A living piece of history in Western Australia's north has won his battle to be buried in the town he has called home for more than six decades.
Arnold Carter, 96, has lived in Port Hedland since 1962 and wishes to be buried in the pioneer cemetery after he dies, on a small hill overlooking the long sandy beach just outside the town centre.
But the cemetery is closed, which forced Mr Carter to ask the state government for permission.
However, a bizarre and little known part of WA's burial rules dictated a decision on Mr Carter's burial would only be made after he died.
"It was definitely not permitted, which I thought was rather intriguing," he said.
"I then became determined that I would like to persist and be buried there."
The pioneer cemetery was declared full in 1968 and closed in 2020, with the closest burial ground 11 kilometres away in the neighbouring settlement of South Hedland.
Mr Carter said he felt no connection to South Hedland and pushed the state government to grant him an exemption for the pioneer cemetery.
"All I found here was a beautiful, idyllic piece of land. And that's exactly where we've asked to be, with an outlook on the ocean," he said.
"[South Hedland] is out on the road, it's way out there ... out in the desert so to speak."
In the end Mr Carter's dogged persistence paid off, with the government granting both Mr Carter and his wife Frances exemptions in late 2022 while they are alive.
"It's an honour. I'm talking about history ... I think we will be very pleased that we're in that history," he said.
"To know where you're going to go is a big, big thing."
A state government spokesperson said Mr Carter was backed by the Town of Port Hedland, which identified a suitable site in the cemetery where pre-existing graves would not be disturbed.
The spokesperson said similar applications are rare and the pioneer cemetery would remain closed to the rest of the public.
"In making the application, the Town also recognised that Mr and Mrs Carter are very well known members of the Port Hedland community," the spokesperson said.
'We are the only two'
The Pilbara has a young and transient population, which makes Mr Carter's decades-long stint particularly unusual.
Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show just 25 people in Port and South Hedland are aged 85 years or older, and to the best of Mr Carter's knowledge he and his wife are among the area's longest-standing residents.
The pair have watched a small northern community grow into a burgeoning iron ore hub that helps power the state and national economies.
Mr Carter was president of the local council and owned 28 businesses, and he feels his contribution earned him a place alongside the graves of Port Hedland's early residents.
For Mr Carter, his burial at the pioneer cemetery will be the final piece of his lengthy legacy in Port Hedland.
"I do believe we have made a very good contribution. Port Hedland means everything to me."
