A lasting legacy: Celebrating our beloved fathers
“A father is someone you look up to no matter how tall you grow.”
As Father’s Day approaches and we prepare to honour and celebrate the lasting legacy of the special men in our lives, many of us may be using this time to reflect on special memories of our loved ones. We understand that this may be a challenging day for some.
Remembrance and tribute can take on many forms. We all have our own unique traditions whether it be a moment of quiet reflection, sharing heartfelt stories or a beloved dad joke. This Father’s Day, we hope to provide a safe space for our community to connect and support each other.
“Fathers just have a way of putting everything together.”
Together with The Fathering Project , we hosted an online remembrance service in honour of our fathers and father figures. While we were unable to gather as a community, we connected and supported one another through a memorable online event.
Our CEO Jane Grover, our guest speaker Rodney Eade, and host Veronica Lees-Amato shared with us their personal reflections on Fatherhood and legacy. To close this beautiful evening, Veronica lit a candle in remembrance and invited our participating community to join us in this special tribute.
Throughout the evening, families share their heartfelt thoughts and wishes, sending photos and loving messages in the live chat. We were deeply honoured to be joined by so many families. You can view the personal tributes in our video above.
Thank you to all who shared messages of love and remembrance. We have collected these tributes to share in our memorial wall here:
| Name | Message |
|---|---|
| Kim Govender | Dear Daddy, In my thoughts, in my heart, in every part of my life you are always with me Daddy, and always will be. Heavenly Father’s day to you Daddy. We love and miss you more than words can express. Sending you love, warm hugs and kisses. From: Kim, Daniel, Lee, Kelvin and extended family in Australia and South Africa. |
| Susan Jones | Happy Father’s Day to a very special Father & Grandfather. We miss you every single moment of every single day. Not a day goes by that you are not with us in spirit and our everlasting love. You wanted for nothing and gave us everything you could, your family was your prized possession, just as you are ours. May each tear and fond memories be a sign of our love rising to meet you. Your love is forever imprinted on our hearts, the sadness will always be with us, but knowing you are at peace will help us to live a life that you always wanted for us. Till we meet again, Your loving family. Dean, Sue, Tahlia & Caleb Greenwell. ❤ |
| Peter White | To Dad, If only I could say G’Day and shake your hand. To hear your voice and see your smile. To sit and chat and share your thoughts about the world for a while. Even though you have passed away, my fond memories of you will never be in vain. Maybe when my day comes we will happily meet again. Peter. |
| Angelina Francia | Remembering a loving and caring father who always had a welcoming smile on all our visits and appreciated the time together. He taught us how to be humble and bring happiness to others. Dad and Nonno Angelo Serraglio in our hearts forever. 💖 An angel watching over us. |
| Cornel Fernandez | A loving tribute to my beloved Dad on Father's Day. Every precious memory of you is a constant reminder Of the unique father we loved & cherished Forever you will live on in the hearts of all those who loved and were loved by you. Rest in everlasting Peace Darling Dad. Cornel, Wendy, Sean & Nolita, Darren & Rachel & children. |
| Marisa Francavilla | I am here to remember my beautiful papà ❤️ The best advice my dad taught me was when I first got my license was if I got lost to follow the signs to the city or Melbourne Airport because if I ended up at either point I would know how to get home. |
| Lou Poortier | Antonino Aiello Always known as Old Man and forever with us |
| Rufimy Khoo | My dad, Sam will always be remembered and forever with us |
| Debbie Feddersen | We remember my beautiful father-in-law, Stuart Feddersen. A true gentleman in every sense of the world. We miss him each day but he remains in our heart always xx My darling Dad George Chant, 3 years on and I miss you like it was yesterday. I know you watch over us all and guide us. Your loving Family, Debbie, Ross, Matthew & Melissa. xx |
| The Babet Family | Our Dad Herve was the life and light of our family. Forever in our hearts. Happy Heavenly Father’s Day Day 💙 Happy heavenly Father’s Day dad. We miss you dearly and know you’re always by our side. Let your legacy continue to live on amongst us ❤️ |
| Natalie | Remembering my father-in-law Aubrey, a wonderful man with a hilarious sense of humour. He would talk to anyone about anything. “Another day in paradise,” he’d say every morning. Thinking of you Aub. |
| Karen | My dad, John, left us 4 years ago today. He is missed every minute of every day and know that he is watching after us. |
| Darren | Thomas Joseph Gerrard, 1956 Olympic cyclist from county Meath, Ireland. You bought our first bikes and showed us how to ride them. You didn't have to, we had your spirit. Always loved, forever missed. Until we meet again. Love you Dad. Darren, Erin & Angela. |
| Shishanee | Miss both my grandfathers everyday. Always in my thoughts. |
| Ann Vinodhram | Our darling dad, we love you and miss the lovely stories from India. You are our philosopher and guide and taught us through your actions. |
| Sonia Gravina | Love you dad always... Sonia & Yasmin xxx |
We welcome you to also share your cherished memories with us in the comments on our Facebook page.
Wherever you are this Father’s Day, we extend our well wishes from our family to yours.
If you live within the permitted 5km, we welcome you to visit your loved ones and reflect in person over the Father’s Day weekend. As always, we remind our community to keep COVID-19 safe practices in mind when visiting.
If you need support during this time, 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.