Compassionate Friends is extending an olive branch and inviting bereaved parents in Perth’s south east to the group’s new branch in Armadale, says volunteer Cathy Panizza.
Mrs Panizza said the new group aimed to provide a safe, understanding space for parents, grandparents and siblings grieving the death of a child.
Mrs Panizza said the organisation had been seeking a central venue which could better serve people living across Perth’s south-eastern suburbs.
As a volunteer-run support group dealing with an intensely personal and difficult topic, she said attendance numbers were unpredictable.
“It’s always hard to judge because there’s a lot of people that maybe don’t want to come or are a bit anxious talking about something like this,” she said,
But she said even small gatherings were meaningful.
Mrs Panizza brings personal experience to the role, having lost two of her children.
Almost four years ago, her eldest son died as a result of a motorbike accident.
Decades earlier, she also lost her youngest son, who died as an infant from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
“I was getting counselling through the road trauma group and they suggested Compassionate Friends because I had also lost my youngest son 40 years ago,” she said.
Mrs Panizza said the support she received through Compassionate Friends had been instrumental in helping her cope with grief, prompting her to become involved as a volunteer.
“They’ve helped me, so I think I can give back now and hopefully help someone else,” she said.
Mrs Panizza said the group was not intended to replace professional counselling but rather offer peer support and connection with others who had experienced a similar loss.
“It’s always nice to talk to someone who has been in the same situation, even though you wouldn’t wish it upon anybody,” she said.
The Compassionate Friends is a national organisation supporting families after the death of a child, regardless of the child’s age or cause of death.
The Armadale support group will meet once a month, on the third Tuesday of each month, from 10am to 12pm at Armadale Uniting Church on Anton Street.
