Weetangera Cemetery reveals tales of Canberra's early pioneers

After the sombre proceedings came to an end, Plummer strolled around the cemetery and selected his own future burial plot. I guess you never know when you might need it. Plummer settled on one in the far south-western corner which commanded a lofty view over Pinchfield, his property which extended to the east of the cemetery.

Less than two days later, many of the same mourners were back at the cemetery. Plummer was there too, only this time he was the one in the coffin. Gee, talk about tempting fate.

So, what happened? Well, just minutes after leaving Roffe's funeral, Plummer fell from his horse at slip rails on his property, about 500 metres from the cemetery. Despite a doctor being called, he never recovered and died the next day. The exact location of the accident has been lost in time but given Plummer's property bordered on the cemetery and ran east, it's likely the slip rails were somewhere in what is now suburban Hawker, possibly near Murranji Street.

Plummer's final resting spot is just one of 43 recorded graves at the historic cemetery which is now hidden behind the western embankment of William Hovell Drive, the entrance marked by two towering cypress pines.

Although these days the cemetery is a lonely place, for more than 80 years the Weetangera Methodist Church, the social and spiritual hub for the community, stood near its entrance.

Plummer was one of several men instrumental in starting the church. Prior to 1873, the Methodists of Weetangera (an area which best corresponds to the broader modern-day Belconnen area) gathered in a nearby (long-gone) shepherd's hut.

However, in 1873 following a religious revival in the area led by Reverend Charles Jones, Plummer and his neighbour Ewan Cameron carted an unused church which stood on the Yass Road near present-day Lyneham, to the block of land.

According to Ernest and Evan Cameron, authors of The Story of the Weetangera Methodist Church (The Federal Capital Press, 1956), "....all the slabs were marked in roman numerals with hammer and chisel so that each could be put back in a corresponding position when the building was re-erected. It was then pulled down and carted to Weetangera in one day."

Locals took no time in embracing the re-erected church, no matter the season.

"In the early days, attendance at services taxed the seating accommodation and there was an overflow, some listening outside," according to the Camerons.

To combat the chilly breeze stealing through the cracks between the wooden slabs, the interior was lined with linen. Meanwhile, in summer, "occasionally a snake was killed in the bush surrounding the church, and the killing was always an event of great excitement".

Although the church's rural location was convenient for families who lived nearby, it wasn't the case for lay preacher William Percy who walked the 30 kilometres to the church each Saturday from his home in Queanbeyan. He'd then walk back home on the Monday. Heck, talk about a pilgrimage.

Today, if you stand in the cemetery, but for the middle of the night (and who'd be in a cemetery then) you can't escape the constant hum of cars driving on busy William Hovell Drive. However, back in the heyday of the church, it was a more harmonious tone that filled the country air.

One singer, well remembered, was Philip Williams, who apparently had an exceptionally fine voice, that, once heard, could not be forgotten. One worshipper, writing of those pioneering days, said: "Even today, in the silence of the night, after 75 years, I can lie in bed and hear his voice ringing through the rafters of the old bark-roofed humble place of worship as he sang the words 'Halleluiah, Halleluiah, Halleluiah'. I believe he came from the west of England or Wales, the home of good choir singing."

Less than a decade after the church was moved to Weetangera, several large families left the district, attendance at the church dwindled and the building fell into serious disrepair. However, the break in services was only temporary and following repairs, services continued to be held until 1952 when the increasing popularity of the motor car sounded the death knell for the church. Churchgoers could now easily drive to bigger congregations like those at Wattle Park near Hall.

In 1955, the church was dismantled for its second and final time. Some of the timber was salvaged to create an anteroom at the rear of the Community Centre on the Methodist Church in Rutledge Street, Queanbeyan. Meanwhile, six of the wooden, hand cut, wall slab boards and the inside brass door handle of the church were permanently erected in National Memorial Methodist Church in Forrest.

And as a legacy to eight decades of serving the Weetangera community, a stone cairn which could double as an open-air pulpit was erected near the entrance to the cemetery. The outside door handle of the church was set into this cairn, which is still there today, minus the handle which was sadly pilfered by vandals late last century.

The little-known cemetery is a fascinating place to walk amongst the graves of some of Canberra's early pioneers. Just beware of the snakes, especially in the extra-long grass, for I'd hate for you to pay your respects to Roffe and Co. and then two days later be pushing up daisies like poor Plummer.

Weetangera Cemetery: The cemetery is best accessed walking through the William Hovell Drive underpass located near the end of the pedestrian laneway at the northern end of Mainoru Place in Hawker. Turn left after exiting the underpass. Some 43 burials are recorded and Southwell family members make up 21 of them. Levi Plummer's son, William, is also buried in the cemetery. Like his father, he also met an untimely end, accidentally shot when possum shooting, aged 33.

Towering Trees: The entrance to the cemetery is marked by two towering cypress pines, planted in the late 1800s. Cypress trees have long associations with burials: the Athenians used cypress for coffins in which to bury their heroes, as did the Egyptians for their mummies. It was believed that once severely cut, cypress pines could never grow back and were therefore considered significant in symbolising death.

Did You Know? Thomas Southwell who brought Methodism to the area in 1840 requested the central square burial plot - sufficient for three adults - be reserved in the cemetery for him. He is buried there with his second wife, Mary. The third space remains vacant, either as a symbolic place for his first wife Eliza, or perhaps he intended that she be transferred from St John's Graveyard in Reid where she was buried in 1852.

Melodious Methodists: Phillip Williams wasn't the only impressive singer at the Weetangera Church. According to an historical note written by Thomas Southwell's late great-grand-daughter Beryl Southwell (1904-1988) "many of the men had very fine voices and could contribute some beautiful harmony to the singing". Beryl also noted that "for many years there was no musical instrument at the church. Robert Kilby would produce the starting note on a tin whistle [a type of fipple flute]; later his son Sidney Kilby became precentor; then the little organ appeared". This greatly helped the volume of the singing." I bet it did.

Clue: Gone, going, gone.

Last week: Congratulations to Toni Hogan of Bonython who was first to correctly identify last week's photo as the overflowing spillway of Corin Dam recently photographed by keen shutterbug Michael Judd. Toni beat a flood of other readers including Peter Tucker of Isaacs and Geoff Wardrobe of Gordon to claim this week's bragging rights. Lots of readers, including Paul Tarrant of Chisholm, reminisced about past visits to the dam. "As a kid I remember there was a coin-operated barbecue below the wall, it was so old it was marked with shillings," recalls Paul, adding "it was all gone when I checked a couple of years ago".

The dam, named after William Corin, a pioneer in hydroelectric development in Australia, opened in 1968 and holds about 70,900 million litres of water. In layman's terms, that's approximately 2.5 times the volume of Lake Burley Griffin. The clue of ''cold student accommodation'' related to some of the huts used to house workers during the construction of the dam which were later recycled as student digs at ANU.

How to enter: Email your guess along with your name and suburb to tym@iinet.net.au. The first email sent after 10am, Saturday, October 30, 2021, wins bragging rights. Double passes to Dendy, the Home of Quality Cinema will be offered again as prizes once cinemas re-open.

The origins of the metallic fish cut-outs which are randomly popping up on Koppers logs around parts of Belconnen (Where in Canberra?, October 2) is a step closer to being solved. This week, I received an anonymous missive. It stated "the person responsible for making the fish doesn't wish to be identified. He places the fish where children might discover them and get some enjoyment from the discovery. You might be interested to know that one has been released in your honour in Aranda."

Oh dear, I hope I'm not encouraging guerrilla art. Several eagle-eyed readers including Richard Roe and Sean Chan have already spotted the Aranda fish on the walking trail near Bindubi Street.

Now we just need to flush out the culprit.