Song of hope born from grief AT an early age Melissa Jane found solace in poetry. In more recent years she found herself penning songs. But it was not until she experienced a personal tragedy that the words and music fused into a completed, recorded song. Jane’s Happy Birthday in Heaven was written to help people deal with grief after the death of a loved one. Specifically, it is designed to bring solace and comfort on the birth date of that loved one, although Jane’s friends have suggested it could also be played and sung at funerals. Sadly, the words and music came to the Frankston South mother of two after she and her husband Peter King lost a much-wanted baby due to miscarriage. That loss five years ago saw her start to write Happy Birthday in Heaven to ease her own heartache and “to help people deal with their grief”. “I hope this song will help people get through the day, when they are remembering their loved one,” she says. “I’ve written a lot of songs but this is the first one I’ve recorded.” The finished version of Happy Birthday in Heaven was put down in one take, with Jane on piano and Rob Amato playing keyboards at Dreamscape Recording studios, Frankston. “It’s an emotional song of hope and reflection,” Jane says, adding that “it’s in the style of Adele, although I’d never compare myself to her”. She lists her musical influences as being Tori Amos, Alicia Keys and Missy Higgins. “Happy Birthday in Heaven is a song of healing – I feel comfort in hearing it. It brings back memories.
Fond memories: Melissa Jane has written snd recorded a birthday song to ease the pain and appreciate memories of a lost loved one. Picture: Peter King
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Sometimes it’s hard to talk on an anniversary and this provides an outlet to think about that person.” Jane, who has trained in psychology and counselling, has two diverse part time jobs: “cooking healthy food for cafes” and devising ways to lessen crime and increase community safety for a municipality. She says a percentage of all profits from the sale of Happy Birthday in Heaven will be donated to Too
Beautiful For Earth, a Victorian not for profit organisation that helps those who have lost a baby through miscarriage. Happy Birthday in Heaven will be available through online stores on Thursday (14 January), see melissajane.com.au Keith Platt
Disabled, but ready for the surf THE Mornington Peninsula branch of the Disabled Surfers’ Association is holding the first of this year’s two surfing events at Point Leo on Saturday (16 January). Volunteers should be at the Point Leo lifesaving club well before the 11am start. The event runs until 3pm and includes a barbecue and awards ceremony. Helpers and participants can call the Mornington Peninsula association’s president, Ash Gardner on 0417 362 983 or Stewart Lockie 0418 101 645. See disabledsurfers.org/vic/morning-peninsula-branch for details. The branch is working towards building a wheelchair accessible boardwalk overlooking Point Leo beach and trying to organise public access to its sand-friendly wheelchairs when they are not required for surfing events. A second surf day will be held Saturday 5 March.
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Frankston Times 11 January 2016
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