A Ballarat family that lost its brother and son in 2010 has shared a little Christmas miracle that sprouted from an unlikely place.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Thomas Nolan, then aged 18, died in a car crash near Hamilton.
His sister Annie, who is a blogger, podcaster and wife of Western Bulldogs star Liam Picken, shared a very special story on Thursday night.
Following Thomas’ death his parents Jim and Jacqui placed a small, potted cypress tree at his grave to mark their first Christmas without their son.
Annie revealed to her 51,000 strong Instagram followers, how after returning to collect the plant, her father Jim noticed a shoot had dropped from the tree and taken hold in the ground.
He decided to leave the shoot there, but after six months it had flourished into a small tree. Jim potted the tree and watered and cared for it at home, where it soon became the family’s Christmas tree.
Seven years on, the tree had grown so large it was too big for its pot, so Jim planted it at the Nolan family farm at Napoleons, south of Ballarat.
In that time Annie’s own family grew to include her son Malachy, and twin daughters, Cheska and Delphi.
Annie said the tree stood as a testament to her parent’s dedication to their son.
“My dad took it out and looked after it at home, put it in its own pot plant and he has poured so much love into it,” she said.
“We can’t buy my brother any presents or make him beautiful food like past years, but watering the plant was like my dad doing something beautiful for him.
“(The story) is about the dedication of grieving parents and how amazing my parents have been.”
Annie said she received about 500 messages after she shared the story, particularly from those who faced Christmas without a close family member or friend.
“It can be really hard at Christmas time for people who have lost loved ones. It is hard to look through to the light, so it is a lovely, quaint story about a Christmas where we gained a lot of light,” she said.
The photo Annie shared of the tree on Instagram included her younger sister, Pippa, and Annie’s three children.
It received more than 3000 likes from her followers.
Jim said the tree not only helped the entire family through the grieving process, but also provided a connection to Thomas for the younger family members.
“It has been important to us all and has helped in some way,” he said.
“Certainly using the tree as a Christmas tree has been good for us. The grandchildren came along, so it was a way of being able to remember Tom in a story for them.”
He also said he wanted to share a message about driving safe, because there was not always get a second chance when things went wrong on the road.
“Particularly young drivers that have not long had their license, it is a reminder to be safe, take care and take extra precautions,” Jim said.
