Forever Garden opens at children’s section of Townsville cemetery

The Townsville parents of a stillborn baby say grieving families will have a beautiful space to be with their loved ones. Here’s why it is so important.

Clinton and Anastasia Taylor with Ruby, 9, Scarlet, 7, Carson, 1, Cooper, 5, and Aubrey, 2, at the headstone for Grayson at the Forever Garden at the Belgian Gardens Cemetery. Picture: Evan Morgan

Baby Grayson was still kicking in his mum’s tummy when his parents purchased his cemetery plot.

He would have turned four years old on July 30, and now his parents, siblings and the families of other deceased children have a ‘Forever Garden’ in Townsville.

One of the Belgian Gardens Cemetery’s baby sections has been further developed with paths and a colourful tree art installation and was officially opened on Friday.

“It’s a joyful and beautiful spot for people to come and connect with their loved ones,” Cr Ann-Maree Greaney said.

Grayson Taylor, the son of Townsville couple Anastasia and Clinton Taylor, was stillborn four years ago.

Scarlet, 7, Carson, 1, Cooper, 5, Aubrey, 2, and Ruby Taylor, 9, at the headstone for Grayson at the Forever Garden at the Belgian Gardens Cemetery. Picture: Evan Morgan

He had a rare genetic condition called Edwards’ Syndrome (Trisomy 18) which causes severe birth defects.

Grayson’s five siblings and parents visit his plot every week.

Clinton and Anastasia Taylor with Scarlet, 7, Carson, 1, Aubrey, 2, Cooper, 5, and Ruby, 9, at the headstone for Grayson at the Forever Garden at the Belgian Gardens Cemetery. Picture: Evan Morgan

“We came here at 29 weeks, when my son was still kicking inside my belly and we purchased his lot,” Ms Taylor said.

“That’s kind of brutal enough to be doing. But at the time, it was purely just dirt and bindiis, there was nothing. There was nothing beautiful about it.

“So being a mum knowing that this is where your baby’s gonna be laid to rest … so it was hard to walk away from that to be like what is this? We’re literally burying our son in a pile of dirt.

“These families, that the only place where they get to have all their siblings or all their children together is this lot, need better, they deserve better.”

Clinton and Anastasia Taylor with baby Grayson before they lay him to rest. Picture: Shae Beplate.

Ms Taylor still considers herself a mother-of-six, and says while it seems “silly” she likes that Grayson can watch planes take off from the nearby airport.

She hoped families of deceased children and infants would enjoy the trees, grass and watching the butterflies at the garden.

“Even though it’s such a horrendous, the most heartbreakingly beautiful thing that you will go through losing a baby ... to me it means a lot you know, it’s a forever place where my son is going to be resting,” Ms Taylor said.

Grayson’s parents spoke to the Bulletin at the time of their son’s birth, about why they decided Ms Taylor would carry him to term and to destigmatise stillbirth.

“We had 258 days with him. We had 37 weeks with him when potentially (we) couldn’t have had any of them.”

“He had that many weeks of hearing his siblings scream and laugh and being a part of our family,” the couple said at the time.

The Townsville City Council says The Forever Garden is the first space of its kind delivered by a local government in Australia.

Cr Greaney said the garden was the result of “wonderful” work by the Rotary Club of Townsville Saints and the council.

Originally published as Forever Garden opens at children’s section of Townsville cemetery