Deutsche Internationale Schule remembers lost life’s with a memorial garden
PARKTOWN – Among the garden's functions is to serve as a place of reflection and to remember all those, young and old, who have left the school's 'village'.
A local school has created a colourful memorial garden to honour and remember those in the school community who have died in the past few years.
The Remembrance Garden was launched at Deutsche Internationale Schule Johannesburg in Parktown by the school’s parent representative council. The garden also serves as a place for reflection and remembrance of the lost members of the school’s ‘village’ – young and old.
The school’s marketing executive, Annette Holtmann, said, “It takes a village to raise a child. [It is] an African proverb implying that people within a community must interact positively with children so that those children can grow up in a safe and nurturing environment.”
According to Holtmann, the school has played a significant role in building friendships, relationships and support for many families over many generations.
The memorial garden surrounds a tree on the school premises and contains stones that have been signed and written on and different colourful flowers. The stones symbolise those who lost their lives and the bright, colourful flowers represent the joyous moments and memories they shared.
“The stones have been placed in the centre of the garden and will remain there as a main feature to the garden,” Holtmann said.
The school offers its new garden to the community members as well to enjoy at any time as it serves as a peaceful and calm haven for everyone. “The Remembrance Garden is a place where our families can feel hopeful about living a happy and fulfilling life without their loved ones.
“The loss of a loved one is always difficult and often especially difficult for young children to understand. The writing of the names on the colourful stones gives expression to the families’ mourning process and will help them preserve the memory of loved ones lost.”
