1. Who owns and manages Eastern Suburbs Memorial
Park (ESMP)?
2. Grieving the loss of a loved one.
1.
Who owns and manages Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park
(ESMP)?
As ESMP is a Crown Land Memorial Park, it is effectively
owned by the people of NSW.
ESMP is a site of great local historical significance and is proud of its role and the service it provides in maintaining the memory for those whose forebears are interred within our Park.
The Park is overseen by a Board of Trustees appointed by the NSW Minister for Lands, usually for 5 years. Their responsibility is to:
- Ensure that the ESMP meets the past, current and future needs of the community we serve.
- Achieving ESMP's values of providing a caring service, employing quality personnel, teamwork, respect and trust, accountability, financial sustainability and leadership.
The current Chairman of Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park is Mr John Morrison OAM JP and the Chief Executive Officer, Mr George Passas who oversees the Park's managers.
2. Grieving the loss of a loved one.
When we are often asked by grieving individuals about grief, as part of our response, we provide the contact details of professional grief counsellors. Our observations and suggestions are outlined below.
Each person grieves the loss of a loved one in their own way. It is a personal and deeply painful experience, causing many emotions to surface including feelings of immense sadness, hurt, anger, denial, shock, fear and guilt. These responses are normal reactions of a grieving process.
Grieving takes its time, patience and courage and your acceptance and expression of grief will strengthen your ability to cope with your emotions and recover from your loss. As recovery takes place and although your loss is still felt, it will be easier to accept and redirect more time, energy and focus to other parts of your life.
Expressing your feelings to others may at first, make you feel uncomfortable, but it can be a very important factor in helping you to get back on your feet again. To accept help and support in this way as you grieve the loss someone close to you, can be of immense benefit at a very difficult time. It does not matter whether it comes from your family, friends, support group, clergy, therapist or grief councillor - it is far better than grieving alone.
Your family and friends will want to help but often do not know how. Let your pride take second place and tell them what you need, rather than avoiding or pushing them away.
If you follow a religious faith, embrace the spiritual support that can be found in its traditions and seek the guidance and counsel of your clergy.
A support group of others experiencing similar losses can really help in overcoming the feeling of loneliness and make grieving more bearable. Talking about your loss and how you feel with people who are in a similar situation can help you to gain strength from each other. You can find a bereavement group close to you by contacting your local hospital, council, retirement villages and medical practitioner.
You should not forget your doctor either, as he or she may also be able to recommend you to a therapist or grief counsellor. They will have the training, skills and experience to help you understand and work through your emotions and overcome obstacles to your grieving. While grieving is a natural process that takes its time, it can be damaging to yourself and
others if the intensity continues and you are finding it difficult to resume your life. If this is happening to you it would be wise to discuss this with your doctor and seek professional help.
Most importantly, be kind to yourself, take good care and share your grieving with others.