We held our annual Remembering Day – a day where families, staff  and volunteers come together to remember and honour each special child that has touched our lives -  at the International College of Management in Manly on Sunday 26 May, 2024. 

Over 40 families joined us in the Great Hall and this included families who have been part of the Bear Cottage family for many years and those that may have only been known to Bear Cottage for a short time.

As our MC for this year, Aria’s mum Shelly said in her welcome, Remembering Day is “a day where memories are invited, feelings are expected, and explanation is not necessary.”

Our theme this year was ‘What makes a family?’ and we were reminded of the deep love, connections and memories that form a family. These memories and connections were described and illustrated heart-warmingly by our family speakers, Sienna’s older sister Maddie, and Gabriel’s mum Bronwyn. 

They each shared the story and experience of their family and their ongoing relationship with the Bear Cottage family. We are grateful for their bravery in sharing. This connection is so important for other families to hear and experience. 

Another important part of our Bear Cottage family, the volunteers, were represented by Julie, who read the children’s book My Heart. Julie’s story-reading voice would be familiar to many of the siblings in the room.

Thank you to everyone who attended on Sunday and to all our Bear Cottage families, our thoughts are with all of you. The memories of your precious children will live on and as so beautifully stated by Shelly, “you’re always invited, always welcome and even more importantly  “always remembered”. 

To view our Remembering Day staff message video, please visit our Facebook page.