Geelong’s first Pregnancy And Infant Loss Memorial Garden was opened by Geelong Cemeteries Trust on Pregnancy And Infant Loss Remembrance Day on Friday 15th October, 2021.
The garden, located at Geelong Memorial Park, will be dedicated to local families who have suffered pregnancy loss in the hope that it will assist their grieving process.
The garden is the final milestone in the establishment of the Pregnancy Loss Program, which has been developed over the last five years and provides a free service to families unable to make formal funeral arrangements.
In 2016 the Geelong Cemeteries Trust was approached by St John of God Hospital, Barwon Health Maternity Unit and Hope Bereavement to assist families who had suffered the loss of a baby under 20 weeks gestation.
The current practice at the time, where the family was not in a position to make funeral arrangements, meant that families who had suffered this loss had no option of retrieving or memorialising their baby’s remains in the future if they wished to do so.
The majority of families affected by this loss are young couples who are not in a position to make formal funeral arrangements due to financial or mental burden.
The Pregnancy Loss Program was initiated by Geelong Cemeteries Trust, in conjunction with St John of God Hospital, Barwon Health Maternity Unit and Hope Bereavement, to give families the option to have their baby cremated at Geelong Memorial Park and Crematorium, then placed in a memorial garden at Geelong Memorial Park.
Geelong’s first Pregnancy And Infant Loss Memorial Garden will be opened by Geelong Cemeteries Trust on Pregnancy And Infant Loss Remembrance Day on Friday 15th October, 2021.
The garden, located at Geelong Memorial Park, will be dedicated to local families who have suffered pregnancy loss in the hope that it will assist their grieving process.
The garden is the final milestone in the establishment of the Pregnancy Loss Program, which has been developed over the last five years and provides a free service to families unable to make formal funeral arrangements.
In 2016 the Geelong Cemeteries Trust was approached by St John of God Hospital, Barwon Health Maternity Unit and Hope Bereavement to assist families who had suffered the loss of a baby under 20 weeks gestation.
The current practice at the time, where the family was not in a position to make funeral arrangements, meant that families who had suffered this loss had no option of retrieving or memorialising their baby’s remains in the future if they wished to do so.
The majority of families affected by this loss are young couples who are not in a position to make formal funeral arrangements due to financial or mental burden.
The Pregnancy Loss Program was initiated by Geelong Cemeteries Trust, in conjunction with St John of God Hospital, Barwon Health Maternity Unit and Hope Bereavement, to give families the option to have their baby cremated at Geelong Memorial Park and Crematorium, then placed in a memorial garden at Geelong Memorial Park.
WEBSITE + SOCIAL MEDIA
Website: https://www.gct.net.au/
Social media: @geelongcemeteriestrust
Pictured: L-R: Jo Lewis – St John of God, Pastoral Care Team; Kate Cohen – Barwon Health, Clinical Midwife Specialist; Michelle Harding – Barwon Health, Maternity Unit Manager; Frank de Groot – Geelong Cemeteries Trust, Deputy CEO/Operations Manager; Pam Virgona – Hope Bereavement Care, Hope Board Member
