Understanding memorial care
When you establish a grave, plaque or other memorial site at one of our cemeteries, you create a lasting tribute to your loved one. Many families choose to honour and remember their loved ones by decorating memorial sites with flowers, ornaments and other meaningful items.
Under the Cemeteries at Crematoria Act 2003, as the Right of Interment (ROI) holder, you have the unique right to personalise and care for this meaningful space.
GMCT is here to support you. We provide families and ROI holders with guidance and assistance to help preserve your memorial’s beauty and safety by:
Offering advice on appropriate memorial care
Letting you know if we notice your memorial might need attention
Connecting you with qualified professionals for any repairs
Performing safety checks when needed
Our approach is about partnership—preserving what makes your loved one’s memorial unique while ensuring our cemeteries remain safe and peaceful places for remembrance.
Decorating your memorial
Adding flowers, decorations and meaningful items to a memorial is a beautiful way to express love and remembrance.
To help ensure these tributes remain safe and respectful for everyone, we recommend choosing weather-resistant and sturdy items that will stay in place. Remember to be mindful of neighbouring memorials and keep decorations neatly within your loved one’s memorial space.
Our decoration guide offers thoughtful suggestions for meaningful memorial tributes.
Caring for your child's memorial
Losing a child is an unimaginable sorrow. We understand how important it is to create a special, peaceful place where you can remember and honour them.
To help maintain these sacred spaces as beautiful, safe and serene environments for all who visit, we kindly ask you to consider these guidelines:
You are welcome to place up to three small items of personal significance at the head of your child’s memorial. These might include special toys, keepsakes or weather-resistant photographs.
For the safety of all visitors, including young children and those with visual impairments, we respectfully ask that you avoid placing sharp, fragile or easily broken items at the memorial site.
Please keep the lawn area clear to allow for regular maintenance.
Our full children's memorial decoration guide offers additional suggestions for meaningful ways to honour and connect with your child’s memory.
Unsafe items
To help our regular operations and maintenance, and ensure the safety of our teams and visitors, we ask that you avoid:
Glass, ceramic or other fragile objects
Tins or aluminium cans
Items with sharp edges
Metal spikes for hanging decorations
Unattended candles with open flames
Non-standard edging, curbing, stones and bark
Decorative pickets, fencing or border decorations
Adding or moving seating and benches
Items that may attract pests
Small items that could be ingested by children or wildlife.
If we notice items that need to be respectfully addressed, we will reach out to the ROI holder/s directly.
If there is an immediate safety concern and we aren't able to reach you despite our best efforts, we may need to take protective measures by temporarily removing items. We always do this with the greatest care and respect, preserving the integrity of your memorial. If items need to be removed, our teams store them safely for at least six weeks and place signage in the memorial area asking families to contact us.
More information
Our Customer Care team is available to assist you with:
Questions about memorial care
Finding qualified professionals for memorial maintenance
Understanding your options
Guidance through unexpected situations
You can contact us by emailing enquiries@gmct.com.au or calling 1300 022 298.
Our policies
For more detailed information: