Reflection by the lake: In memory of Delores Stanley
“To describe my mother would be to write about a hurricane in its perfect power. Or the climbing, falling colours of a rainbow.” – Maya Angelou
“She brought up a lot of children,” Sharon Blackburn says fondly about her mother Delores Stanley.
She is standing at Bunurong Memorial Park, a few metres away from the beautiful Lake Australis. Behind her, families walk past, carrying picnic rugs and chairs in preparation for tonight’s event, Together by the Lake.
Sharon and her family are gathered with the rest of the community—to remember their loved ones through the power of music.
“We’ve come here tonight to celebrate and bring all our food because we wanted to sit with her [Delores] and celebrate tonight,” she says.
“We brought all the food she loved to eat; everything has been made in honour of her.”
“We like to keep her [memory] fresh every week,” Sharon explains to one of our employees. The family visit regularly, bringing beautiful flowers in honour of their mother’s love of colour.
We sincerely thank the Stanley family for sharing their story with us and for demonstrating one of the many ways unconditional love for family can manifest.
There are many ways our community can honour their loved ones, and we hope to accommodate each possible option whether through creating spaces for you to visit or events that can allow families to come together and connect.
If you need support, we are here to help. We encourage you to visit smct.org.au/help for a list of bereavement counselling and support organisations or to take a look at the resources offered through our Centre for Care & Wellbeing.