Corowa Lions commenced the project in March 2021 recognising that the Pioneer Cemetery holds both local and national historical significance.
The cemetery’s oldest headstone, dating back to 1859, honours Andrew Hume, nephew of the famed explorer Hamilton Hume.
It is also the final resting place of dignitaries to the 1893 Corowa Federation Conference, and WW1 returned servicemen and women.
The funding will go towards new facilities including a rotunda, seating, fencing and an upgrade to the walkways.
With so much historical significance and interest from a number of community groups seeking to better understand the stories contained within the cemetery, Lions member Barry Gleeson said the club was very appreciate of Club Corowa for their support in their major project.
“This project is massive for our club, and for the wider community and we are very grateful to Club Corowa for their assistance in funding,” he said.
Club Corowa CEO Peter Norris said the club was proud to support such an important community project.
“We understand how important community service clubs are to our town,” he said.
“This project is a great community collaboration, and we are proud to be able to support it.”
With funding only possible thanks to the ClubGRANTS program, more than $1 billion in funding has been provided since the program’s inception making it one of the largest and most effective grants programs in Australia.