City launches Living, Leaving and Remembering event

Death Doula Erin Griffin will join the City of Canning for a free Living, Leaving and Remembering event at Hillview Intercultural Community Centre in Bentley on 16 August, helping the community explore death, dying and grief through open, honest and inclusive conversation. This event, funded by the Dying to Know Day Grant Program, will deliver a culturally diverse and inclusive experience for the Canning community.

Those attending the free event can expect to learn more about end-of-life matters through a panel discussion and enjoy an intercultural quiz and some food from around the world.

Dying to Know is a national campaign that has been bringing Australians together since 2013 to start conversations about death, dying and grief. Each August, hundreds of community events and activities are held across the country, encouraging people to learn about, discuss and plan for end of life wishes while supporting others to do the same.

“Death may be inevitable, but we still have some say about how we’d like to see out our final days and our wishes for things like our future medical treatments, religious ceremonies and what to do with our estates after we pass,” explained City of Canning Mayor Patrick Hall.

“I encourage Canning residents to attend a Dying to Know Day event, death café or simply touch base with family and friends about this conversation. It’s important to talk early and often, so that we can destigmatise one of life's most universal experiences”.

The event also aims to increase the capacity of death literacy educators to be guided by cultural groups to better support community in this space.

“The Living, Leaving and Remembering event provides an opportunity for our culturally and linguistically diverse groups in Canning to come together, listen, be heard, share and improve their knowledge about death matters in Australia,” said Mayor Hall.

The City’s Living, Leaving and Remembering event is a practical starting point for residents to better understand death across cultures and help reduce the silence and stigma around death and dying.

To book your spot at the free Living, Leaving and Remembering event, please go to bit.ly/DyingToKnowCanning.