Blue Mountains Dying To Know Day 2025

Key Presenter/s:

Amy Firth | Interfaith Minister & Funeral Director
Jude Warren | Palliative Care Support/Belong Blue Mountains
Sarah Barry | Liferites
Lisa Charnley | Death Doula/Death Cafe
Faye Woodward | Funeral Director/Sustainable Death Care

We’re not here to whisper about death. We’re here to yell about life.

Join us for a heartfelt morning of storytelling, tea, and courageous conversation as we gently lift the veil on death and dying in the Blue Mountains. This free community gathering is part of the national Dying to Know Day campaign - an annual invitation to bring death back into everyday conversation. Not with fear, but with purpose, love, and a sense of legacy.

This year, we’re shining a light on the power of intergenerational conversations. Because even though 100% of us will face the end someday, only 53% of Australians feel comfortable talking to a loved one about it. Let’s change that - together.

We’ve gathered death care experts from across the Blue Mountains to offer insight, practical advice, and deep community knowledge on everything from paperwork to ceremony, dying at home to burial options.

Whether you're planning ahead for yourself or caring for someone you love, this event is here to empower you with knowledge, remind you of your choices, and help you connect with others doing the same.

What to Expect
📖 Real stories from local death care workers 
💬 Insight into wills, funerals, dying at home, eco-burials, and more
🍰 A nourishing morning tea and chance to connect
❓ A live panel Q&A with all speakers
 
Sessions Include:

Who Will Speak For Me? 
What Happens When We Don’t Plan Ahead?
Why getting your affairs in order is one of the kindest things you can do for your loved ones. We’ll explore wills, Advance Care Directives, substitute decision-makers, and how to get clear on what you want—before crisis hits.

Jude Warren - Palliative Care Worker Belong Blue Mountains, Eco-Rest Advocate
The Palliative Care Volunteer Coordinator at Belong Blue Mountains and the founder of Eco Rest, a community space for exploring natural death care and conscious dying. She’s deeply passionate about Advance Care Planning as one of the most loving and empowering things we can do for ourselves and those we love.

Home Is an Option
Reclaiming the Right to Die—and Mourn—at Home
Did you know you have the legal right to die at home - or care for your person’s body at home after death? We’ll hear stories from families who have done just that, and explore how death doulas and gentle planning can support this deeply personal choice.

Sarah Barry - Liferites
A mortality doula and funeral celebrant. She has worked with and alongside Life Rites Funerals since 2020 and has a background in mortuary body care and funeral directing. Sarah would love to see families and communities get more involved in the care of their dead, at home when possible.

Where Do I Go When I Die?
Your Body, Your Choice: Blue Mountains Burial, Cremation and More
From eco-coffins and aquamation to traditional burials and cremation, we’ll unpack your options—cost, environmental impact, and legal considerations included.

Faye Woodward - Funeral Director/ Sustainable Death Care
A funeral director and celebrant based in Katoomba.  She was drawn to the death care industry after the sudden loss of her father and felt a deep calling to support others in navigating the death of a loved one.  Faye is passionate about sustainable death care options and offers guidance to those seeking a more natural or eco-friendly farewell.

Not Just a 40-Minute Slot
Funerals Without Limits: Ceremony Your Way
You don’t have to have a funeral - but here’s why you might want to. Discover how personal, meaningful and creative ceremony can honour a life well lived - whether in a hall, garden, a bookshop, or your own backyard.

Amy Firth - Interfaith Minister & Funeral Director
Amy was raised in the Blue Mountains. Amy specialises in bespoke, family-led funerals that honour diverse beliefs and life stories. Passionate about doing death differently, Amy is known for co-creating remarkable ceremony experiences in hidden nooks all over the Blue Mountains.

Let’s Keep Talking
What is a Death Café?
A relaxed and open invitation to continue the conversation long after this event ends. Learn about local Death Cafés and how they’re helping people talk about death in warm, welcoming, and unexpectedly uplifting ways.

Lisa Charnley - Death Doula & Death Café Host
An End of Life Midwife (Doula) who walks alongside individuals and families in guiding them through the sacred journey of dying and conscious living. Lisa creates sacred space for honest conversations, and emotional healing—reminding us that even in death, there is deep beauty and humanity. 

Come with your questions, your curiosity, and your appetite - for wisdom, connection, and cake.