just over the moon and she couldn’t believe it this morning when I spoke to her either.”
As for the remaining crosses, Emma and her husband are planning to honour those left behind through a memorial artwork.
“My favourite would be Margaret Cooper, her cross is beautiful,” she said.
“It’s got really beautiful information on it, it’s got a lovely hand-painted angel.
“It’s a stunning piece. We love it.”
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