Mourning together on April 28

What dates are important to you? We all have a private calendar of days and years that are memorable for us – and many are dates that wouldn’t be notable to anyone else.

For families affected by work-related tragedy, most of those dates are very personal: a last birthday, the date of the funeral, the day of a missed anniversary or graduation. These are their personal days of mourning.

But National Day of Mourning, April 28 each year, is a date everyone shares, when we can gather in community to honour and remember those killed or injured at work, and refresh our commitment to preventing future tragedies.

This year for Day of Mourning, four Threads of Life family members briefly tell of their Day of Mourning, sharing something that represents their family member for them.

Marleen is wearing her dad’s safety vest. Leo was passionate about paving and construction, and about his family.

CK chose Lego to represent her brother Tim’s work in construction – he was a foreman responsible for elevator installations on new buildings. Tim had always loved working with his hands.

Karen is holding a photo of her son Andrew with the daughter he never got to meet. The family’s Steps for Life team is called “Still Friends” in honour of Andrew’s favourite saying.

Rebecca’s daughter Caitlin is wearing Lance’s cowboy hat. Rebecca’s husband and Caitlin’s dad, Lance was a cowboy through and through.

Join Threads of Life family members for a video candle-lighting ceremony on Day of Mourning. Find it on our Youtube Channel or Facebook page on April 28.