NRS-21668 | Destitute burial register and related correspondence [Department of Youth and Community Services]

Full description

This series contains records relating to the burial of destitute persons. After the death of a deceased person with no money or assets and whose relatives and friends were unable to pay the costs of burial, the cost of the burial was covered by the State.

This register was maintained in a repurposed Credit Cash Book. The title “Destitute burial register” is handwritten on the front cover. Details recorded in the volume include registration number, name, age, died at (suburb), date (of death), voucher number, amount, passed (date), funeral director/claimant, pension, receipt numbers, debit raised, debit reversed, and Public Trustee claims. The register covers burials from 24 May 1976 to 30 June 1980. The registration number is an annual single number and the register starts at 76/220.

This register ends when the responsibility to pay for the burial of destitute persons was transferred to the Division of Forensic Medicine of the Health Commission. (1) The series also contains a bundle of correspondence previously stored within the volume. The correspondence relates to queries regarding the burial of individuals within the register, the settling of accounts, and the forwarding of requests received by the Department of Youth and Community Services to the agency responsible at the time. For this reason, the correspondence end date exceeds the date that the register ceased.

Endnote
1. NRS 21668, Letter dated 20 May 1981.