Northern Suburbs Crematorium, Crematorium and memorial gardens in North Ryde, Sydney, Australia.
Northern Suburbs Crematorium, officially Northern Suburbs Memorial Gardens and Crematorium, is a crematorium in North Ryde, Sydney, designed by Frank I'Anson Bloomfield with an authentic Florentine feel. Its grounds feature Art Deco statues, Royal Doulton tiles and classic ironwork. The Memorial Gardens is a heritage-listed site.
The facility opened in 1933 and was one of the early cremation facilities in New South Wales, introducing a new method for burials in the region. It emerged after years of planning and marks a turning point in how funerals were conducted in Sydney.
The name Banjo Paterson, author of "Waltzing Matilda", appears among the cremated remains kept here, as do those of Prime Minister Chris Watson and Governor-General William McKell. Country singer Slim Dusty was cremated here, and 64 Commonwealth service personnel and a Dutch merchant seaman cremated during World War II are commemorated by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
The Memorial Gardens are a heritage-listed site in North Ryde and appear on historical tours of Sydney and the North Shore. The 2012 Function Centre, opened by Governor Marie Bashir, provides indoor space for gatherings. Look for the Art Deco statues, Royal Doulton tiles and ironwork while walking the grounds.
Frank I'Anson Bloomfield designed both this crematorium and New South Wales' first at Rookwood Cemetery with a Florentine feel in mind, and he was himself cremated here. Among the interred are two Australian prime ministers, Chris Watson and Joseph Cook, plus poet Banjo Paterson, while Slim Dusty and Michael Hutchence were cremated here.
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