As part of the national Dying To Know campaign this August, local independent death worker, end-of-life consultant and artist Hayley West will be giving talks at the Kyneton and Castlemaine Libraries on the topic of ‘Reimaging Death’.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dying To Know aims to inspire you to begin to prepare for the inevitable, not with fear, but with purpose, love and a sense of legacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hayley hosts DEAD AIR on 94.9 MainFM and is a member of the Natural Death Advocacy Network and Australian Home Funeral Alliance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Through her business The Departure, she provides equitable, sustainable and affordable end-of-life care, empowering the community to create meaningful farewells. She has been working in the space for 15 years and also hosted the Castlemaine Death Cafe for 10 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her projects, presentations and collaborations promote death literacy, reframing mortality as a natural and shared experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hayley’s presentations on Thursday August 14 at Kyneton Library 2pm-3pm and Castlemaine Library 5.30pm-6.30pm will be discussing how can we approach death with creativity, care and a lighter footprint. Explore meaningful alternatives, from living wakes to natural burials and end-of-life rituals, in this thought-provoking talk. Discover how we, as a community, can reshape our relationship with death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hayley said the sessions were focused on normalising the conversation around death and encouraging people to make a plan and ensure their wishes were known.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Death can be really difficult for family to navigate without being faced with big decisions such as whether you want to be buried or cremated,” she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Making these wishes known, creating playlists, or organising a plan for after-death care and whether you want a funeral, memorial service or celebration, or something simpler, can alleviate some of the pressure and stress on loved ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Direct cremation is becoming more popular, but many families want an opportunity to celebrate their loved one’s life. We are very fortunate to have a broad choice in Victoria from conventional funerals through to environmentally friendly shroud burials at a natural burial site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“As part of the discussion, we will also touch on the subject of wills, advance care directives and living wills.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the lead up to Dying To Know Day on August 8, Hayley will also be participating in the Death Doula Hub Expo that’s happening this Saturday August 2 at Northern Arts Hotel Castlemaine from 10am-3pm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“I’ll be taking part in a panel discussion and there will be lots of stalls and information available at this free event,” she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You will also be able to catch Hayley and her vintage 90s hearse in the Australian Hearse Nationals parade, which is part of the Goldfields Gothic: Festival of Dark Ideas in Maldon this Sunday August 3 at 10.30am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For tickets to the events at Goldfields Libraries, visit goldfieldslibraries.com<\/p>\n\n\n\n