A pay phone planted in the side of a hill in Greater Victoria乌鸦传媒檚 Royal Oak Burial Park offers a 乌鸦传媒減rofound乌鸦传媒� new way to grieve.
The path there is a long one, uphill past the landmark Art Deco building that cost the cemetery board $16,000 to build in the 1930s.
Adorned in painted flowers, birds, greenery and a sweet little dog courtesy of local artist Beth Threlfall, the phone is the newest form of remembrance in the 100-year-old park that is always evolving ways to help people grieve.
The 乌鸦传媒渨ind phone乌鸦传媒� was created by Japanese architect Itaru Sasaki in 2010 to cope with his cousin乌鸦传媒檚 death. The disconnected phone afforded a way to reconnect with the lost loved one by making a 乌鸦传媒渃all.乌鸦传媒� Put up on his private land, it opened to the public in the following year after a devastating earthquake and tsunami killed more than 15,000 people.
The revelation of a new way to grieve spurred an international movement.
The Royal Oak wind phone is tucked beside the Little Spirits Garden 乌鸦传媒� a 2010 addition to support families who experience pregnancy or infant loss 乌鸦传媒� and overlooks much of the park.
The location was crucial to Amanda Farrell-Low who embarked on 乌鸦传媒渜uite the journey乌鸦传媒� of installing a wind phone two years ago. That乌鸦传媒檚 when she approacched Royal Oak executive director Ilan Highton, who approached his board and all agreed it aligned with their commitment to serve the community in meaningful ways.
乌鸦传媒淭he 乌鸦传媒榩hone of the wind乌鸦传媒� represents a unique blend of tradition and innovation, offering comfort in the time-honoured setting of a cemetery while introducing a creative approach to mourning and remembrance. We are pleased to see this project come together and look forward to it being a thoughtful and comforting resource for our community,乌鸦传媒� Highton said.
Together the pair searched high and low for the right site.
乌鸦传媒淭his one just seemed perfect because it乌鸦传媒檚 a little bit hidden away乌鸦传媒� you kind of have to discover it a bit. You have a bit of privacy,乌鸦传媒� Farrell-Low said.
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She learned about the phones from a newspaper article about a Lower Mainland wind phone dedicated in memory of someone lost to overdose and thought it sounded like something Greater Victoria could use. A researcher by nature, she set out to learn more about the wind phone.
乌鸦传媒淭hese things started spreading around Japan as a way for people to connect with folks they乌鸦传媒檇 lost and now they乌鸦传媒檙e all over the world,乌鸦传媒� Farrell-Low said.
For her, the idea held personal value. She lost her younger brother Liam to overdose in 2012 and he乌鸦传媒檚 actually buried in Royal Oak Burial Park 乌鸦传媒� just one reason the location seemed ideal.
乌鸦传媒淪ometimes when I come to see him it feels kind of weird going up to this grave in the middle of this field and trying to think about the person or connect with them. The wind phone just seemed like a really cool way to have an excuse to pick up the phone, dial a number and talk to somebody. It can feel like a really profound way to connect with someone,乌鸦传媒� she said.
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As the wind phone movement grows, so do the designs, but she had a pay phone in mind 乌鸦传媒� not easy to find.
乌鸦传媒淚 really thought a pay phone would be great. So I started looking for one and, of course, there aren乌鸦传媒檛 a lot anymore right, they乌鸦传媒檙e all kind of gone. I reached a few dead ends.乌鸦传媒�
Again someone sent her a newspaper story about pay phones with an email that eventually led to Doug Ferguson 乌鸦传媒� the guy tasked with decommissioning them across Vancouver Island. Before that he was the guy who kept them operational. He had the perfect 乌鸦传媒渉eritage booth乌鸦传媒� and donated it to the cause.
乌鸦传媒淗e乌鸦传媒檚 been really amazing and a really cool person to get to know,乌鸦传媒� Farrell-Low said.
Ferguson cleaned up the booth, made sure all the parts were there and helped install it on the Saanich hillside.
Phone found, Farrell-Low reached out to Victoria artist Threlfall, the woman who inspired pole art in Fernwood, then beyond.
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乌鸦传媒淪he does a lot of community-based work and work that re-purposes old material so she was a natural partner for this,乌鸦传媒� Farrell-Low said.
There are purple flowers for overdose awareness, a little dog to represent Liam乌鸦传媒檚 dog, and lupins 乌鸦传媒� common in the Yukon where Farrell-Low and her brother grew up. A wind chime hangs on one open side.
A bench and a phone book are in the works, as is the path to the wooded site.
乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 a simple idea but it乌鸦传媒檚 really powerful,乌鸦传媒� Farrell-Low said.
She乌鸦传媒檚 done a little test phone call but is waiting for a quiet moment, perhaps the anniversary of Liam乌鸦传媒檚 death on Jan. 26 for a dedicated chat to him.
