A Far North Queensland Aboriginal elder’s body has been mistakenly buried in another man’s grave causing a “great deal of heartache for both grieving families.”
Kowanyama Aboriginal shire council say the man was buried in a plot prepared for another elder.
The mix-up was uncovered on Wednesday, days after funeral.
The man buried at Kowanyama, in the western cape, was meant to be buried 360 kilometers south in Normanton on Saturday.
While the second man’s body remains in a funeral home in Cairns.
In a statement, Kowanyama Aboriginal Shire Council says it will be working with the funeral director to “quickly rectify the error” ensuring the two men are “laid to rest with the utmost dignity.”
Kowanyama Aboriginal shire council Mayor Robbie Sands says the mistake has has caused a “great deal of heartache”
“The family that were grieving and now starting to heal after the first funeral have now discovered that they didn’t put their loved one down and they’ve got to start the whole process again,” he said.
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons
