Historian Warren Fahey presents a talk on his new book, Dead and Buried (COSHA)

Cemeteries hold fascinating stories, and Sydney’s three main early cemeteries – The Old Burial Ground on George Street, Devonshire Street Sandhill’s Cemetery and the grand Rookwood Necropolis – all played roles in the story of the city. These are tales of notable and ordinary people, the high and the low, and the good, bad and the ugly. There are also stories of architecture, sculpture, religious practices, and the ever-changing attitude to burial and remembrance.

Dead & Buried illustrates how the three early cemeteries evolved. These are by no means morbid stories. They present a slice of Sydney’s early days with tales of sensational murders, tragedies and disasters, diversity, and, at the same time, celebrate poets and politicians, artists and dreamers.