Support for bereaved parents, grandparents and siblings is available, and this will be showcased when the Compassionate Friends host a gathering in Narrabri.
The event is being coordinated by the local chapter and will be held at The Crossing Theatre on Saturday, August 31, from 9.30am.
Compassionate Friends is a safe space where people can talk about their loss in what is a support network of like-minded people who gather to assist each other with grief.
“It could be of any age, or any cause,” Compassionate Friends representative, and one of the organisers of the Narrabri gathering, Kate Rice said.
The event will see keynote speakers including the state president Chris Hardwicke who will present on his topic ‘Dad’s Cry Too’.
Two local people will also speak about sibling loss.
Meditation, conducted by Kylie Greste, is also part of the programme.
Carolyn Salter will discuss her poetry and how it has helped with her grief while Narrabri woman Kate Rice will talk about selfcare.
For Kate, her involvement with Compassionate Friends started 10 years ago, following the loss of her daughter, Emma.
She had visited the Tamworth chapter and a gathering in Parkes and realised there was a need for the same support network in Narrabri.
“There are so many people who have lost kids and continue to lose kids,” she said.
Kate described walking into her first gathering, to a room full of unknown people, as daunting.
However, it is a cause now close to her heart, and that of her husband, Mongo. Kate is now also on the state board.
The Narrabri chapter of Compassionate Friends is looking forward to returning to regular meetings following a hiatus during COVID. A local meeting will be held at the On Lee restaurant on September 7, from 6.30pm. Anyone is welcome, and people are simply asked to pay for their own food and drinks.
Registrations for the Narrabri gathering can be made online through the Compassionate Friends NSW website. For more information, contact Kate on 0427 294 507.
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