A Cake and A Cemetery!!!!

Perth, Western Australia has some great places to visit. One I would like to talk to you about may surprise you, The East Perth Cemetery.

You must think I am strange to talk about a cemetery but there is so much history in cemeteries.

When growing up, I remember my mother and father taking me to see my grandparents graves. I did not like it at all, I thought it was scary and a place where people were sad. Then one day my mother said, "There is so much history in a cemetery, you can normally tell how a town or city was born". I did not understand at the time, but as years went by I realised what she meant.

Perth is not an old city like some places in the world, but it has history. 

The East Perth Cemetery is on the crest of a hill overlooking the Swan River. The cemetery contains the graves of many of the State’s early pioneers. Historic cast iron railings and old tombstones adorn the graves.

The cemetery site was surveyed by John Septimus Roe on the 24th December 1829, soon after the central portions of the Perth town site had been surveyed. The area was known as Cemetery Hill and was established in 1830.  

The first record of a burial was Private John Mitchell, a soldier from 63rd Regiment. Mitchell died on January 6th, 1830.

During the first decade of colonial settlement, no one appears to have been made responsible for the daily running or organisation of Perth’s burial ground. This was remedied by June 1838, when the Governor appointed eight trustees who were responsible for Church of England property, which included burial grounds. These same trustees were granted Perth Town Lot R 1, containing four acres, for the use as a general burial ground on 5 April 1842. The place was announced in the Government Gazette as a Public Cemetery under the control of the Church of England Church’s Trustees. The Trustees issued regulations concerning the operations of the cemetery in 1843. The Cemetery was consecrated by Bishop Short (of Adelaide) on 14 November 1848. 

A small mortuary chapel, St. Bartholomew’s Chapel, designed by colonial architect Richard Roach Jewell was built and consecrated by Bishop Matthew Hale on 16th February 1871. 

Population changes led to the re-dedication of St. Bartholomew’s Chapel by Frederick Goldsmith, the Dean of St. George’s Cathedral, for use as a parish church. St. Bartholomew’s Chapel became St. Bartholomew’s Church on 19 August 1888. In 1889, a bell was hung near the entrance to the church. 

On 28th May 1878, John Septimus Roe died and was interred at East Perth, the cemetery he surveyed.

Today, you can take a guided tour from 2pm to 4pm on Sundays. An admission fee is charged. The address, Bronte Street, East Perth.

Orange Syrup Cake

Ingredients 

225g butter or margarine, chopped 

1 cup of caster sugar 

3 eggs 

1 and a half cups of self-raising flour, sifted 

1 orange, rind finely grated, juiced 

Orange Syrup 

1 cup of pure icing sugar, sifted 

2 oranges, juiced

Honey Yoghurt

200g of plain yoghurt  

1 tablespoon of honey 

Preheat oven to 190°C. Grease and flour a medium size round cake pan.

Beat butter or margarine and caster sugar in a mixing bowl with electric beaters until pale and creamy.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. 

Fold in the sifted flour with a large metal spoon. Then fold in the orange rind and juice, until well combined. Spoon mixture into the prepared cake pan. 

Place pan in a preheated oven for 45-50 minutes, or until golden, and a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Cover cake with foil for last 10 minutes of cooking to prevent it from over-browning.

To make the orange syrup. Place sifted icing sugar and orange juice in a saucepan  on a low heat, stir until mixtures reduces to a syrup. Pour over cake while in pan for the syrup to be absorbed. Let stand for 10 minutes before turning onto a serving plate.  Let cake cool.

To make the honey yoghurt, combine honey and yoghurt in a bowl. Serve with cake on the side.