Friends of Kilcoy Cemetery

17/06/2026

A massive thank you to
Bill Tones- one of our Friends of Kilcoy Cemetery volunteers.

After permission was sought from Council -
Bill removed 5 bougainvilleas that were constantly being covered by the invasive African Strangle Vine.

For months, those who tend to the gardens at the cemetery were repeatedly removing this vine from these bougainvilleas which it was totally covering. It was also attaching itself to nearby trees.

They had tried several options to eradicate this climbing vine- to no avail.

Bougainvilleas have been removed and they will be replaced with shrubs.

The cemetery gardens are looking a picture at present.

Several areas throughout the graves have a lot of w**ds coming through and even thistles growing on the graves due to the amount of wet weather we have had.
Council will be commencing a w**d maintainance program soon.

Dont forget we have a working bee this coming Saturday 20th June.
Starting 8am.
All welcome to come.

15/06/2026

Working Bee this Saturday 20th June
8am
Love to have you join us 🌻

WORKING BEE-
Friends of Kilcoy Cemetery
Working bee/ Clean up day.

⏰ ️PLEASE note - change of time to "Winter Time "

Saturday
20th June 2026
Between the hours of
8 am - 12 midday

Besure to wear a HAT closed in SHOES and SUNSCREEN..and bring plenty of cool water. IT is very important to stay hydrated.

Gardens and/or Graves -
the choice is yours. 🌻🪦⚘️

Don't forget to present to the shed upon arrival and sign in.

Bring plenty of cold fluids.

We have a good selection of tools and equipment now for our volunteers to use - however depending on how many volunteers we get ..the resources may be a little stretched - so if you have a bucket, paint scraper, gloves etc, it might be wise to bring them with.

As a volunteer - you get to choose how many hours you want to give..we appreciate any time you can give.

Friends of Kilcoy Cemetery hold their working bee every 3rd Saturday of each month.

For further information , please contact
Kylie -0483 136 974
Denise - 0427 644 454


Friends of Kilcoy Cemetery is a Subcommittee of the Kilcoy District Progress Alliance

14/06/2026

* George Albert Atthow
Born - 07.10.1863
Died - 26.06.1954
Age - 90 yrs

* Annie Atthow
Born - 28.05. 1861
Died - 30.03.1948
Age 86yrs

* Elsie High Atthow
Born- 17.12.1888
Died- 30.12. 1905
Buried - 01.02.1906
Age - 17 yrs

George Albert was born to parents George Snr & Eliza (nee High) Atthow.
George was one of 11 children.
He was born in Brisbane.

George married Annie Carseldine on 30th June1885.

They also had 11 children-
Albert Reginal. -1886
George Ernest. -1887
Elsie High -1888
Ivy Mabel. -1890
Charles Bertram -1891
Jessie Wood. -1893
Walter Highwood -1894
Annie Winifred. - 1898
Dorothy Mary -1900
Ida Alice. -1902
Eleanor Violet. -1903

George was a member of the Oakey Creek School Committee in 1892.
He was successful in getting the school at Woolmar which opened in 1894.

Following in his father George (Srn) footsteps - George bought up lots of land in the surrounding areas. He was listed as a Grazier in 1893 at Woolmar.
In 1900 & 1905 he was listed each time as a Grazier at Highwood Lane. Woolmar.

George & Annie had bought Highwood as it was the land his father had selected in 1870s.
It was on the western side of Kilcoy & it was the largest grazing property in the area.

The Highwood Homestead was built on the property.
This property got is name from the maiden names of both George's & Annie's mothers..
George's mother was Eliza High &
Annie's mother was Mary Wood.

George & Annie also acquired a property called
- Kingham near Yabba - Jimna.(now owned by Websters)
They purchased land
- Cowah also near Jimna in 1910. ( Now owned by Woodrows)
- Oakwood @ Kandanga in the Mary Valley.
- a block at Monsildale & also the Tablelands at Monsildale (1924)
- Land at Blackwater & Cooyer .

They built up a large herd of Hereford Cattle.
George was in partnership with his 4 sons - Albert, George, Charles & Walter.

In 1920s there was a huge slump in the Beef industry - the family partnership was under strain and was broken up. Much of their country was sold.

The famous 3,653 acre Highwood grazing property went for public auction on 15.05.1926.
Sadly 17 portions were sub divided into 10 farms.

The Homestead block of 690 acres was purchased locally by Roy Stanton.
It then remained in the Stanton family until 1996 when it was again sold -70 yrs exact from the date of the first Auction.
John & Lenore Christensen of Kilcoy purchased the Homestead block.

The Atthow family auctioned off the Cooyar Creek & Taromeo (16,433 acres)
They also sold all 7000 head of cattle.
Their other properties sold off were - Teelar, Oakwood, Kingham, Cowah & some of the Mary Valley country.

The Highwood Homestead was shifted into Kilcoy and became 3 homes. One of which is 23 Rose Street. Kilcoy.
The Pine Trees that stood before the homestead on the property at Highwood Lane remain today. .

George Albert Atthow served on the first Kilcoy Shire Council from 1912 - 1914.
Atthow Street in Kilcoy is named after George Atthow.

George is buried beside his wife Annie and his daughter Elsie High who was killed in a boating accident at Redland Bay, just after her 17th birthday.
They are all buried in Section 5 of the Kilcoy Cemetery.

Volunteers of the Friends of Kilcoy Cemetery scraped away the moss and lichen from the headstone and kerbing.
The headstones were cleaned and the graves were then gernied with amazing results.

Cleaning the graves of the Pioneers of the Kilcoy District is a privilege.

Many thanks to those who supply revelant
information and to our Kilcoy District Historical Society.
(Pioneers of the Kilcoy District Vol 1)

Friends of Kilcoy Cemetery is a sub committee of the Kilcoy District Progress Alliance.

13/06/2026

Thank you so much Charlotte for supplying me with a photo of Elsie High Atthow to add to her story.
Elsie was only 17yrs of age when she died in a tragic boating accident at Redland Bay. Qld in 1905.

Charlotte also supplied a photo of one of Elsie's brothers - Charles Bertram Atthow and his wife Helen Lydie.
They owned 'Callemondah' at Bella Creek near Imbil.

Charlotte inherited the beautiful old homestead from her Great Aunt Shirley Atthow, which she has since restored.
The Homestead was full of old photos of family
members, which Charlotte
treasures very much.

11/06/2026

When you feel the world
has lost its colour,
It can still be beautiful

Kilcoy Cemetery
Kilcoy. Qld 4515

05/06/2026

WORKING BEE-
Friends of Kilcoy Cemetery
Working bee/ Clean up day.

⏰ ️PLEASE note - change of time to "Winter Time "

Saturday
20th June 2026
Between the hours of
8 am - 12 midday

Besure to wear a HAT closed in SHOES and SUNSCREEN..and bring plenty of cool water. IT is very important to stay hydrated.

Gardens and/or Graves -
the choice is yours. 🌻🪦⚘️

Don't forget to present to the shed upon arrival and sign in.

Bring plenty of cold fluids.

We have a good selection of tools and equipment now for our volunteers to use - however depending on how many volunteers we get ..the resources may be a little stretched - so if you have a bucket, paint scraper, gloves etc, it might be wise to bring them with.

As a volunteer - you get to choose how many hours you want to give..we appreciate any time you can give.

Friends of Kilcoy Cemetery hold their working bee every 3rd Saturday of each month.

For further information , please contact
Kylie -0483 136 974
Denise - 0427 644 454


Friends of Kilcoy Cemetery is a Subcommittee of the Kilcoy District Progress Alliance

01/06/2026

Cecil Graham Pokarier
( Peter)
Born- 18.06.1923
Died- 16.04.1985
Buried - 19.04.1985
Age 61yrs

Private Cecil Pokarier QX32903
serviced in the 2nd/28th Infantry Battalion in the Australian Military Forces during WWII.

He moved to Kilcoy with his family- wife Mavis Joan and three children Graham John, Lynette Fay and Gary Leslie.

Peter worked as a Saw Doctor at Yednia Sawmill and Joan worked at the Kilcoy Hospital.

Their 3 children were all enrolled into Kilcoy State School in 1958.

Peter's grave is in
Section 19 Plot 17 at the Kilcoy Cemetery - in the area where there are several Returned Serviceman Graves.

The cross was cleaned of any lichen and moss and the area surrounding this was also cleared by volunteers of the Friends of Kilcoy Cemetery.

Peter's grave - as was so many others within the Kilcoy Cemetery had a Poppy placed upon it on Anzac Day by our volunteers.

Lest We Forget

Friends of Kilcoy Cemetery is a subcommittee of the Kilcoy District Progress Alliance

01/06/2026

* Ernest Vere Traves
Born- 1874
Died - 19.01.1944
Buried - 19.01.1944
Age 70yrs

* Ada Mary Traves
Born- 16.04.1882
Died- 29.08.1953
Buried - 29.08.1953
Age 71yrs

Ernest was the son of William and Charlotte Traves.
He arrived in Australia in 1883 at 9 years of age.
His other siblings on the voyage were Anne, Arthur, Charles, Clement, George, John, Tarzan, Alfred William, and baby Alice.

After arriving in Australia there were more siblings to follow Alfred Edgar,
Alfred Edward, Florence and Edith.

Baby Alice died in 1883,
Alfred William in 1884, and Baby Edith died in 1889.

The Traves family moved from the Brisbane area to Kilcoy. William opened a blacksmith business in Kilcoy in the mid 1890's.

Ada Mary was the daughter of Samual & Charlotte Williams. Her parents had emigrated to Australia from England.

Adas siblings were -
Lily, Ellen, Edwin, Florence, John, Mable, Hector, Arthur, Victor & Maud.

Ada's father Samuel farmed land in the Woolmar Area and she attended the Gregors Creek school.

Ernest & Ada married on 24.05.1904.

Ernest had purchased several portions of land at the top end of Mount Kilcoy and in the Gregors Creek/ New Country Creek area.
Ernest listed himself as a Butcher and a Dairyman

Their children were
Ernest William 1907,
Vera May 1909,
John Thomas 1913.

Ernest & Ada are both buried in Section 17- Plots 17&18 of the Kilcoy Cemetery.

At one of the Friends of Kilcoy Cemetery - working bees, - descendants of Ada & Ernest were present and felt honoured to begin cleaning their grave.

The moss and lichen was removed from the granite headstone and from the sides of the grave.
Moss was removed from the tiled top of the grave.

At a recent working bee the grave was completed.

Friends of Kilcoy Cemetery is a subcommittee of the Kilcoy District Progress Alliance

21/05/2026

Thank you to
Tom Thumbs Tree Works - Wamuran.

This company donated
tree mulch from recent trees that were cut down in the area to our Friends of Kilcoy Cemetery group.

This is greatly appreciated and will be used through out the gardens at the Kilcoy Cemetery.

Friends of Kilcoy Cemetery is a subcommittee of the Kilcoy District Progress Alliance.

18/05/2026

It is National Volunteer's Week 🎉

The Friends of Kilcoy Cemetery greatly appreciates the contribution, time given, care and respect shown by all our wonderful volunteers.

We are only a new group within the community, however we are certainly making a difference in the lives of many (past and present)

The commitment shown by this dedicated group of volunteers ( whether it be rain or sunshine) is absolutely heart warming.

We acknowledge and thank each and everyone who has contributed in any way.

💕

Friends of Kilcoy Cemetery is a subcommittee of the Kilcoy District Progress Alliance.