We’re shouting out about ‘A Community Undertaking’, featuring a great innovation in funerals on ABC’s Australian Story tomorrow night.

One of our first discoveries when we started Good Grief! was Tender Funerals of Port Kembla. It’s raw, rich and true to community. And this refreshing way of managing funerals is a not-for-profit enterprise, owned by the locals.

We love watching innovations in this space, and connecting with the people who empower the grieving. Tender does this by bringing the dead right back into their own community – at minimal cost. In fact, they never really leave it.

The concept is catching on and other communities are taking it up.

Amy Sagar features in tomorrow’s Australian Story, along with Jenny Briscoe-Hough. Jenny is the founder and CEO of Tender Funerals and we reproduced her conversation with the ABC’s Richard Fidler which you might like to listen to. Her description of looking at her mother’s body after death will transform how you think about such an experience.

Amy is a mortician and now the General Manager of Tender Funerals, Illawarra. I interviewed Amy for A Good Death: a compassionate and practical guide to prepare for the end of life and Amy joined us in Sydney in may 2019 to celebrate the book launch.

She brought her identical twin sister along and mine was there too. Then she sent this beautiful note.

“We had a wonderful time at the book launch last night. It’s beautiful seeing your people support and celebrate your work with such pride. 

“Thank you again for the opportunity to be quoted in your book. It feels a bit full circle for me, when I started as a teenager in this industry I grew a big collection of books around death and looked to the people quoted in them as guides as I expanded my understanding into the empowered community death literate space so to now be mentioned in such a book feels very accomplishing. 

“I’ve attached a few photos from the night, including our classic twin photo.”

Included is Amy’s baby son, who shared a moment with me. (Amy is now the mother of two.) I can’t resist sharing that photo now.

Looking forward to following Amy, Jenny and Tender Funerals on the next step in their journey.

For more about Tender Funerals, go to: https://tenderfunerals.com.au/

And to find the trailer at Australian Story, to to:

https://www.abc.net.au/austory/a-community-undertaking/13932296

You can also dive into our archives and catch up on a conversation on death with Jenny Briscoe-Hough.