Grief Connect

06/09/2026

Happy Heavenly Father’s Day, Nathan. ❤️

Father’s Day always comes with such a complexity of emotions, and even after more than eight years, there are days when the reality of you not being here still feels incredibly hard.

Eight years is such a long time to have lived without you, and when I think about everything that has happened in that time, I think about everything you have missed. The kids growing up, the changes in all of us, the milestones, the ordinary days, the funny moments, the difficult ones, and all those times when I know exactly what you would have said or done if you were still here.

There is so much life that has happened since you died, and sometimes that is one of the hardest parts of grief, knowing that life keeps moving and wishing you could have been here to see it.

Today we honour you as a dad and a stepdad, and remember the love, care, kindness and absolute silliness you brought into our lives. There are pieces of you woven through so many of our memories, and we will cherish them forever.

I can picture you today in your big red car, probably checking out some new barbecue tools and equipment and still trying to get that steak absolutely spot on.
Your memory lives on. Happy Heavenly Father’s Day up in the skies.

05/09/2026

Father’s Day can be an incredibly difficult day for many widowed people, especially when you are trying to support your children through missing their dad while carrying your own grief and missing your person at the same time.

There can be so much held in one day, the memories, the traditions that are no longer the same, the empty space where someone belongs, and the responsibility of continuing to look after your kids and family while you are grieving too.

Please be gentle with yourself today. There is no right way to get through Father’s Day, and you don’t have to make the day anything more than you have the capacity for.

Take today one hour at a time, and if an hour feels too much, take it one minute at a time.

Thinking of all our widowed families today, the dads who are deeply missed, the people who love them, and the children growing up carrying their dad with them in so many different ways.

03/09/2026

Over the last few years I’ve had the opportunity to meet many leaders, and Amber Kearns, City of Mandurah Mayor, is an incredibly impressive woman. What I admire most is the genuine way she connects with people, her warmth, and the care she clearly has for the community she represents, a wonderful example of women in leadership.

I recently had the privilege of sitting down with Michelle Moriarty, the woman behind Grief Connect®.

What struck me most was not just Michelle’s professionalism and knowledge, but her compassion and courage. She brings something very real to this work ~ a deep understanding of grief through her own lived experience, and a genuine desire to help others feel less alone in theirs.

Grief is such a deeply personal thing. There is no one way through it, and no two experiences are the same.

Over the past two weeks, I’ve attended three funerals, and each one has left me reflecting on just how different loss can look and feel. Losing a spouse, a parent, a child, a friend or someone who has been a huge part of your life changes you. And everyone finds their way through that differently.

My conversation with Michelle was honest, thoughtful and hopeful. We talked about how the work she is doing through Grief Connect® might connect with and complement the support that already exists in our community, including the important work of Compassionate Friends.

I’m grateful to Michelle for being willing to step into this space, to share her experience, and to create a place where people experiencing grief can find connection, understanding and support.

Sometimes the most important thing we can do is simply make sure people don’t feel like they have to walk through grief alone.

Please click on the link for more information on Grief Connect👉 https://lnkd.in/g9e-4jmV

31/08/2026

CANBERRA & SYDNEY WIDOWED COMMUNITY CATCH-UP 💜

We’re bringing members of our Grief Connect Young Widowed and Over 55s Widowed Support Groups together for two free social peer support catch-ups, with Canberra on Sunday 13 September and Sydney on Sunday 27 September.

Our online groups give us a place to connect wherever we live, but there is something really valuable about being able to sit around a table together in person, share stories about our people and our lives now, and create connections with others who understand something of what it is to be widowed.

These catch-ups are about bringing our widowed community together, creating genuine connections and finding a sense of hope through meeting other people who get it, because sometimes being with others who understand can make this life feel a little less isolating.

I’m really looking forward to seeing members I’ve met before and meeting many more of you in both Canberra and Sydney.

💜 FREE for members of our Grief Connect Young Widowed and Over 55s Widowed Support Groups

📅 CANBERRA — Sunday 13 September 2026
📍 Central Canberra — venue details will be shared privately with group members closer to the date.

📅 SYDNEY — Sunday 27 September 2026
📍 Central Sydney — venue details will be shared privately with group members closer to the date.

Would you love to join us in Canberra or Sydney?

To join us, head to the link below and join the Grief Connect Young Widowed or Over 55s Widowed Support Group that is right for you. Please make sure you answer the membership questions when requesting to join.

Once you’re a member, further information and venue details will be shared within the group.

https://www.rfr.bz/f244e15c4

31/08/2026

Recently I met with City of Mandurah Mayor Amber Kearns to share more about Grief Connect®, its growing work across grief support, education and community connection, and the opportunities that can come through collaboration.

Over the years, I’ve met many leaders, and there are some who really stand out, not simply because of the position they hold, but because of the way they approach conversations with authenticity, genuine interest and a willingness to make connections and create opportunities.

Amber is certainly one of those leaders.

Our conversation reinforced the importance of bringing people, organisations and ideas together, particularly when there is an opportunity to strengthen the support available to people experiencing grief and loss and those supporting them.

Thank you to Amber and Karin Blixt for the conversation, the opportunity to share more about Grief Connect®, and for discussing important connections and opportunities that can further strengthen this work.

Looking forward to what may come from these conversations and connections into the future.
City of Mandurah

28/08/2026

💜 NEW TO FUNERAL CONNECT | GRIEF CONNECT

Grief doesn’t end when the funeral does.

We’re proud to welcome Grief Connect to Funeral Connect — supporting people across Australia as they navigate life after loss.

From grief education and counselling to peer support and online communities, Grief Connect helps people become more fluent in grief language, understand what they’re experiencing and connect with others who truly understand.

💜 Widowed support groups
💜 Grief & bereavement support
💜 Grief education
💜 Online community & connection
💜 Support for individuals, families & workplaces

Because sometimes what someone needs most after a funeral is someone who understands what comes next.

Check out the comment section to see Michelle’s incredible interview in New Idea Magazine 👏🙌

👉 Find Grief Connect on Funeral Connect:

Grief Connect provides compassionate, expert grief support, education and community connection for people navigating life after loss. Their programs, resources and peer support help individuals and workplaces understand grief and feel supported long