Construction of Tender Funerals Mid North Coast’s home base in Wauchope will start in August. It is hoped the service will be operational in March 2022.
Tender Funerals Mid North Coast’s Denis Juelicher said it was a very exciting time because they were very close to starting construction of a home for Tender Funerals in Wauchope.
The service will cover from Taree and Forster/Tuncurry to Coffs Harbour with its main focus in the Hastings, Taree and Kempsey.
Funding for the not-for-profit funeral service is made up of a large grant from the Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation, a loan from specialist lender Social Enterprise Finance Australia and community fundraising.
Meanwhile, Dying to Know Day on August 8 is a national initiative by The Groundswell Project to encourage people to talk openly about death.
Tender Funerals Mid North Coast, together with Hastings Death Cafe, Die-aloguers Book Club and the Mid North Coast End of Life Doula Hub, will present a series of events across August during which people can ask questions and learn more about death and dying.
There will be screenings of the documentary, TENDER, at Port Macquarie Library on August 5 from 10am to noon and August 11 from 6pm to 8pm.
Bookings are essential, and can be made on the library website, with limited numbers due to COVID-19 restrictions.
A Tender Funerals trivia night fundraiser is set down for August 7 with tickets available on the TryBooking website. Numbers will be restricted due to COVID-19.
The community is invited to take part in a labyrinth remembrance ceremony at the Birpai Local Aboriginal Land Council from 10am to noon on August 8.
The ceremony will be a time for connection and shared remembering in honour of loved ones who have died, while acknowledging the losses during floods, bushfires and life in general.
“Often we underestimate the impact grief has on our lives,” Ms Juelicher said.
“To be able to come together as a community to remember and share feelings and experiences is invaluable.”
The remembrance ceremony is a free event with online bookings through TryBooking.
A death and dying expo on August 14 from 8am to 1pm at the Foreshore Markets will provide information about death and dying.
More information is available at the Tender Funerals Mid North Coast webpage.
