This week in Melbourne the news has been dominated by the name of a man that few of us want to remember. In respect to the family of Jill Meagher, who was savagely snatched from the street, raped and murdered by this man last September, I won’t name him here. His sentencing on Wednesday, to life with a 35-year non-parole period, has dredged up the terrible feelings of sadness, fear and vulnerability that Jill’s murder raised and threatened to overshadow the wonderful qualities that, by all accounts, Jill possessed.
In his only interview following the sentencing, Jill’s husband Tom touched on the importance of remembering her as she was. His courage in speaking on such a momentous day, and the evidence of his love for her, were deeply moving. Though it is difficult viewing at times, you can watch him speak here.
Tom’s words, “I love to think about her”, touched me deeply. It reminded me that remembering someone who we have lost does not have to be a maudlin or melancholy act; it can be positive. It got me thinking about people I have loved and lost – remembering them as they were in life, not as I felt after their death.
In that spirit, I’ve compiled four posts from The Bulb that resonated with readers because each post was about remembering someone special and the legacy that they left behind.
A different kind of Friday: what the death of Jill Meagher reminded us
A poster of Jill Meagher in the wake of her disappearance
Fairytales for Hope: remembering our lost babies with uplifting illustrations
Thumbelina, an illustration by Tonia Composto
Goodbye Grandad
Jim Doubleday, cherished grandfather of Laura Cochrane
The Bulb honours Deanna and Deborah Miller
Deanna Miller, who died just a year after her sister Deborah
(Written by Julia)