Standing Together lunch to become a bi-annual event
June 2016
Our inaugural Standing Together lunch, aimed at providing an informal forum for those impacted by a fatality within the resources sector, was held at Little Creatures in Fremantle in April.
The event was open to Miners’ Promise members and non-members and included a mixture of spouses and partners of people who had lost a loved one.
The two hour lunch was an opportunity for those in attendance to briefly introduce themselves to others and the circumstances that brought them there; to engage in conversation with the group and to share their contact details as a formative step in the development of ongoing support.
All in attendance indicated that they had thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to meet and converse with like-minded people and most expressed that they would have liked the session to go for longer, as they were just beginning to get to know one another.
Attendee, Leah Chapman, who lost her husband in a work related accident more than 10 years ago, expressed her strong support for the establishment of an ongoing event.
“It was great to be in a position to be able to help others who were still in the early stages of the grieving process, and to help them understand they aren’t alone,” said Leah.
“Coming together as a group was really healing for me in terms of being able to offer advice and support to others based on my own experience.
I think if I’d had this opportunity a few years ago when I lost my husband, my journey might have been a bit easier,” she added.
Other feedback from attendees also indicated that they would all want to attend a regular event and hoped to be able to keep in contact in between times.
“The key benefits of the group were identified as being the networking opportunity with other like-minded people, along with their own personal growth, through sharing of experiences with others,” said event attendee and Family Support Advisor, Helen Fitzroy.
“We’ve also taken a lot of other feedback from attendees in terms of the format of the event to enhance the benefits of attending in the future. The next event will offer a slightly quieter venue so we can hear each other better, and will also include some further networking opportunities before lunch,” Helen added.
