Meet the Waverley local support group helping the widowed find joy again

The Waverley Widowed Support Group meets weekly to chat over a cup of tea or a shared meal, offering a welcoming space to connect with new friends who can relate to the journey through grief.

“It gives you something to look forward to,” president and member of 25 years Lesley told the Eastern Melburnian.

Upon arrival new members chat with Nonie, the group’s support worker, to talk about where their life is at and how they’re coping, before they are introduced to the group.

“Everybody in that room has been through grief, that’s the common bond,” she told the Eastern Melburnian.

😆 Rediscovering a reason to laugh

Nonie’s husband Bill was 63 when he died. She said he received his cancer diagnosis two days before he was due to retire.

“He was a lovely man … when he died, my neighbour said, ‘We miss your laughter’, because we were always laughing about something,” she said. “He was a very funny man.

“I’ve made some lovely new friends through the widow’s group. It’s difficult to make new friends as you get older. When my husband was alive, we did everything together.”

Nonie laughs about the many unexpected parts of losing a partner - she became a self-proclaimed handyman after losing Bill, which included learning to start a chainsaw.

One member asked the group for help operating his washing machine.

The support group doesn’t focus on death, unless someone wants to.

Lesley explains that the general vibe is “more of a positive thing, because people get too upset if they have to talk about what’s happened in their life beforehand”.

🥳 Poking fun at life

Nonie suggests the meetings would be more suited to those who are further down their grief journey, enough that they can laugh a little at some dark jokes.

“Some people aren’t ready for that sort of humour,” said Nonie, who joined the group a year after Bill died.

For those adjusting to life after losing a partner, the Waverley Widowed Support Group provides not only a source of support but also a chance to rediscover joy and companionship.

The group meets every Wednesday from 7.30pm to 9.30pm at Kerrie Road Neighbourhood House in Glen Waverley.

For further details, contact Lesley on 9725 6843 or Nonie on 9802 2316.