Cheltenham Memorial Park was established in 1933 following a sudden increase in the demand for grave sites at Cheltenham Pioneer Cemetery in the late 1920’s.
The first burial at the new cemetery was that of Mary Ellen Payne on 27 March 1933. Since that time, over 55,000 interments have taken place.
From 1944 to 1952 the 20 hectare (50 acre) site was progressively established through land acquisitions. In 1961 the first lawn burial area was opened and wall niche memorials established.
From its inception in 1933 it was envisaged that a focal point of the cemetery would be the construction of a crematorium. Despite numerous submissions over 50 years, approval for the construction was never received. It was believed that the Necropolis Springvale had the facilities to cope with the current and increased demands for cremation in the area. Local residents also actively opposed the construction.
In 1996 the construction of the first mausoleum occurred. Since then an additional five mausolea have been built to cater for the demands of the local community.
Whilst every interment is special for the family concerned, there are a number of notable interments at Cheltenham including:
- Trevor Barker – AFL St Kilda Football Club player
- Ron Casey – Television and radio personality
- Leo ‘Lucky’ Grills – Comedian
- Mary Hardy – Television personality
- Elaine McKenna – Singer and television personality
- Albert Perry – Perry’s Circus proprietor
Cheltenham Memorial Park was administered by The Cheltenham & Regional Cemeteries Trust, along with Brighton General Cemetery, Bunurong Memorial Park and Cheltenham Pioneer Cemetery.
Under legislative process, on 1 March 2010 The Cheltenham & Regional Cemeteries Trust and The Trustees of the Necropolis Springvale were merged to create the Southern Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust. As a result, Cheltenham Memorial Park is now amongst the cemeteries administered by that Trust.