Almost fifteen years ago a taxi ride proved the catalyst in the development of a unique partnership that has helped both grieving families and the environment.
A conversation between Tim Lawrence, the taxi driver, and his passenger Joe O’Dea Jnr of Bowra and O’Dea Funeral Directors, led to a Memorial Grove program that provides a living and lasting memorial for those who have lost a loved one.
Tim is a life member of Men of the Trees WA Inc (MOTT) and the immediate past President. MOTT is a 30 year old volunteer tree planting organisation that grows & plants approximately 500,000 trees each year in Western Australia. It is a community based environmental organisation committed to the revegetation of degraded land, particularly those areas affected by salinity, through the planting of native species.
Joe’s concern for bereaved families and both men’s passion for the environment fuelled their vision to set up the Bowra and O’Dea Memorial Groves to assist in both the healing of hundreds of grieving families and land in the Wheatbelt as well as other locations around Perth and its hinterland.
Men of the Trees coordinates the site selection and the provision and planting of the native seedlings. Bereaved families select a tree within a newly planted grove which they can visit at any time. A certificate is also provided in recognition of the planting on behalf of their deceased family member.
The plantings aim to symbolise re-birth and the cycle of life and provide a peaceful reflective space for families to visit.
The Bowra and O’Dea Memorial Groves program is now in its 15th year of operation. Bowra & O’Dea has generously donated more than $500,000 resulting in more than two million trees planted.
In addition to the establishment and management of the Memorial Grove sites this sponsorship has supported the Million Trees Program to develop educational programs and activities. These educational programs have in turn resulted in tens of thousands of trees planted each year.
The Memorial Groves at Beckenham are a result of a collaboration between MOTT, Bowra and O’Dea, the Western Australian Planning Commission and South East Centre for Urban Landcare (SERCUL).
Joe and Tim are shown here at a Memorial Grove in Beckenham. Both men agree that the partnership has achieved even more than was first imagined.
Click on an image below to enlarge.
www.BowraOdea.com.au
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