Mandurah group shows compassion this father's day

Helping bereaved parents to cope with the loss of a child on family days is the purpose of The Compassionate Friends Mandurah Father's Day lunch on Saturday.

President Gary Withers, who is a bereaved parent to two children, urged fathers in Kwinana, Rockingham and Mandurah to join him and other grieving fathers at Hog's Breath Café Mandurah at noon for a steak and chat with people who truly understood the emotions.

"We are still fathers, even though the child is no longer here," he said.

"The thing we treasure most is hearing people talk about our child - even though they're not here, they are our child."

He admitted the stereotype of men unwilling to talk applied to bereaved dads but said the lunch was the perfect opportunity to get things off their chest to people who were in their shoes.

Mr Withers lost his 20-year-old son Kris in 2001 after battling kidney problems for about 10 years.

Three years later, tragedy struck again when 11-year-old "little" Gary died from what was believed to be an accidental hanging.

It was after the death of a second child that Mr Withers sought help from The Compassionate Friends in Mandurah.

He said it was initially difficult to know how to deal with his pain at the same time as consoling his other four children.

"I think I was coping but it's hard to tell when you're in that bubble - the world should have stopped," he said. "It's been good to learn (from group sessions) the things I thought, such as joining my children, were not unusual." For more information about TCF Mandurah, call 9535 7761.

For help on dealing with loss, contact Lifelife 131 114 or Beyond Blue 1300 224 636.