In Bloom

A complete farewell unfolding over several weeks, beginning with a private natural burial and widening later into a garden memorial in Sydney.

Her closest family and friends spend the weekend together in neighbouring houses near the burial ground, with fires lit, meals prepared and every practical detail already taken care of. On Saturday morning, she is carried across the field by those closest to her, with her horse following at a short distance.

At the graveside, final letters are read and placed with flowers gathered that morning. A solo cellist begins a specially chosen piece as she is lowered into the earth. Afterwards, everyone returns to the main house for a long seasonal lunch, with no formal program and nowhere else they need to be.

Several weeks later, her wider circle gathers in a Sydney garden pavilion. Guests are welcomed with her favourite drink before reflections and a eulogy from her partner lead into a film made primarily from moving footage - family holidays, ordinary moments at home and fragments captured with her children - allowing her voice, humour and presence to return to the room.

Throughout the memorial, guests are invited to leave a story her children may not already know. Written and recorded memories are gathered into a linen-bound book and private family archive. The book allows them to know their mother through the people who knew her before they did, and to return to those stories as their understanding of her changes over time.