Picaluna Funerals does things differently and Good Grief! loves this. It’s great when you get to talk with others in the ‘death’ space working to improve our culture’s approach. Last month I was invited by Picaluna CEO Greg Inglis to speak to 22 Picaluna inductee funeral celebrants about Good Grief! … Read more
It’s Anzac Day and today, like all Australians, I woke to the sound of a march somewhere. We hear the bugle call of the Last Post early at my place, as it wafts up from a local park and then the sonic boom of the flypast plays with our ears … Read more
In our family today we celebrate a new life once again. And I am reminded of Rabbi Alvin Fine – yes, again. You can’t reach the age I am now without feeling birth and death’s endless yet uplifting cycle. What joys await my latest grandchild? What sorrows? I don’t wish … Read more
We have the impression we’re ‘not allowed’ to care for someone who’s dying at home. But why? Hands on home palliative care worker, Kellie Cooper-Smith challenges this and talks through the practical issues in her article below. Kellie and I have also created a set of practical videos about caring … Read more
Our friend Claudia, an Anglican, pressed this little card with the words “It Is Finished” into my husband’s hand this morning at the coffee shop. Today, Good Friday, is one of the most significant days in the Christian calendar. “It is finished” were the last words Jesus uttered. They were … Read more
It’s been two years since the first Covid-19 restrictions were announced in Australia and nowhere felt it harder than Melbourne, which faced the longest lockdowns globally. Melbourne’s experience has been unique in Australia and Melbournians are wanting to share what they have endured, and the losses needing to be grieved. … Read more
by Olivia Loukas Legacy writing – also known as biography or life writing – is a way of documenting someone’s life story, in their own words, before they die. It can take various forms and is, by its nature, a deeply personal and spiritual process. Our article about the legacy … Read more
Grief is a mentor to successful surgeon and author Dr Richard A Harris, who lost his wife, Tine, to breast cancer two years ago. He’s a man who’s learnt to manage grief but there are other aspects to his life as well. He is a successful vascular surgeon, and has … Read more
After three decades working at Wollongong City Council’s memorial gardens and cemeteries, Operations Manager John Chilby has told the Illawarra Mercury he’s lost count of the times he’s seen families broken by misunderstandings when someone dies. “It causes more grief and break-ups between families, so we want to try and … Read more
Bianka Eifler, Bereavement Coordinator and Counsellor at the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District, is looking forward to supporting people from everywhere – not just Wollongong – as they ask questions about grief, when she’s a guest speaker at Wollongong’s free event, “Conversations around Death and Dying”. It’s a discussion and … Read more
It’s great to be doing live events again! People ask so many interesting questions. “Is a will a legal document?” someone asked the last time I stood on a podium, just before Covid-19 hit. The lawyers in the room were surprised. For them it was ‘Legal Studies – 101.’ But … Read more
Updated Thursday, March 3, 2022, 4pm. Sydney and surrounds on Thursday The weather system that brought floods to Brisbane and the NSW Northern Rivers reached Sydney and surrounds shortly afterwards and flooding started on Wednesday. The Cook , Nepean and Hawkesbury rivers are in flood at various points. Watch and … Read more
Dear reader, It’s Christmas Day and my father died on Wednesday. It was not unexpected but the enormity of it is so vast I haven’t yet reached the other side. I have tried several times to write something for you about it. I think this is important because the purpose … Read more
By Julia Grieves All of a sudden it’s that time of year again and ’tis the season to be jolly – but sometimes that can be hard. Plans for the work Christmas party or dreaded Secret Santa are well underway. Supermarket aisles are blasting with carols and the general end-of-year … Read more
By Julia Grieves. In the wake of COP26 and widespread critique around the extent of its latest pledges, many Australians join others around the world in feeling increasingly disturbed by alarming predictions of future climate crisis. Climate grief, also known as ecological grief, has been defined as the grief felt … Read more