Sounds of the Cemetery

Rees Archibald is collecting interviews and nature recordings for a project on historic Helensburgh Cemetery. He shared his story with us.

My name is Rees Archibald. I grew up in Austinmer and worked in Sydney as a professional musician before I went overseas in the late 90s for study and work. I came back to the Illawarra in 2020.

I make sound-based art, so that can mean music or sound in a much wider sense. The project I am currently involved in at Helensburgh is about the historic cemetery and uses interviews combined with nature recordings that I am making at the cemetery itself over several weeks.

My project is part of a series of commissions called ARTWARDS – Art in Unusual Places, which has been created by the Cultural Development team at Wollongong City Council. There are people working across the Illawarra at Corrimal Library, Puckey’s Estate, Windang and Kembla Grange Cemetery, and each of these projects develops new artwork in relation to a specific site or location.

I wanted to do a project about Helensburgh and the cemetery. My idea is that the cemetery is a site of intersecting stories: the stories of people who are buried there, their relatives, the history of the town and how it developed, and also the plants and animals at the site. I am finding out some amazing information working with the Helensburgh Historical Society. For example, a woman buried at the cemetery, Emelie Harper Makin, was the daughter of a French-Canadian citizen and ‘Patriote’ Joseph Marceau, who was transported to Australia in 1837 for insurrection and rebellion against the British Crown.

At first glance you might not imagine the bush or the animal life playing a major part but I am learning that the cemetery at one time had more sections than it does at present, such as a paupers’ section. Over time and especially due to fires the bush has reclaimed these areas. Wooden or cheaper metal crosses and other memorials were burnt away or lost to time and today you would no have no idea they were once there.

I was keen to do this project as I am increasingly interested in the relationship between sound and memory. Capturing this aural history is really important and full of amazing surprises. I also think this is a very interesting moment in the history of Helensburgh (and the Illawarra) as the population is increasing as people move into the area from Sydney. The character of the region is changing.

As the project uses interviews I would love for members of the public to get involved and contribute their stories and experiences related to Helensburgh Cemetery and how it might connect with the town and region.

To get involved please email rees@reesarchibald.com.