Halloween history

By Danielle Galvin
THE Narre Warren and District Family History Group got right into History Week in October.
It was the day before Halloween when the group led a tour of the Pakenham Cemetery.
Twenty-five history buffs braved the rain and cold to learn about early settlers in the area.
“It’s the fist time we’ve toured the Pakenham Cemetery. We’ve toured Berwick and Harkaway cemeteries in the past so we thought, why not something different?” the group’s research officer Lynne Bradley said.
It was all part of History Week, which ran from 23 October to 30 October.
“The feedback was very good, we got a phone call to say how well the day went and how much people enjoyed it,” she said.
The tour focused on the first five trustees of the cemetery George Ritchie, Michael Bourke, Thomas Mulcahy, John Startup and Richard Fortune, who is the only one not buried at the Pakenham cemetery.
Ms Bradley hopes the to organise another tour next year.
“It takes a lot of effort and research to plan a cemetery tour, but next year we’ll organise more.”
Despite the rain and poor weather, Ms Bradley said the tour was a unique historical snapshot and a successful trip.