When a plane crashed in Russia recently, killing 97 people including the Polish President Lech Kaczynski and other Polish dignitaries such as the Polish military chief and head of Poland’s central bank, Blackwell Funerals invited the Adelaide community to pay their respects.
The crash claimed the lives of 88 Polish delegates en route to commemorate the mass murder of Poles in the town of Katyn, under the order of then Soviet leader, Josef Stalin.
Across all five Blackwell Funerals locations in Adelaide, memorial books were made available for those who wished to write a message of condolence, send their thoughts or share their feelings following the tragic incident.
Blackwell Funerals General Manager, Jason Maher, says, “We spoke to the Polish Consulate about placing these books at our locations and sought their approval, which they kindly gave. There is a strong Polish community in Adelaide and we wanted to provide them with an opportunity to send their love to family members, or show their sympathies for the families who lost loved ones in this tragedy.”
Adelaide’s Polish residents are among its most vibrant, with a long tradition of contributing to the city’s communities.
“This was a tragedy of epic proportions, and part of our role in this industry is to try and assist people in the grieving process,” says Jason.
Thanks to Blackwell Funerals, members of the Polish community, as well as the broader population of Adelaide, were able
to share their grief and send messages of support to those overseas.
“We were pleased to be able to assist in both of those ways.” Jason concludes.