The Departure

28/04/2026

Pa is a cheeky and playful person. He taught me how to joke, negotiate, heckle. His warmth is his immeasurable wealth

27/04/2026

Last night, Barb and I stayed behind by moonlight, keeping watch, waiting for the grave digger to come back. It’s been an epic, fulfilling, challenging, and supremely beautiful process: supporting a family who chose a home death followed by a natural burial. Helping someone carry out their final wishes, especially when those wishes go against the conventional path, is such an honour. And no, hanging around a cemetery at night is definitely not creepy 👻

25/04/2026

Even though I’ll be absent on the airwaves, there’s always the beautifully curated playlist to listen to on @94.9mainfm see you next week 🖤
🖤 (usually) Live: 94.9fm local frequency or stream mainfm.net Mondays 10-11am AEST
🖤 Past episodes: uploads at hayleywest.com.au/radio & MAINfm Mixcloud
📸: autumnal days on Djaara country 🌞

25/04/2026

NURANI ANSELL | RETIREE

My beloved Mamah

It was Tuesday, 25th March 2003 and the sunshine was warming my face from the window of my bus on the way to work. I was feeling so blessed and happy, but did not last long as I got an overseas call from my sister-in-law that my beloved mum was dying. If I wanted to see her I had to go home as soon as possible.

Suddenly my feelings changed after that call, I was saddened and confused as I didn’t know—would I have the time to prepare to fly to Jakarta??

Anyway, perhaps my mum already understood my situation; she passed away later that day in the evening, Sydney time. So there was no way for me to get to go home to kiss her goodbye because in my culture she had to be buried within 24 hours after passing away. I could only cry and feel I would regret that for the rest of my life!

I tried to let it go and surrender my feelings of regret and sadness at not being able to kiss her goodbye for years and years afterwards, but deep down inside me it was still there, unfortunately. Was it because the bond between a mother and her children is very strong??

But when my father passed away on 26th January 2010, and again I couldn’t go home, for some reason I didn’t have the same feelings of regret at not being able to kiss him goodbye, even though I was as close to him as to my mum. The death of my dad was a turning point for me to deal with this feeling of regret after my mum's passing. Because the family later planned to move my mum's remains to be buried next to my dad’s in a family burial place outside Jakarta.

I was so happy and with my sister’s help I could fly back to Jakarta to attend the reinterment process. My mum's body was originally buried in a cemetery in a suburb of Jakarta and was to be moved to one in Cipanas, 2hrs from Jakarta. It was a very special ceremony to collect my mother's remains from the grave, done by people familiar with how to do it properly. It was carried out on Friday, 6th August 2010; on that day I cried so much, as if my mother had just passed away that day. All the rest of her family were crying too after seeing my sadness.

When the gravedigger passed me my beloved mum's skull ... (OMG I’m still crying as I write this) I took it and straight away I kissed her forehead…believe it or not all my burden of regret I had carried for years just disappeared like that... gone, vanished and I felt so light, and such relief and stopped crying, it was strange but TRUE!!

I thanked God for this amazing blessing to relieve me of this burden which I had carried inside me for almost 7 years. May Almighty God forgive me and grant my mum a beautiful place in heaven, amen.

—Nurani Ansell (2023)

For the full editorial please visit: https://www.deathletterprojects.com/nurani-ansell

23/04/2026

On This Mortal Coil, we delve into spiritual topics and explore what it means to be human. Few questions are as profound as the search for meaning in death.

22/04/2026

Death Cafe Maldon
Hosted by Pure Gold Holistic & Wellbeing, 1 Spring St, Maldon.
This Sunday 26th April, 10am

If death is certain… how do we truly want to live?

Join us for a heartfelt morning of connection, reflection, and gentle conversation in a safe and supportive space.

Together, we’ll explore what really matters — not in a heavy way, but in a way that brings clarity, meaning, and presence to life.
✨ Free coffee & cake
✨ A welcoming, open circle
✨ Create your own “Living Fully Stone” — a personal reminder of how you choose to live

🌿 Living Fully Stones – What It Is
As part of our circle, you’ll be guided to create your own “Living Fully Stone” — a simple, meaningful keepsake to take home with you.
This is a gentle, reflective practice to help you connect with the question:
👉 “If death is certain… how do I truly want to live?”

You’ll be invited to pause, reflect, and tune into what feels most important for you right now.
• What do you want more of in your life?
• What feels true for you?
• What are you ready to live, not just think about?
From this space, you’ll choose:
✨ a word
✨ a feeling
✨ or a simple symbol
…and place it onto your stone.

🪨 What it represents:
Your stone becomes:
• a reminder of what matters most
• a reflection of your intention
• something you can hold, keep, or place somewhere special
Each stone will be completely unique — just like you.

💛 Why it’s powerful:
Sometimes we talk… and then life continues as normal.
This gives you something tangible to take with you —
a small anchor to bring you back to:
👉 how you want to live
👉 what you don’t want to forget
👉 what truly matters

🌿 You don’t need to be creative
There’s no right or wrong way to do this.
Simple is perfect.
Meaning is what matters.

🌹 Closing feeling
You’ll leave not just with a conversation…
but with something in your hand that gently reminds you:
“I don’t have to wait to live fully.”

Come as you are. Share if you feel to… or simply sit, listen, and reflect.

💛 Free event | All welcome

Death Cafe Maldon
Hosted by Pure Gold Holistic & Wellbeing, 1 Spring St, Maldon.
This Sunday 26th April, 10am

22/04/2026

22/04/2026

This is a friendly reminder that the abstract submission deadline for the 9th PHPCI Conference is April 30, 2026.

The conference will be held in Taipei, Taiwan, from October 6–9, 2026, and promises to be an excellent platform to share your work, exchange ideas, and engage with colleagues in the field of public health palliative care.

We warmly encourage you to submit your abstracts and register for the conference.

We look forward to your valuable contributions and participation!

21/04/2026

Explore ideas of death and power at this three-day conference, which will include roundtable sessions, keynote talks, workshops, and interactive sessions.

21/04/2026

Monday’s episode of DEAD AIR is available for your listening pleasure… we talk about Nickers becoming a death doula, ghost signs, how VAD is going so far, an NDAN talk about natural burial and the next Good Grief Lounge here in sunny Castlemaine 🌞
🖤 Live: 94.9fm local frequency or stream mainfm.net Mondays 10-11am AEST
🖤 Later: uploads at hayleywest.com.au/radio & MAINfm Mixcloud

📸: Roger in his coffin - my death education tool for kids with shrouding 🌈