The ceremony, timed to coincide with National Palliative Care Week, involved scattering ashes made from 350 notes of remembrance written by members in the community.

Bendigo Health's pastoral care co-ordinator Karen Lunney gave a short speech and read a poem before scattering the cards' ashes over rose bushes out the front of the unit.

"Today's ceremony honours those who have been remembered," she said.

"We may not know all the names of those who have been remembered, but we hold them in our community and we care for those with lost loved ones.

"A loved one's dying will always be a significant marker on our life's journey." 

She said the ceremony was also about celebrating the lives lived by loved ones.

"Human beings need ritual, and this is one of those rituals," she said.

"We need to remember, and sometimes we need to be in the company of others who have experienced loss, to share the journey."

Co-ordinator of palliative care volunteers at Bendigo Health, Joan Loverso, said the cards were collected by volunteers at Bendigo Marketplace each Christmas. 

She said people were encouraged to write the special messages on cards attached to baubles and leave them on Christmas trees set up at the shopping centre.

"Anyone in the community can come and leave a note of remembrance to someone who has died," Ms Loverso said.

"It’s a big effort, about 20 volunteers help out across 10 days. They're also there to listen."

The ashes ceremony was the second, equally important part of the process, she said. 

"It's an opportunity for people to express themselves," she said.

"It’s a lovely thing just to have the freedom to express thoughts in an open, public way, it helps the healing process." 

The unit also raised $1100 this year, with the money raised to go towards new baubles and cards for next year.