Farewell to Jese in Melbourne

from w

The Fijian community in Melbourne gathered for the funeral of a beloved friend, Jese, who died on Monday morning after a long illness.  The Naitisiri people particularly came together to host the reguregu ceremony, the funeral and burial,  and burua ceremonies. Reguregu - gathering before the funeral. Burua - the gathering after the funeral. We were at Coburg Uniting Church last night for the burua and reaffirmed the relationships we have with one another, remember previous times we had met with many different people. The Fijian way is so good for finding our place in the community, acceptance, and reiterating what we mean to one another, remembering earlier stories, and being grateful that God has been alongside in our various journeys. The Fijian migrant community know how to deal with rites of passage such as a bereavement. (One photo is from Netani's photo collection - Makelesi, Carol, Anne.) Our condolences to Anne and her family especially.