The Greater Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust

At GMCT, we have a diversity and inclusion network with representatives across all parts of the business. And this year, the team has come together to celebrate a range of events including Melbourne’s Midsumma Pride March, International Women’s Day, National Reconciliation Week and Wear it Purple Day. Patrice is a member of this network and champion of diversity and inclusion at GMCT. “It’s a great opportunity for all of us to come together and work out ways that we can address diversity and inclusion across the whole business. What really stands out is that people want to learn.”

Emotional intelligence is key to providing genuine and compassionate support to anyone grieving. Like any workplace skill, it develops and strengthens through learning and practice. As part of #NationalSafeWorkMonth this week, clinical psychologist Dr Peter Rob Gordon gave our teams an insightful talk on understanding and managing grief. Drawing on his work helping communities deal with grief and trauma including in the wake of the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires, Rob spoke about managing our own grief and supporting colleagues, as well as how to care for grieving people who come to us for help. Sympathy involves sitting in grief with someone and mirroring their emotions. Empathy means calm, thoughtful listening to understand – giving people a safe, stable space to get their feelings in order. The latter, Rob advised, is what grieving people need when they come to professionals like us. #emotionalintelligence #grief #griefsupport #mentalhealth #wellbeing

There’s one week left to submit feedback on the name of the new memorial park in Harkness. We value your input and welcome feedback from across our networks and communities. If you haven’t already, please submit your views via the link below. The public consultation period will close at 5pm on Tuesday 29 October 2024. Have your say: https://lnkd.in/gDjTMGP6 Learn more: https://lnkd.in/g8Ggcmf6 #Harkness #MeltonWest #melbournecemetery #newcemetery #urbandesign #placemaking  

‘Funky Shirt Friday’ started as an idea between a few team members. Now, it’s become a part of our uniform. What are funky shirts? They’re work shirts with bright colours and patterns designed to encourage meaningful conversations about mental health and serve as a reminder that you never walk alone. Mia is a Grave Digger at GMCT and one of our staff who decided to bring funky shirts to GMCT. “We saw these shirts and thought, ‘that would be really cool to implement’. They send the powerful message that we care about the communities out there and the families that are burying their loved ones every day.” 

What if cemeteries were places to be rather than spaces to fill? This is our vision for our cemeteries and memorial parks—both old and new. And to achieve this, we are guided by principles of placemaking, biodiversity, cultural and religious diversity, and health and wellbeing, just to name a few. In this episode of ABC’s Big Ideas, Hamish Coates, Principal Designer at GMCT, discusses these principles and the key to unlocking cemeteries as spaces for the living. Listen here: https://lnkd.in/gCdCqtCy The episode features the first panel from the Six Feet Under: Design and Death Symposium, presented by Open House Melbourne, for #MelbourneDesignWeek earlier this year. #design #urbandesign #placemaking #landscapearchitecture #futurecemetery

Matt is a Client Services Consultant at GMCT, and when our skin check appointments came up, he booked himself in for a check-up. “I’d noticed I had a lump on my ear…but it wasn’t going away. So, when the skin checks came up, I got a referral to go and see a specialist, and I ended up having four skin cancers. I might have been one of those guys that said, ‘Oh yeah, it’s nothing’.”

Community consultation on the name of the new memorial park in Harkness is now open. We’re seeking feedback from our stakeholders and community on the proposed name: Harkness Memorial Park. Consultation is open until 29 October 2024, and we welcome all views. Following the consultation period, we’ll review all feedback and share the next steps. Have your say by completing the survey at our community engagement site: https://lnkd.in/gDjTMGP6 Why Harkness Memorial Park? Learn more about the memorial park project and naming process: https://lnkd.in/g8Ggcmf6 #Harkness #MeltonWest #melbournecemetery #newcemetery #urbandesign #placemaking  

The passion and commitment of our team drive our culture and make our workplace what it is. This National Safe Work Month, we're proud to share our new Wellbeing video, inspired by the real experiences of health, safety, and wellbeing at GMCT. Watch the video to hear from our team and learn more about what it’s like to work for GMCT. #NationalSafeWorkMonth #safety #inclusion 

As a cemetery trust, our responsibilities extend beyond caring for the dead and the places where they rest. We also have a duty to preserve and share the extraordinary stories and cultural heritage of the people and places in our care. At GMCT, this work ranges from data rectification projects that transform old handwritten documents into digital archives to our Discover Cemeteries app, which shares stories of significant people interred on our sites. To celebrate the AFL Grand Final this week, we’re remembering the AFL legend and Essendon player and coach, John Coleman (1928-1973). One of only two Australian rules players to average more than five goals a game, he is honoured by the Coleman Medal, which is awarded to the highest goal-kicker each year in the AFL. Today, John Coleman is remembered with a plaque under a beautiful tree in Fawkner Memorial Park, where he is interred. #discovercemeteries #melbournehistory #history #heritage

Our staff care deeply. You don’t find yourself working for a cemetery trust if you don’t. We are a workforce that cares for people dealing with the reality of loss and grief, every day. And this care and compassion naturally extends to one another as well. To recognise R U OK? Day this year, we wanted to give our teams an intentional space to take a break from work, catch up, and open a door for those meaningful conversations – over a cup of coffee. At GMCT, we are committed to normalising conversations about mental health and fostering a culture where everyone feels safe and comfortable reaching out for support when they need it. Our coffee carts, which run monthly across our worksites, are an excellent opportunity for our staff to take a beat and ask R U OK?, all year round. #RUOKDay2024 #RUOKanyday #workculture #care #compassion