Hope Bereavement Care celebrates 40 years

MORE than 180 people turned out to Truffleduck on Tuesday this week to celebrate Hope Bereavement Care’s 40th anniversary.

With Roxie Bennet as MC, the fundraising breakfast included some of the history of the organisation, a talk with Cats AFL star Jeremy Cameron and lived experiences from Corrina Eccles and Janina Lear.

Hope Bereavement executive officer Jacinta Bourke said it was a wonderful morning and the environment was beautiful.

“There was a lovely celebration of the 40 years of Hope.

“Jeremy Cameron, he was just forthright, honest and Roxie asked a wide range of questions across football life, mental health in football and that was really well received.

“He was so honest, confident, just open – Roxie was asking him questions, he had no idea what was going to come next, he just kept responding to them with such honesty and sincerity.”

Eccles touched people in the room when she spoke and sang about her experience in loss of death by suicide.

“It was sombre, but it was also very much about rejoicing and how people find ways through the most unbearable grief,” Ms Bourke said.

“Some of that’s hard to put into words, it was quite an amazing feeling, but it all came together with that, it was about honouring people’s grief, but also the hope and almost the preciousness of life.”

One of the highlights from the morning was when founder Bernie Jenner spoke and reflected on the 40 years of the organisation.

Mr Jenner talked about the need for Hope, along with gratitude and evolution of the service.

Ms Bourke thanked everyone for their support in Hope over the past four decades and everyone who turned out to the breakfast, donated their time and helped pull everything together on the morning.