My name is Pauline and in 2015, our son passed away due to cancer. When we laid him to rest at Bendigo Lawn Cemetery, we promised to keep him alive in our hearts, speak his name often, and surround him with colour. But the memorial site management has barred grieving families like mine from adorning our loved ones’ graves.

I’m calling for our right to decorate our loved ones' graves to be protected, board members of Remembrance Park Central Vicotria - don’t rob us of the chance to properly remember those we have lost.

No parent should bury their child before themselves. Despite the emptiness and broken chain in our family, we decorate our son's resting place with solar lights, wind chimes, and colourful flowers, reflecting his vibrant personality. We replace them on his birthday, anniversary, and Christmas, which he loved dearly.

All our grief, anxiety, and pain have resurfaced. Who has the right to turn off the lights on our loved ones? Countless families are being impacted by this heartless decision, Ultimately the Victorian Government has the power to change this decision, but so far politicians have publicly backed the board of Remembrance Parks Victoria in killing cemeteries with uniformity.

The cemeteries affected include Axedale, Bendigo, Eaglehawk, Kangaroo Flat, Pine Lodge (Shepparton), White Hills, Donnybrook, and Heathcote. At some cemeteries, all decorations including fencing, solar lights, ceramic pots, vases, metal statues, and anything in trees have been forcibly removed and discarded.

To add insult to injury, many of these cemeteries are in a shocking state of neglect. The grass is uncut, headstones are broken, graves are sunken, and trash bins overflow, making it a true eyesore and a painful disrespect to our loved ones' final resting place. I can’t believe the management is claiming that they will “beautify” the cemeteries by only allowing plastic and flowers.

To us, personalising our loved ones' graves is the only way to honour and beautify them. Adding fresh flowers or other special decorations that hold a personal meaning for our loved ones helps us to feel that we are still connected to them in some way.

Please sign my petition, calling on the Victorian Minister for Health to support our right as grieving families to personalise our loved one's gravestones. Our loved ones' memories are worth fighting for, and we will not let them be forgotten or dishonoured.

Please visit our Facebook page to read and share stories of families affected.