REMEMBERED
A Virtual Memorial Experience
Geelong Cemeteries Trust is proud to introduce Remembered, an innovative new digital memorial experience that brings history, remembrance and community together in a powerful and meaningful way.
Launched as a pioneering pilot at Colac Cemetery, Remembered is one of Australia's first large-scale collaborative memorialisation initiatives to combine cemetery heritage, community research, digital storytelling and location-based technology.
Developed in partnership with the Colac & District Family History Group and Arrow Bronze, Remembered draws on the remarkable Almost Forgotten collection - an extensive community-led research project dedicated to uncovering and preserving the stories of those who helped shape the Colac district.
Through the power of technology, visitors can now explore, discover and connect with lives that might otherwise have been lost to time, ensuring these stories continue to educate, inspire and enrich future generations.
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A Virtual Memorial Experience
Memorial spaces hold far more than names and dates. They hold stories, achievements, challenges, relationships and legacies that continue to shape our communities long after a life has ended.
Remembered has been created to honour those stories in a new and engaging way, allowing visitors to explore the rich history of Colac Cemetery through immersive digital storytelling.
Using a free web and mobile experience, visitors in proximity can discover historical records, photographs, biographies and community research linked to individual memorial locations throughout the cemetery.
This initiative reflects Geelong Cemeteries Trust's commitment to preserving heritage while embracing thoughtful innovation, creating new opportunities for remembrance, education and connection within our memorial spaces.
Albert Austin
NAME
Albert Austin
DATE OF BIRTH
01 Jan 1863
CATEGORY
Almost Forgotten
DATE OF DEATH
01 Jan 1889
CEMETERY
Colac Cemetery
Life Story
Albert Austin was born in Colac in 1863, the eldest son in a large family where responsibility arrived early and never really left. His father died while Albert was still a boy, so he took on the role of head of the family, helping to steady those around him. It was a pattern that would shape the rest of his life. After attending school locally and working as a farmer, Albert chose a life of service, joining the Victorian Police Force shortly before his twentieth birthday. He was a tall, strongly built man, but those who knew him spoke less of his size than of his character. Even as a schoolboy, he was remembered for standing up for those who could not stand up for themselves — a trait that followed him into adulthood. In 1884 Albert married Annie Elizabeth Martin. Together they built a family and raised three sons. Home mattered deeply to him, and his loyalty to family ran strong.
fore his twentieth birthday. He was a tall, strongly built man, but those who knew him spoke less of his size than of his character. Even as a schoolboy, he was remembered for standing up for those who could not stand up for themselves — a trait that followed him into adulthood. In 1884 Albert married Annie Elizabeth Martin. Together they built a family and raised three sons. Home mattered deeply to him, and his loyalty to family ran strong.
Almost Forgotten
At the heart of Remembered is the Almost Forgotten project, a remarkable community research initiative led by the Colac & District Family History Group.
Over many years, dedicated volunteers have researched and documented more than 1,800 life stories relating to individuals interred at Colac Cemetery before the 1900s, uncovering historical records, family connections, photographs and personal histories that might otherwise have remained hidden. Their work represents an extraordinary contribution to the preservation of local heritage and community memory.
Through Remembered, selected stories from the Almost Forgotten collection are now being shared in a new digital format, ensuring these
lives continue to be remembered, celebrated and accessible for generations to come.
Explore the stories that helped shape Colac.
About
Remembered represents a shared vision between Geelong Cemeteries Trust, the Colac & District Family History Group and Arrow Bronze to create a new benchmark for memorialisation in Australia.
The pilot combines extensive community research with innovative digital technology to transform the way visitors engage with cemetery heritage. By connecting stories directly to memorial locations, Remembered creates a richer and more personal understanding of the people who built and shaped the region.
The pilot launch will initially features stories from the Almost Forgotten collection, accessible in proximity through a free mobile experience that enables visitors to discover and explore stories while moving through Colac Cemetery.
As custodians of some of Victoria's most significant memorial spaces, Geelong Cemeteries Trust recognises a responsibility not only to preserve memorials, but also to protect, enrich and share the stories they represent.
Remembered reflects this commitment - honouring the past, strengthening community connection in the present, and ensuring future generations can continue to learn from and celebrate the lives that came before them.