Ashcroft will be joining the growing number of communities — in B.C. and beyond — offering a “wind phone” to help those dealing with grief or loss.
The wind phone proposal was made by the Ashcroft and District Hospice Society, which has been researching the project for the last year. The concept comes from Japan, where a man named Itaru Sasaki was grieving the death of a cousin who died of cancer.
He purchased an old-fashioned phone booth and set it up in his garden, then installed a rotary phone that was not connected to wires or any “Earthly system”. He found that he was able to feel a continued connection to his cousin, and a feeling of comfort and healing amid his grief. He gave the booth a name: Kaze No Denwa, which translates to “the telephone of the wind.”
The idea of a wind phone began spreading, and Deb Tedford — chair of the Ashcroft and District Hospice Society — says that the subject came up in discussions with other hospice societies.
“A large number of the Interior Health-region hospices meet on a monthly basis and have for a few years,” she explains. “A few heard about this idea and did some research and started selling it as something that would serve a purpose and be a reasonable outreach for hospices, which are not just about the end of life process: it’s also about how we move on from that and deal with ongoing grief and sadness.
“Some hospices have been working on this for three or four years, and we’ve been talking about it since last year, but it’s gaining feet, not just here but in other places.”
During a presentation to Ashcroft council on Nov. 25, the Hospice Society suggested that an ideal place for the proposed wind phone would be at the south end of the Ashcroft cemetery, overlooking the river. The site offers accessibility and privacy that would allow people to be comfortable using the wind phone, as well as a sense of peace and tranquility.
Cemeteries have long been places where people go to feel close to those they have lost. The wind phone is not about communing with the dead or talking to spirits; rather, it is a place where people can go to reflect, say hello or goodbye, or tell someone that they are loved or missed.
The proposed wind phone will consist of a three-sided, covered structure on a cement pad with a bench inside and a shelf accommodating a disconnected phone. It will be constructed of fire-resistant material that would not deteriorate, and the Hospice Society would like to see it named the “Jean Huba Hospice Bench”.
Huba was a longtime Ashcroft resident who was instrumental in starting the Ashcroft and District Hospice Society in 1985. “[Jean’s] dedication to Hospice care in our area is why our society exists today,” notes the written presentation made to council. “We would like to recognize her dedication to our community over many years, when she helped our residents in their greatest time of need.”
At its meeting on Dec. 9, Ashcroft council voted to approve the installation of a wind phone at the south end of the cemetery, in the location suggested, with the village assuming ownership and responsibility for its upkeep when it has been installed. A staff report noted that the wind phone aligned with the village’s commitment to “supporting mental health and community well-being by providing a space for reflection and grieving.
“This initiative provides a meaningful resource for residents and visitors, particularly those who may not have access to gravesites of loved ones due to distance or other circumstances. It also enhances the cemetery as a place of solace and healing.”
Tedford stresses that the wind phone is intended to be a place of comfort.
“When you are in the process of dealing with dying, or the act of dying, you’re so consumed emotionally. Once death occurs the whole world seems to fall away, and that’s often when you need the support of people who will listen, because they understand the feelings and thoughts and steps of moving forward.
“It is just a safe, serene place to sit with your thoughts of your loved one and maybe have a little time with your memories.”
