September 6, 2022

Death is the most inevitable part of life. The only guarantee. But it is a topic many shy away from. Something that can make people uncomfortable, scared or sad. Particularly in the Western world, death is often swept under the rug – not acknowledged, or talked about, until it’s right in front of us.

We are excited to announce a new story collection that discusses this very topic, funded by the State Library of Western Australia and produced by Centre for Stories. Death and Dying is a series of 13 interviews with people from all over Western Australia sharing their experiences and views on the loss, grief, love, and celebration that is death and dying.

By 2032 Western Australians aged 65 and over will make up 16 per cent of the State’s population, and in regional WA this age group is expected to more than triple by 2026. On a global scale, the impact of COVID-19 has reminded many of the fragility of life and the reality of death. So while it remains a socially taboo topic in many families and communities, death is only becoming more relevant in our society, more relevant to the here-and-now. And while talking about death can be uncomfortable, it is a conversation we need to have. These stories will create an archive of community attitudes towards, and experiences of, death and dying in Western Australia. Our storytellers were:

• Sheryl Blanksby – A Mother’s Pain
• Abdul-Rahman Abdullah – Sculpting Spaces for Grief
• Natalie Bogoias and Trish Owen – Death on the Streets
• Graham and Helen Bullock – My Death, My Way, Together
• Jaya Dantas – Those Who Get Left Behind
• Amber Dennis – A Wheelie Good Life
• Betty McGeever – Finding Meaning at the End
• Marilyn Metta – The Bliss of Knowing How I’ll Die
• Sandy Mitchell – Dementia and Daily Rituals
• Leanne O’Shea – The Eternal Journey of Grief
• Leon Ruri and Adrian Momber – Choosing Life, Haka and Communication
• Maya Shioji and Judy Anne Edgar – Sorry Business
• Lena Van Hale – No Loss, Only Euphoria

You can listen to the podcasts in our Stories, or through the State Library of WA’s oral history collection, found here.

We are celebrating the launch of our collection in a series of events on Saturday 29 October at the State Library of WA, starting with You Only Die Once – Panel Conversation.

Death and Dying was produced by Luisa Mitchell and Rita Alfred-Saggar; interviews by Rita Alfred-Saggar; and sound engineering by Masion Vellios.

For all media enquires, please contact Centre for Stories at info@centreforstories.com.

Last but not least, follow our Centre for Stories Podcast wherever you get your podcasts to stay up-to-date with our latest stories.