Charlotte Varcoe
A FINAL wish for a Mount Gambier/Berrin local came true thanks to a number of close friends rallying around her.
Janelle Raggatt passed away peacefully at home surrounded by her loving family on August 13, merely 13 days after her dying wish had come true.
After her cancer returned earlier this year, Janelle made contact to her friend Josh Lynagh telling him all she wanted was to have a Pokestop outside her house.
An avid Pokemon fan, Janelle was known for her love of the popular PokemonGo mobile game which launched in 2016.
Within the game, players are encouraged to walk around town and stop at Pokestops where they can retrieve digital items in the game to help them level up.
Should players hit a certain level, they are then able to submit requests of areas such as murals and other important infrastructure.
The process would then go to a community vote with Janelle responsible for many Pokestops in Mount Gambier/Berrin.
Upon Janelle’s request, Mr Lynagh contacted local artist and fellow player Ellie Ellis who began the approval process through council and SA Power to paint a stobie pole outside Janelle’s house.
The artwork was then approved in the game as an official Pokestop named ‘Nellbee’s Rose Garden’ after Janelle’s PokemonGo character.
Janelle’s long-term partner Jeremy Vandenhoogen said he was touched by the memorial.
“It is absolutely awesome to have this for her, she loved it as she lived and breathed Pokemon,” Mr Vandenhoogen said.
“We are really grateful to have it here.”
He said during the 13 days she was able to play the game and utlise the Pokestop she was overwhelmed and could not believe how quickly it happened.
“She was an awesome person, she used to get me to drive her around and play PokemonGo and we would spend hours doing it,” he said.
“I was not into it myself but I supported her the whole way because she loved it.”
Ms Ellis said originally she was not going to paint Pokemon but Janelle’s family encouraged her to do so.
“I really just freestyle it with a bit of intuition and it just worked,” Ms Ellis said.
“There was not a huge amount of planning, it was mostly freestyle and we did not have a lot of time for planning either.”
Mr Lynagh said when Janelle called him to tell him about her cancer returning, he immediately asked Ms Ellis to assist.
“In order for something to be turned into a POkestop in the game it needs to be something like a statue, sign or mural so I asked Ellie if she could work her magic and she did,” Mr Lynagh said.
“Once the mural was painted I took a photo of it and submitted it through the game.
“I decided to call it ‘Nellbee’s Rose Garden’ partly because of the roses in the design but also because I saw this as the flowers for Janelle that she could appreciate while she was still alive and so she could see how appreciated and loved by the community she was.”
He said Janelle was responsible for submitting many Pokestops in Mount Gambier/Berrin and it was fitting she now had her own.
“She was a selfless player, always helping others and looking out for them,” Mr Lynagh said.
“She was easily the most dedicated player in Mount Gambier so if anyone deserves a mural and a Pokestop it’s her.”
Players of the game are encouraged to stop by the Acacia Street Pokestop and remember the avid player.
