FRUSTRATIONS have erupted within a Riverina town following reports its cemetery had been left without a grave-digger over Christmas and New Year.
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Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council says it is unsure as to what incited the controversy, as burial services always remained available upon request, only that a contractor would have to brought in from Gundagai.
The council closed its offices on December 24 and bereaved Cootamundra residents have since alleged on social media that their families have not been able to organise funerals prior to council reopening on January 10.
Concerned resident Ron Dallas was first made aware of this situation through mutual friends who said their families were having no luck organising burials.
He took to the community-based Facebook group 'Cootamundra Matters' to query whether the accusations were true and within hours several members replied alleging their families had been impacted.
"There are about four grieving families who have backed up these accusations now," he said.
"You're not gonna lie about burying a loved one."
The born and raised Cootamundra man said he had never heard of the council halting services such as grave-digging over the holiday period.
However, a spokesperson for Cootamundra-Gundagai Council said burials had not ceased and that only one family has requested arrangements take place before council's formal return.
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"Over the break, I've had to book three funerals," he said.
"Under normal circumstances, if the family were very keen to have a funeral earlier, the funeral director would contact me or contact my on-sider, and we will do whatever we could to help them out.
"The other two funerals that were booked, I received a phone call to book the funeral for a particular date and so we did that."
He said the council has always informed its subcontractors, including funeral directors, that offices will be closed over Christmas and New Year, but funeral and grave-digging services have always been arranged if needed.
"There's always an unwritten agreement with the funeral directors in particular that if we have to perform a funeral, we will do everything we possibly can to do that."
Mr McAtear does not doubt that funeral directors would have contacted him if a family had expressed a desire for an earlier ceremony.
"I could possibly understand that the funeral director said 'here's the email from the council' and perhaps the families have just accepted that."
"All our funeral directors here that we deal with are very, very competent and very, very professional and I'm a bit surprised at the reaction on 'Cootamundra Matters'."
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