A creepy night in a cemetery has secured one man the dream of a lifetime,BUY now, lay later.
That was the motto on Saturday morning when more than 100 people, many of them Italians, converged on the Springvale Necropolis to have first pick of the newly released crypts in the Luciano Rossetti Mausoleum.
First in line was Narre Warren’s Tony Arcaro, 66, who came through the cemetery’s gates at 7.30pm on Friday with son Robert.
He waited patiently until sunrise to buy a final resting spot for he and his wife, Emelia.
Sales started at 9.30am on Saturday but Mr Arcaro and his son were the only ones to camp out overnight.
He said he was surprised that more people were not there alive people that is.
But Mr Arcaro said he did not mind the eerie company around him and spent the night playing cards, drinking lots of coffee and chatting to security guards in a heated marquee supplied by the Necropolis.
“I was a bit scared and suspicious. It is not really a place you like to stay at,” Mr Arcaro said.
“Next time I go to a cemetery I hope it is in the day time.”
The retired factory worker, who migrated to Australia from Italy in 1960, paid nearly $40,000 for the double crypt.
“I have worked all my life and I think this is worth it,” he said.
“To have a final resting place that you are comfortable with is important. It is something I have always wanted.”
He added the Italian community was happy that this method of burial was now available in Australia.
The Luciano Rossetti Mausoleum will provide 1398 casket spaces and comes as the Rocco Surace Mausoleum starts running out of space.
Opened in 1997 it has 2586 spaces with only 230 still available.
The 350 families on the Necropolis’ waiting list had first choice on Saturday before sales to the general public opened on Monday.
Named after the current chairman of the notforprofit Necropolis Trust, the mausoleum cost $6.6 million to build over two years.
Prices range from $486,094 for the more expensive of the six family rooms each of which contain 10 crypts to $12,206 for a single level crypt.
One family had even booked a funeral for the afternoon of 1 August but, as they were not on the waiting list, they could not select their crypt until the Monday.
Necropolis chief executive officer Russ Allison said previous sales at other cemeteries operated by the Necropolis had seen families sleep overnight.
“Many families choose to prepare for funerals well in advance as this helps ease the stress of making arrangements after death,” Mr Allison said.
“I got here at about 5am Saturday morning and there were already about 30 families.
“Most people buying were ordinary people who have worked hard and this is what they want,” he said.
