As NZ is the first country to greet the dawn, we commence this worldwide wave of candlelight honouring our children gone too soon, at 7pm NZ time.

Click here to read about what is happening in Whanganui New Zealand

Location: Virginia Lake Whanganui by the Peter Pan statue….. follow the footprints….

Contact Keren 06 3443345 marshkandb@gmail.comCheck our New Zealand website www.thecompassionatefriends.org.nz
See us on facebook too

We will be placing decorations and mementoes at the two trees sheltering the Children’s Area and the Stillborn Area.

Afterwards, join us at The Yellow House at 11am for our Coping with Christmas Coffee Care and Chat

Bereaved Parents supporting other grieving parents who’ve experienced the death of a child of any age from any cause (illness, accident, suicide) at any time (recently or years ago). Siblings and grandparents are also supported. We meet at the Yellow House Cafe, Dublin Street, Whanganui. Meetings on the first Saturday of each month at 11 am.

Feel free to join us; You are welcome. Phone Keren 06 3443345 or Sue 06 3450855 if you have any questions.

Dates for 2023:
December 2nd

Dates for 2024:
January 6th, February 3rd, *February/March La Fiesta, March 2nd, April 6th, May 4th, May 5th (Int.Bereaved Mother’s Day), *May 12th ( NZ Mother’s Day), June 1st, July 6th, *July/Aug (NZ Grief Awareness Week), August 3rd, September 7th, *September 1st (Father’s Day), October 5th, *October :Baby Loss AwarenessWeek, November 2nd, December 7th, December 8th Worldwide Candlelighting
* = extra events

We are a support group of bereaved parents who have the lived experience of losing a child/ren. We offer friendship and understanding of all families following the death of a child or sibling.

We meet the 1st Tues of every month 7-8pm at Addington Coffee Culture, Lincoln Rd.
Contact: Chris 021 0293 1357 or Sandra 022 127 5541

Meet up Dates 2022
Jan 18th (later due to holidays), Feb 1st, March 1st, April 5th, May 3rd (Mother’s Day 8th May), June 7th, July 5th, August 2nd, September 6th (Father’s Day 4th Sept), October 4th, November 1st (planning meeting), November 29th Chch Candle light service

You are welcome to join us Grieving, Healing, Growing

Hi to all our Compassionate Friends Central Otago and beyond. We had a wonderful Christmas gathering and I would sincerely like to thank all the men who contributed by standing up and sharing their grief and the tools they offered to provide hope. We would also like to wish Jan Pessione our founding chapter member a very speedy recovery after her time spent recovering in hospital.

I would also like to recommend a wealth of information on a really interesting u tube I watched the other day which is called (“Open to Hope Handling the Loss of a Child” Guest Chris Donohoe shares his gift of song and his story of healing after the death of his brother. Pat Loder of The largest organisation in the world The Compassionate Friends discusses the Compassionate Friends and her loss as a parent. Ken Druck discusses the loss of daughter Jenna and the Centre he went on to find.

COMPLIMENTARY COFFEE- TEA – SCONE FOR A CHAT- CATCHUP:
PLEASE KEEP THIS DATE FREE
SUNDAY 5TH MARCH 2023. 11.00AM.
VENUE: MONTEITHS ALEXANDRA.

Love to see as many of you here as possible - who knows you might just meet a new friend.
Take Care
Pauline Trotter (Coordinator The Compassionate Friends, Central Otago)
Please phone 0273960611 if you have any queries.