Outback Graves Markers

Yvonne Coate

The Committee and Members of Outback Grave Markers Inc deeply regret the passing of Yvonne on 29 November 2022.  Without the four Lonely Graves and Burials at Sea volumes, the life’s work of Yvonne and Kevin Coate, Outback Graves would have struggled to get off the ground.

The selfless gesture to give unqualified access and use of their work to OGM, enabling us to bring alive the incredible information in the pages of their books, has been the greatest asset this organisation could ever have wished for.

Yvonne was born at Donnybrook on 31 December 1927.  Upon her marriage to Kevin, their outback adventures began with a 7-year honeymoon in New Zealand, where three of their four children were born. On their return to WA, their fourth child was born and they ran a specialty food shop in Garden City before starting up a natural history-based tour company called, Coate’s Wildlife Tours – that is still operating today.  All this, while Yvonne volunteered at a women’s night shelter and drove the Canning City pensioner bus.

Yvonne was a founding member of the Western Australian Genealogical Society and the inaugural editor of the Society’s journal, The Western Ancestor, for three years. Then, together with Kevin, Yvonne started researching, locating and recording the lonely graves of WA.

On 8 June 2009, Yvonne Elwyn Coate was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) For service to the Community, particularly the recording of the natural history of Western Australia, and to eco- tourism and conservation.

In 2014, she was elected a Life Fellow of the Western Australian Genealogical Society.

Thank you, Yvonne and Kevin, for your generosity in sharing your life’s work with Outback Grave Markers.

Deepest sympathy to Kevin and family on their sad loss.

Yvonne, your work and your name will live forever

Yvonne Coate

Read more

Old Fossil Downs Homestead

Outback Grave Markers have travelled to Old Fossil Downs homestead where they have installed plaques commemorating the lives of Michael Barry, Joseph Daroo, John West, Maud Dunn and Munro Martin.

Read more

Popanyinning Pioneer Cemetery

After the mammoth effort by the crew on the Goldfields trip, they have opted for a milder, less energetic wander out yonder with a trip to Popanyinning to mark a few graves in the Pioneer Cemetery.
The weather was a little chilly but the job was done and the time enjoyed by all.
The Shire of Cuballing were happy to help out and were on the job with the OGM crew with CEO Stan Scott and Community Development Officer Michelle Atwell on site.
Read more

View all posts