YESTERDAY was the National Day of Mourning for the MH-17 disaster and NALAG organised a memorial for people to pay their respects to those lost.
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NALAG or the National Association of Loss and Grief recognised the number of people who are directly and indirectly affected by the tragedy.
Dubbo NALAG established a memorial for residents to honour the lives of those on MH-17.
Yellow ribbons and a wattle can be tied onto the fence at the Dubbo NALAG building.
“(The memorial) is for anyone local who wanted to come and pay their respects- they don’t even have to come in,” Natasha Ireland NALAG education and promotion said.
“It’s just a private little thing where people can come and tie a ribbon and a wattle to the fence,” Trudy Hanson Grief Counsellor and Educator and manager of NALAG Dubbo said.
Wattles are a symbol of grief, as they flourish after traumatic events, such as a bush fire and are symbolic of working through trauma.
Ms Hanson said tragedies such as MH-17 can also affect those who do not have a direct relation to the incident as it can resurrect their own experiences of loss and even serious illnesses as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
“We are having phone calls from people who have had issues with the images they saw in the media,” she said.
“People wonder could this happen to me.”
Ms Hanson added she has experienced a number of people who have expressed their developed fear of flying because of the tragedies.
Children can be affected by trauma, as they have not developed the ability to deal with the serious situation as an adult would, Ms Hanson said.
She said children may be concerned for family members or friends that are travelling or a possibility for children in the Western region, family members that travel to work in the mines.
“Children should be kept away from traumatic images, as they cannot deal with them as an adult can,” Ms Hanson said.
Around the nation flags are flying at half-mast and Premier Baird is in Melbourne representing NSW at the national memorial service.
Mark Coulton member for Parkes acknowledged the devastating loss experienced by Australians and expressed his condolences.
“My thoughts are with the friends and families of those who tragically lost their lives on flight MH17,” he said.
“Today we acknowledge their loss.
“The outpouring of support from the community has been very strong and the memorial service has been an important part of the process in dealing with this tragedy.”
August is grief awareness month for NALAG NSW and Ms Hanson encouraged those who would like help dealing with any type of loss to contact NALAG.
