Telling your story preserves your legacy

Story sponsored by John Bance and Son Funerals.

We're all conscious of our great accomplishments, our triumphs, our children and grandchildren, the legacies we leave behind.

But what about the rest of the story? You know, the good things? The nuances? The anecdotes? The seemingly mundane details that when viewed collectively provide the colour of our lives? The things that are all too easily forgotten...

When all is said and done, our story is - in many ways - the only thing that is truly ours. However, when we pass away, it becomes the property of those we leave behind.

The events of our lives are remembered differently. They're interpreted through somebody else's eyes. They're handed down. They're retold - perhaps embellished. Before long, our story - "Your Story" - has changed.

In the meantime, the truth goes with us, just waiting for our memory to join it, the last time somebody says our name.

That's why local funeral director Scott Bance has come up with a new initiative called "What's Your Story?", to help us leave a little piece of ourselves behind for those we love. Our most cherished memories. Our story. In our own words.

"We listen to a lot of eulogies at funerals," Scott explained, "and quite often there are families who are amazed by what their family members achieved in their life and even the mischief they got up to. We can easily forget that who has always seemed elderly to us was also young once. Particularly in the eyes of grandchildren.

"A lot of older people - especially those that were born during tougher times - are quite private people," he continued.

"They were brought up in an era where people didn't make a fuss about themselves. So, they're slightly more reluctant to put pen to paper or to even pass on that information.

"A lot of history is lost when people pass away. That's why we want people to tell their own stories, in their own words, so that history won't be lost and so it is preserved for their families for generations to come."

The funeral home has put together a small stimulus booklet, with questions designed to prompt memories and assist in the process. The booklets are free for anybody that would like to pick one up.

When it came time to promote the initiative, Scott had a novel idea. He and a few family members decided to interview his father, John, about his life.

"Dad has a lot of stories to tell about Wagga Wagga while he was growing up and how much our city has changed," Scott said.

While John has plenty of good stories as to how much the city has changed over the years - an interesting anecdote made its way to the surface.

It turns out, the day the Queen came to Wagga Wagga in 1954, he and his future wife Margaret - Scott's mother - were both watching on as school children, with Margaret coming from Griffith for the day. However, it would be until years later that the pair would actually meet.

These are just the types of stories, the funeral director says, that shouldn't be lost.

"While the point of the exercise is to get people to tell their own stories, it might also prompt some grandkids to go and interview their grandparents too," Scott said.

"Because when they think of their grandparents they have a very distinctive idea about them and it can be hard for them to imagine that they were once young and having fun and getting up to mischief... But all of those old stories, all of those little moments are really important. They build the picture of who they really were."

For more information on What's Your Story? click here. Alternatively contact the at John Bance and Son Funerals on (02) 6925 4444; via email at admin@johnbance.com.au or drop in and see them at 12 Ashmont Avenue, Wagga Wagga.

Story sponsored by John Bance and Son Funerals.