Inaugural Canberra sunflower ceremony and memorial service to remember lives lost to suicide
Leading suicide prevention and mental health advocates, along with those who have been impacted by the death of a loved one or friend through suicide, will have the opportunity to come together to remember at a special memorial service in Canberra.
The first ACT Wesley LifeForce Suicide Memorial Service will be held at the Canberra Southern Cross Yacht Club on Thursday 21 November 2024 from 7.30 – 8.40am and conclude with a sunflower ceremony, with people invited to honour their loved one by laying a sunflower.
Dr Karen Bird, Deputy Chair, National Advisory Committee for Open Arms – Veterans & Families Counselling and Board Member, Australian War Memorial, whose son, Jesse, took his life in 2017, will share her lived experience, while Wesley Mission CEO, Rev Stu Cameron, will deliver a message of hope.
Rev Cameron says the pain of losing someone to suicide is not eased quickly and the journey to healing complex.
"There is no timetable for grieving. We learn how to deal with our grief and we learn how to live with our loss in different ways. The loss is not forgotten, we grow our lives around it."
More people are lost to suicide than die on the roads each year. It affects people of all ages, genders and from all backgrounds. Beyond the tragic loss of the person themselves, the impact of each death affects many people who may need grief support. Research indicates that for each person who dies by suicide, up to 135 people are directly affected, including family members, work colleagues, friends and first responders. Bereavement by suicide can impact physical and mental health.
The Wesley LifeForce Memorial Service provides a safe space for people to gather to remember loved ones lost to suicide and honour their memory.
"When we gather together, we stand side by side connected through a shared experience - it is a powerful expression of hope and a reminder for people bereaved by suicide that they are not alone. We also stand together with a shared commitment to reduce the stigma associated with suicide," says Rev Cameron.
The service, inclusive for people of all faiths and none, incorporates prayer, musical and ceremonial components as well as Dr Bird and another lived experience speaker sharing their stories around grief and suicide.
People will also be able to leave a message of love and remembrance on a memorial wall and counsellors from Wellways, Anglicare and Wesley Mission will be present to offer support.
In closing, everyone gathered will be invited to remember their loved one by placing a sunflower at the memorial wall. Sunflowers have long been considered a symbol of hope, strength and resilience as the vibrant yellow flower, supported by a strong stem, turns its face towards the sun.
