ABSTRACT
Large urban memorial parks are virtual hives of activity by recently bereaved persons, and they hold a place among the most visited places in Western communities. Some cemeteries, hosting literally millions of annual visits, are evidently more popular than many major tourist attractions. Sometimes there is far too much focus on merely the economic and historic values of cemeteries, while all too often the real rationale for cemeteries and their main community values remain unrecognized. Far more surprising was my revelation just over a decade ago that the Australian and international cemeteries industries had little idea of who their clients actually were, let alone what clients’ needs might be. Far too many of authority considered cemeteries to be merely disposal places for cadavers or just historic museums, and much legislation still reflects this. There was little if any appreciation of the major community values of cemeteries.
