History
Our Park was established on 8th June 1936, with the enactment in Parliament of Part 19 of the Local Government Act. Initially 40 acres were proposed to be purchased at an estimated cost of £4,000 ($8,000).
The first burial was in 1938 and in that year there were a total of ten burials. In 1988, fifty years on, there were 1,285 burials and 3,262 cremations.The Park is jointly owned by the councils of Mitcham and Unley and now consists of approximately 40.5 ha (100 acres).
Management of the Authority is under the direction of a Board of seven members, three being selected from the public as independent representatives and two being nominated from each of the serving councillors of both Mitcham and Unley Councils. The Chairperson is appointed from the independent representatives.
With the opening of WA Norman Chapel and one of the State’s first crematoria in 1955, Centennial Park played a large part in the wide acceptance in South Australia of the concept of committal service in a chapel preceding cremation. The addition of John McLeay Chapel in June 1966 followed the ready acceptance of this concept.
With the need to up-grade our cremators and expand the provision of chapels, the construction of a separate crematorium was completed in 1983, incorporating three cremators of modern design.
The official opening of the Jubilee Complex in November 1986 again saw Centennial Park at the forefront in the provision of combined chapels and lounges, facilities unequalled in Australia and of world standard.
In 1994 the modern yet “classical design” offices were built at the cemetery entrance to house the administration and sales staff. The memorial sales display and consulting bays are the best of their kind and have been visited and admired by many other cemetery organizations.
We take pride in our history and in our Park. We believe that the public of South Australia, in choosing Centennial Park as the final resting place for their relatives, are entitled to expect the very highest standards of individualised attention. To this end we strive for continuous improvement to the standards of service and to the range and quality of services available.