The Departure

03/12/2025

Do you need a death buddy?
"Death-talk was often viewed as something for people who wear all black and worship the devil. Newsflash: Everybody dies. Wealthy, working poor, newborn, elderly, q***r, cisgender, vertically challenged, statuesque, Latinx, South Asian, agnostic, Muslim… even you. But if death happens to everyone, why are so few people willing to talk about it?"

https://www.orderofthegooddeath.com/article/everyone-deserves-a-death-buddy-the-value-of-death-positive-friendships/

02/12/2025

Recent findings of a coronial inquest confirmed that 177 human specimens were handed to the University of Tasmania without consent.

The Rodda Museum collected the human remains from coronial autopsies from 1966 to 1991 for teaching and research purposes.

These specimens were kept and — in some cases — displayed for decades, without the knowledge or consent of the deceased people's families.

John’s brother Tony and Colin’s mother Elaine were two of the deceased people whose specimens were collected.

To read the full story, tap here: https://bit.ly/3KacrcS

01/12/2025

Via Kerrie Noonan:

Are you (or do you know) a final-year medical, allied health (Psychology, social work, OT, Physio)or nursing student?
Did your curriculum provide learning around death, dying, loss and grief?
Yes? No? A little bit? Is there room for improvement?
We are keen to understand more about this learning and how it relates to death literacy. Survey link below.
Please feel free to share far and wide!

***

Calling all final-year students in medicine, nursing, and allied health across Australian universities!

We’re conducting important research on death literacy and death competency in the future health workforce, supported by an industry partnership grant awarded by CERI.

📝 The survey is anonymous (no personal details are collected) and will take 15-20 mins to complete.

Your insights will directly contribute to improving end-of-life care education nationally.

✅ 𝐄𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲:Final-year students, aged 18+
🔗 𝐒𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐤: https://lnkd.in/gMH2VnKT

Please consider taking part—and feel free to 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 to help us reach more voices. Together, we can shape a more compassionate and prepared health workforce.

01/12/2025

On today’s episode of DEAD AIR: death conversations with parents, grief letters in Tokyo, a new funeral training option, how hard on your body being a mortician is, bodies in death and dress talk, and a beautiful new art offering with ice & cremains… Enjoy 🖤
🖤 Live: 94.9fm local frequency or stream mainfm.net Mondays 10-11am AEDT
🖤 Later: uploads at hayleywest.com.au/radio & MAINfm Mixcloud
📸: Gav at work for Ashworks, website: ashworks.au

28/11/2025

27/11/2025

🤍💔🤍

Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherland's widow's cap and veil, 1934-1935. The museum notes: "After the death of her husband, Prince Hendrik, in 1934, Queen Wilhelmina adopted white mourning. This was unique for the Dutch royal court. A mourning cap with a long veil was traditional widow's attire, but Wilhelmina opted for white. Wilhelmina later wrote: "We both had the certainty of faith that death is the entrance to Life and therefore promised each other that our funeral would be entirely in white." The veil was sewn on or fastened with pins with mother-of-pearl buttons. White mourning was also declared by the royal court at Queen Wilhelmina's own funeral in 1962."

https://paleishetloo.nl/online-collectie?search_collection=rouw&search_collection=rouw&id=477

27/11/2025

🖤👏🏼🖤

27/11/2025

A survey to contribute to 🖤

Loss is personal. But the challenges families face are systemic.

Help us advocate to government, banks and superfunds for better processes and empathy after loss.

If you've dealt with an estate of a loved one, help make it better for grieving families.

Take our 10 minute survey below 👇and as a thank you, enter the draw for a $300 gift card.

https://app.youform.com/forms/7auulbbp

26/11/2025

Ashworks is a new offering in the memorialisation space - beautiful art works with cremains created by artists Gav Barbey and Dana Ronan. Launch of this venture is Thursday 4 Dec, 5.30pm Ballarat 🖤

We’d love you to join us to celebrate the launch of Ashworks — collaboration by artist Gav Barbey and writer Dana Ronan, creating bespoke memorials.

24/11/2025

There’s never enough time for these interviews on DEAD AIR 🖤

24/11/2025

On today’s episode of DEAD AIR:
horror films and disability, hidden history at the crematorium, the empty chair campaign, keeping your parent’s skulls, the Q***r As Death Collective End of Year Anti-Party Grief Shuffle Death Café, and EOIs now open for Castlemaine’s upcoming community death care workshop… Enjoy!
🖤 Live: 94.9fm local frequency or stream: mainfm.net Mondays 10-11am AEDT
🖤 Later: uploads at hayleywest.com.au/radio & MAINfm Mixcloud
📸: Hayley in a T-shirt 🤘🏼 Australian Music T-shirt Day is Thurs 27 Nov! Support Australian music by going to gigs, buying merch, loving artists! Donate to