Community Care & Wellbeing
Location
Third Drive
Springvale Botanical Cemetery
600 Princes Highway, Springvale
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"...[a] precious oasis in what can seem like a vast desert of grief."
Welcome to Community Care & Wellbeing (CCW)
SMCT is proud of the innovative and inclusive ways in which we support our community to respectfully honour the lives of their loved ones. We work with community, our partners and our colleagues to explore and balance our programs and services to best reach and support Victorian families now and into the future.
One of these innovations is the Centre for Care & Wellbeing program.
Over the past five years it has changed from a cup of tea and considered conversation to a generous partnered program at Springvale Botanical Cemetery. In those five years the needs of the broader Victorian community and demands on our beautiful sites have also changed – and we look to new ways to meet them.
We have committed to extending the current program scope beyond a physical presence at Springvale Botanical Cemetery. The new program will help us engage with a broader range of community members.
Moving away from a Centre-based model to a flexible, activity-based model means we can be agile and create and deliver the program our community needs – when and where they need it.
It’s an exciting change, and we look forward to creating an engaging program that extends our reach and connection with community across our sites. We look forward to welcoming you soon.
Find Out More
Are you grieving?
The Community Care & Wellbeing program works closely with Grief Australia, a non for profit organisation who has been providing support to the public for over 22 years.
As Grief Australia explains, grief is a natural part of life.
“[Grief] is the normal, natural and inevitable response to loss, and it can affect every part of our life, including our thoughts, behaviours, beliefs, feelings, physical health and our relationships with others.”
If you are currently experiencing grief and are looking for more immediate grief support, we have compiled a list of suggested self care tips and book suggestions that may help. Learn more.
Alternatively, if you know someone who is experiencing grief, there are many ways you can help.
Book a Session Online Today
We encourage our community to visit us to simply take time out, chat with others or relax within the comfort of the space.
“I enjoy each weekend with Dad hearing about the activities he has done that week at the Centre ... the people he has met and the friends he has made.”
"The Centre is a lifesaver for those who have nowhere else to go..."
You want to be alone, but you need to be somewhere where someone understands, and you are not judged, somewhere you can be nurtured and feel safe.
If you wish to take part in an art class, help knit a quilt for charity, sit quietly in the corner and tackle a jigsaw puzzle, sit and read, enjoy new friendships, take part in various grief sessions, of which there is no pressure to attend ... or if you just want to escape from all the pressures you are feeling, and just be, then this is definitely the place to come.
- Mary, CCW visitor
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Ask a Question
If you're not sure whether the Community Care & Wellbeing program is suited to you, our friendly team can help you with any questions you may have.