The trust that manages the Pine Lodge and Kialla West cemeteries is seeking applications for four board vacancies.
State Member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell is calling on local residents to consider applying.
Currently, the board does not have a single member from the Greater Shepparton community, which Ms Lovell said had resulted in some unpopular decisions having been made without consultation or input from the Greater Shepparton community.
Remembrance Parks Central Victoria encompasses Pine Lodge, Kialla West, Bendigo, Eaglehawk, Kangaroo Flat, White Hills, Axedale and Emu Creek cemeteries and the Central Victoria Crematorium located at Eaglehawk Remembrance Park.
The trust also manages the Axedale Catholic, Sunbury and Donnybrook cemeteries.
The application criteria said the trust was looking for people “with a range of skills and expertise in areas including corporate governance, strategic planning and thinking, financial management and analysis, community engagement, stakeholder management, communication and risk management”.
“Lived experience and knowledge of public sector accountability frameworks may also be advantageous in this role,” the application says.
Ms Lovell is keen for local representation on the board, especially after the Pine Lodge cemetery has been plagued with issues this year, with the removal of mementos and other adornments from graves in January and the change of the layout of headstones from angled to flat in the most recent row of graves at the cemetery in recent months, receiving significant backlash from the Shepparton community.
The trust backflipped on its change to the layout of graves from angled to a flat path in late September after the trust’s new chief executive officer met with grieving families, and will return to how the others are, while it is also currently seeking opinions on a new adornment policy through a survey.
“Having a Greater Shepparton representative on the board of the trust is essential to ensure the needs of the Greater Shepparton community are considered when decisions are made,” Ms Lovell said.
”I encourage community members from the Greater Shepparton region to submit an application to ensure that Greater Shepparton has a voice on the board.”
Board members are expected to be appointed for three years from July 1, 2024, to May 31, 2027, and are paid.
Applications opened on November 11 and close on December 3
Applications can be submitted via the Victorian Government’s Join a Public Board website at https://www.boards.vic.gov.au