By Emma Sun
PRECEDE:
Working in a cemetery may not be every person’s cup of tea, but Graeme Fergus volunteers his time to do so. The man of many hobbies has no problems helping out where he is needed and loves spending him time helping others. Reporter Emma Sun finds out what makes him so keen to lend a hand.
BREAKOUT:
“I love to give something back to the organisations that I’ve either played with or been involved with and now, at my age I have something to give back, whether it’s through administration or other means,” Graeme Fergus.
EMERALD’S Graeme Fergus has a fairly unique hobby.
He is the founding member of the Friends of Emerald Cemetery, which sees the 66-year-old and three other members keeping the tombstones and their surrounds clean.
“We do what we can – we clean up and look after the grave sites and take out weeds and blackberries, just a general tidy up,” he said.
“If any of them look like they’re being attended to by residents or people who come there, we don’t disturb them, as we’re more about looking after the ones where nobody else is.”
He said he began the group about five years ago after seeing a grave of a prominent person that wasn’t being well-maintained.
“I was standing at the grave site and there was a grave of a lady whose headstone said she was the foundation member of bush nursing in Cockatoo and the surrounding area,” he said.
“It was covered in blackberries and weeds you could barely read the plaque.
“I thought this was disgraceful and something needed to be done so I started to spend whatever voluntary hours I had and it grew from there.”
While he enjoys tending to the gravesites, Graeme said it was always great to see others looking after the area too, even if they weren’t part of the group.
He has since noticed someone looking after the lady’s grave, which he was especially happy about.
“Someone was taking care of the grave and that pleased me to no end,”
Graeme said the club is always looking for new members to lend a hand, and encouraged those who were keen to contact him.
“Volunteers are hard to come by, as all of us aren’t very young, unfortunately,” he said.
“We meet every Monday without fail and I go at different times if I can’t make it –whenever I can go and I’ve got a few hours to spare, that’s where I lob.
“People can go in their own time because that’s what volunteering is about.”
When he’s not busy working at the cemetery, Graeme splits his time between volunteering at the Emerald Neighbourhood Watch as an area manager, being a golf player and spending time with family.
“I’ve been involved with the neighbourhood watch for about five years and I’ve been area manager for about two of those,” he said.
As area manager, he is the main point of call for anyone who has an issue around the area and often acts as a go-between between that person and the police.
On top of that, he is the treasurer and also looks after getting sponsorship for the group.
It may seem like a lot, but Graeme doesn’t mind.
“If you’ve got the time and the passion and the commitment to do it, why not,” he said.
“There’ll come a day when you can’t do it anymore.”
Golf takes up two days of Graeme’s week, which he plays as part of the Emerald Golf Club.
Not only has he been an active member since 1991, he is also the captain of the club this year.
“I particularly enjoy it because I run the OFG, which is a competition for members aged 50 and older. We give it other names, but it actually stands for Old Farts Golf,” he laughed.
“I think the club is a great place for companionship, but I love the game of golf itself because you’re only playing against yourself.
“Even though it can be a team game, it’s just that white ball and you.”
It’s clear that sport is in Graeme’s blood, with life-memberships for both the Rowville Football Club and the Victorian Amateur Boxing League under his belt.
“I’ve always been totally involved in sport all my life and love it,” he said.
“I love to give something back to the organisations that I’ve either played with or been involved with and now, at my age I have something to give back, whether it’s through administration or other means.
“I believe past members owe that to the clubs who have done something for them.”
Graeme is happily married to Shireen, his wife of 39 years.
He met her while working at a butcher shop in Springvale and after many years, they decided to see each other.
“One day, after telling each other who we should be going out with, we decided to go out with each other and the relationship developed from there,” he said.
They have been together ever since, and now enjoy the company of their 10 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.
Graeme said the secret to a long and successful marriage was simple – being independent.
“You need to be able to do your own thing, as well as care for one another,” he said.
“You need to have different interests as well as have your own relationship. I believe that’s a big part of it, otherwise you’d be under each other’s feet.
“Everyone has arguments but it’s about getting over it and getting on with life.”
Graeme was also very philosophical about life.
“I live by my motto – take life a day at a time, and that keeps me happy,” he said.
For more information about the Friends of Emerald Cemetery, call Graeme on 5968 5612.
