November 9, 2023Last month, our Spiritual Care, Palliative Care and Social Work teams hosted a memorial service to honour the memory of those who passed away at Northern Health.
The service, ‘A time to remember’, was an opportunity for relatives, loved ones and staff to join together to remember those who passed away between June 2022 and May 2023. The service, which also paid tribute to those who died during the pandemic, was the first one since 2019.
The service was attended by many loved ones and staff, including Debra Bourne, Chief Operating Officer, Jason Cirone, Chief Allied Health Officer, who opened the service, and Stephanie Thompson, who delivered the Acknowledgement of Country.
Other notable attendees included Maree Glynn, Director of Clinical Practice Improvement, Reverend Melanie Moore, Anglican and Palliative Care Chaplain, Julius Quiring, Nurse Unit Manager, Palliative Care Unit, Sebastian Antony, Spiritual Care Practitioner and Natalia Dewiyani, Spiritual Care Coordinator.
The Northern Health Community Choir also performed at the service. Guests were invited to reflect during the service by choosing a butterfly that represented an element – grief, courage, memories, love, peace and hope – that was meaningful to them. The butterflies were beautifully placed on a community tree in memory of those being honoured.
Reverend Melanie Moore, Anglican and Palliative Care Chaplain, reflected on the evening, saying the sharing of stories was a highlight for her.
“We heard about how courage, love and hope is helping people to be resilient as they grieve,” she said.
“The evening connected bereaved people from the community where we laughed, cried and supported each other – it was a privilege to be part of. Northern Health staff worked together to give people hope, support and remind them they are not alone.”
