When Maleny local Cara Doherty learned about Picnic Among Friends—a gentle, community-led event in Sydney that brings people together to remember loved ones who have died—she immediately recognized its relevance for the hinterland. Together with TULE (Tying Up Loose Ends), a local death and grief literacy group, and the Maleny Neighbourhood Centre, they began to imagine what this kind of community remembrance could look like in Maleny.
So began Picnic Among Friends – A Community Gathering of the Living for the Dead—an event designed by locals to keep the memory of those who have died present in our lives. What started as one person’s inspiration soon became a whole-community effort—proof that meaningful change doesn’t have to start big.
The inaugural Picnic Among Friends will be held on Sunday 17 August from 1–4 pm at Bicentennial Park, adjoining the Journey of Life Grief Garden. A Welcome to Country and ceremony will take place at 2 pm, with a range of optional activities offered throughout the afternoon.
People of all ages are welcome, and attendees are encouraged to bring a picnic, a photo or keepsake of someone they are remembering, and anything they need to feel comfortable.
As the group says: in Maleny, community means showing up—for life, for death, and for each other.
