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Yvonne Ralph has experienced far more than her share of tragedy during her lifetime.
She lost her 18-month old daughter, Jessica, to cot death in 1991 and, a few years later, that was followed by the deaths of her sister, Denise, and niece in a horror car accident.
“It was a couple of years of pure chaotic craziness,” says Yvonne, now 66, from NSW’s Central Coast. “I received a lot of flowers over that time.”
While the thought was there, the flowers died and Yvonne says seeing them wilt and then having to throw them away made her sadder.
The evolution of Chain Valley Gifts
It was a passing feeling, but one that re-emerged many years later when, in 2021, there was another family death.
“My niece lost her baby at 38 weeks and I was heartbroken for her. What I’d been through all came pouring back and I needed to do something for her,” Yvonne tells WHO. “I wanted to give her something tangible so she knew she was loved and that she was still a mum.”
At this point, Yvonne was already running a successful online business, Chain Valley Gifts, that sold things like candles, arts and crafts.
The business had developed from a bricks and mortar store in Chain Valley Bay, NSW, which Yvonne ran with her daughter, Cassie, now 42.
Although the physical shop had been successful, because it was so tucked away, shifting online in 2015 increased their reach.
“I love making things and I’m crafty so it was very natural,” Yvonne says.
Memorial range added to Chain Valley Gifts site
This creative side was piqued by the question of what to give her grieving niece. She landed on a keepsake box with a photo and quote on the front.
“I also made a tree ornament with his name on it. He was part of the family,” Yvonne says. “[My niece] knew how much love was wrapped up in it and it wasn’t so much what it was, but the gesture that showed people really do care.”
After seeing the difference it made, Yvonne added the items to her website as a memorial range and, to her surprise, it quickly took off.
“The range grew as people made special requests for things. It was all about things to make it easier for people grieving – either as keepsakes for themselves or sympathy gifts,” Yvonne says.
As time went on and the memorial range developed, Yvonne, husband Peter, 70, Cassie and other daughter Brigette, 31, who also joined the family business, realised it was an area they wanted to focus on.
Memorial gifts for pets
“There’s nowhere else that has such a big range or the soul we have,” says Yvonne, who now has 300 items, as well as another 200 for pets.
“I’m so proud of what we do and the girls feel the same. We’ve found where we belong and we love it,” she adds. “I can’t cure grief but we make a small difference.”
Yvonne has even trained as a grief counsellor because of the number of people she speaks to who are in distress when they call or email with questions about her products.
Over the coming year, the business is looking at adding more products, including engraving for jewellery.
“We want to have the biggest and best range of memorial gifts in Australia,” Yvonne says. “I’m a believer that everything happens for a reason – it takes time to find it sometimes.”
Visit Chain Valley Gifts here.
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