Dear friends and community,

Reaching out with a heavy heart on behalf of our dear friend, Rada Dragicevic.

Many of you may remember Rada from the Serbian community in Sydney, though it’s been many years since she moved with her parents to the Newcastle region, where they started a small family business. Tragically, life has brought her a series of heartbreaking losses.

Her beloved mother passed away in 2005, and her father passed away on the 27th December 2020. Grief became even harder when her only brother, from whom she was sadly estranged through no fault of her own, passed away suddenly in February of this year.

He had moved to Serbia, where he got married and started a new life after their father passed. Sadly, his passing was a shock, and he was laid to rest overseas.

Adding to the sorrow, the funeral for her father was never shared with the wider Serbian community, and this absence of closure, compounded by distance, loss, and isolation, has made healing incredibly difficult.

Now, Rada simply wishes to do one final thing: complete her father’s resting place. His headstone remains bare, without inscription, no name, no dates, just silence where his story should be told. He now rests beside his beloved wife, Rada’s mother, and it’s Rada’s deepest wish to honour them both by completing his headstone. To see his name engraved beside hers, united once more in eternal peace, would bring comfort and closure ~ a final, loving tribute to a life lived and a bond that never fades. But after everything she has endured, Rada is not in a financial position to manage this on her own.

This is where we can come together.

Even though we’ve all moved in different directions in life, and Rada may have lost touch with many of us over the years, the love and care within the Serbian community has never left. Let’s unite to help her give her father the dignity he deserves and help Rada find a small piece of healing through it.

Every donation, no matter the amount, will help her complete this meaningful task. Let’s surround her with love and support, just like we always have.

Thank you for reading, for sharing, and for contributing what you can.

With heartfelt thanks,