We now have an area designated for natural burial in the Whaletown Cemetery. The next step is to design and create a memorial structure. This is a place where people can come and remember their loved one, where each one buried in this section is memorialized. This structure is unique to each community; on Denman Island they have a cement wall with bronze plaques, in Cumberland a tall rock slab with each person listed, in Victoria names etched on large rocks. The Whaletown Cemetery is lovely, and needs a structure to reflect this.

In the natural burial section, the graves have biodegradable markers, but not tombstones. Native vegetation grows on the graves, and the bodies nourish and protect the land. The memorial structure becomes a permanent way to remember those buried in this section, just as tombstones are a permanent way to remember those buried in the conventional area.

It would be wonderful to have a structure that reflects the creativity of those who live here. If any part of this interests you, or if you’d like to know more, we’d love to hear from you.