Families gather to remember those lost to drugs
Ashfield Uniting Church 180 Liverpool Road – 6pm Saturday 16 October
Remembrance Ceremony
The ceremony involves music, lighting candles and reading names - followed by
supper.
Family Drug Support founder Tony Trimingham who lost his own son Damien to a
heroin overdose spoke of the need for these occasions to assist the healing of
families. He said ‘there are many memorial events held to acknowledge deaths from
other causes – until we started these ceremonies in 1997 there was no
acknowledgement of those young men and women who left huge gaps in their
families. They all had many talents and qualities and drug use was only one element
of their lives’.
Over 400 people die from drug overdoses every year and these people lose 35 years
of their lives on average. Mr. Trimingham said ‘it is sadly ironic that many who die
are those who are struggling to give up drugs. Entrenched users who are tolerant to
drugs rarely die – people coming out of jail or rehabilitation are at risk as they are
intolerant to the drug due to their attempts to give up!’
Speakers at the ceremony will include Dr Marianne Jauncey, Director of the Sydney
Medically Supervised Injecting Centre and Gerard Byrne, Executive Officer of the
Salvation Army Bridge program as well as Carollyn who lost her son to drugs.
Carollyn lost her son Kane in 2002 aged 27 and has been raising his son, Hayden
since birth. She said today ‘he wasn’t a druggie – he was my son – I miss him
terribly but I am living a positive life – that’s what he would have wanted. They are
all real people – who deserve to live’.
People find these ceremonies healing and they find it important that their loss be
acknowledged!
In the last ten years 6000 people have died from drugs and about 50,000 from
alcohol related causes.
If you would like to attend the ceremony and have a candle lit for someone who has
died, please contact FDS office on 4782 9222.
Date of Release:
Immediate
Enquiries:
Tony Trimingham
CEO, Family Drug Support
PO Box 7363 Leura NSW 2780
Ph: 4782 9222 – Fax: 4782 9555
Mobile: 0412 414 444
NEWS 
