A pay phone planted in the side of a hill in Greater VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 Royal Oak Burial Park offers a B次元官网网址減rofoundB次元官网网址� new way to grieve.

The path there is a long one, uphill past the landmark Art Deco building that cost the cemetery board $16,000 to build in the 1930s.

Adorned in painted flowers, birds, greenery and a sweet little dog courtesy of local artist Beth Threlfall, the phone is the newest form of remembrance in the 100-year-old park that is always evolving ways to help people grieve.

The B次元官网网址渨ind phoneB次元官网网址� was created by Japanese architect Itaru Sasaki in 2010 to cope with his cousinB次元官网网址檚 death. The disconnected phone afforded a way to reconnect with the lost loved one by making a B次元官网网址渃all.B次元官网网址� Put up on his private land, it opened to the public in the following year after a devastating earthquake and tsunami killed more than 15,000 people.

The revelation of a new way to grieve spurred an international movement.

The Royal Oak wind phone is tucked beside the Little Spirits Garden B次元官网网址� a 2010 addition to support families who experience pregnancy or infant loss B次元官网网址� and overlooks much of the park.

The location was crucial to Amanda Farrell-Low who embarked on B次元官网网址渜uite the journeyB次元官网网址� of installing a wind phone two years ago. ThatB次元官网网址檚 when she approacched Royal Oak executive director Ilan Highton, who approached his board and all agreed it aligned with their commitment to serve the community in meaningful ways.

B次元官网网址淭he B次元官网网址榩hone of the windB次元官网网址� represents a unique blend of tradition and innovation, offering comfort in the time-honoured setting of a cemetery while introducing a creative approach to mourning and remembrance. We are pleased to see this project come together and look forward to it being a thoughtful and comforting resource for our community,B次元官网网址� Highton said.

Together the pair searched high and low for the right site.

B次元官网网址淭his one just seemed perfect because itB次元官网网址檚 a little bit hidden awayB次元官网网址� you kind of have to discover it a bit. You have a bit of privacy,B次元官网网址� Farrell-Low said.

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She learned about the phones from a newspaper article about a Lower Mainland wind phone dedicated in memory of someone lost to overdose and thought it sounded like something Greater Victoria could use. A researcher by nature, she set out to learn more about the wind phone.

B次元官网网址淭hese things started spreading around Japan as a way for people to connect with folks theyB次元官网网址檇 lost and now theyB次元官网网址檙e all over the world,B次元官网网址� Farrell-Low said.

For her, the idea held personal value. She lost her younger brother Liam to overdose in 2012 and heB次元官网网址檚 actually buried in Royal Oak Burial Park B次元官网网址� just one reason the location seemed ideal.

B次元官网网址淪ometimes when I come to see him it feels kind of weird going up to this grave in the middle of this field and trying to think about the person or connect with them. The wind phone just seemed like a really cool way to have an excuse to pick up the phone, dial a number and talk to somebody. It can feel like a really profound way to connect with someone,B次元官网网址� she said.

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As the wind phone movement grows, so do the designs, but she had a pay phone in mind B次元官网网址� not easy to find.

B次元官网网址淚 really thought a pay phone would be great. So I started looking for one and, of course, there arenB次元官网网址檛 a lot anymore right, theyB次元官网网址檙e all kind of gone. I reached a few dead ends.B次元官网网址�

Again someone sent her a newspaper story about pay phones with an email that eventually led to Doug Ferguson B次元官网网址� the guy tasked with decommissioning them across Vancouver Island. Before that he was the guy who kept them operational. He had the perfect B次元官网网址渉eritage boothB次元官网网址� and donated it to the cause.

B次元官网网址淗eB次元官网网址檚 been really amazing and a really cool person to get to know,B次元官网网址� Farrell-Low said.

Ferguson cleaned up the booth, made sure all the parts were there and helped install it on the Saanich hillside.

Phone found, Farrell-Low reached out to Victoria artist Threlfall, the woman who inspired pole art in Fernwood, then beyond.

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B次元官网网址淪he does a lot of community-based work and work that re-purposes old material so she was a natural partner for this,B次元官网网址� Farrell-Low said.

There are purple flowers for overdose awareness, a little dog to represent LiamB次元官网网址檚 dog, and lupins B次元官网网址� common in the Yukon where Farrell-Low and her brother grew up. A wind chime hangs on one open side.

A bench and a phone book are in the works, as is the path to the wooded site.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a simple idea but itB次元官网网址檚 really powerful,B次元官网网址� Farrell-Low said.

SheB次元官网网址檚 done a little test phone call but is waiting for a quiet moment, perhaps the anniversary of LiamB次元官网网址檚 death on Jan. 26 for a dedicated chat to him.