Leanne is the founder and owner of South West Grief and Loss Centre and is an experienced grief and bereavement counsellor. Here she discusses how grief is not linear, but rather made up of a million tiny moments; why our communities need to come together to better support people in their mourning; and how living our values and having self-awareness are key to healing and moving forward after loss.

Death and Dying is an oral history collection funded by the State Library of Western Australia and produced by Centre for Stories. Head to centreforstories.com to find out more.

Death and... The eternal journey of grief with Leanne O'Shea

Lifeline WA ambassadors Leon and Adrian discuss men’s mental health, dance and haka as a medicine, and suicide prevention.

Death and Dying is an oral history collection commissioned by the State Library of WA and produced by Centre for Stories. Head to centreforstories.com to find out more.

Death and... Choosing life with Leon Ruri and Adrian Momber

Lena Van Hale, manager of the sex worker rights organisation, Magenta, is a sex worker activist and trans person. In this interview she breaks down the misinformation around violence and death for sex workers, why (and when) suicide is actually prevalent among trans people, and how deaths from the HIV pandemic affect everyone today. 

Death and Dying is an oral history collection commissioned by the State Library of Western Australia and produced by Centre for Stories. Head to centreforstories.com to find out more.

Death and... No loss, only euphoria with Lena Van Hale

Natalie Bogoias is a Homeless Healthcare street nurse and Trish Owen is a survivor of homelessness. They discuss why people are dying on the streets, what happens to them when they do, and why society deems a homeless person’s life to be of less value than others.

Death and Dying is an oral history collection commissioned by the State Library of Western Australia and produced by Centre for Stories. Head to centreforstories.com to find out more.

Death... On the streets with Natalie Bogoias and Trish Owen

Graham Bullock was shocked when, at the age of 65, he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease and only given a few year’s to live. His wife Helen, a retired nurse, became his full-time carer. They discuss why Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) is the most compassionate way to face the end for people with painful terminal illnesses like Graham.

Death and Dying is an oral history collection commissioned by the State Library of Western Australia and produced by Centre for Stories. Head to centreforstories.com to find out more.

My Death, my way, together with Graham and Helen Bullock

Mother, grandmother and dressmaker, Sandy Mitchell, lives in an isolated town in the southwest region of Western Australia, with a population of around 400 people. She shares how the losses she has experienced in her life – losing her dad to dementia, her newborn baby to a heart defect and her mother to cancer – have impacted her views on life and death. 

Death and Dying is an oral history collection commissioned by the State Library of Western Australia and produced by Centre for Stories. Head to centreforstories.com to find out more.

Death... Dementia and daily rituals with Sandy Mitchell

At 84 years old, Betty McGeever has no plans of slowing down. Growing up as a country girl on a farm before later working as a librarian, Betty is grateful for the life she’s had. She discusses why she doesn’t grieve for those she’s lost; how her weekly kayaking keeps her sane; and why helping others less fortunate than herself brings her more joy than anything else she’s ever done.

Death and Dying is an oral history collection commissioned by the State Library of WA and produced by Centre for Stories. Head to centreforstories.com to find out more.

Death and... finding meaning at the end with Betty McGeever

Recipient of the Patricia Kailis International Writing Fellowship and acclaimed Indonesian writer and poet, Norman Erikson Pasaribu, sits down in conversation with local Perth author, Rashida Murphy. Together, they discuss navigating the literary world as a writer in translation, the labels of Western literature and queer Indonesian writing. This conversation was held at the University Club Banquet Hall at the University of Western Australia in November 2022. 

Born in Jakarta in 1990, Norman's first short story collection 'Hanya Kamu yang Tahu Berapa Lama Lagi Aku Harus Menunggu (Only You Know How Much Longer I Should Wait)' was shortlisted for the 2014 Khatulistiwa Literary Award for Prose. Their debut poetry collection 'Sergius Mencari Bacchus (Sergius Seeks Bacchus)' won the 2015 Jakarta Arts Council Poetry Competition, was translated into English by Tiffany Tsao, and published by Giramondo in Australia in 2019. In 2022, 'Happy Stories, Mostly' was released to critical acclaim and longlisted for the International Man Booker.

The Patricia Kailis International Writing Fellowship is possible thanks to the sponorship of Dr George Kailis.

Norman Erikson Pasaribu in Conversation with Rashida Murphy

What does a “good death” look like? How important is choice and control to having a dignified end-of-life? Why is death still such a taboo topic for some communities, and how might community be the very answer to some of our most difficult questions concerning death?

Brought to you in partnership with Palliative Care WA, listen back to our fascinating panel conversation on these topics, all in celebration of the State Library of Western Australia and Centre for Stories’ latest oral history collection: ‘Death and Dying‘. 

Facilitated by journalist and palliative care advocate Rita Alfred-Saggar and featuring three speakers: CEO of Palliative Care WA, Lana Glogowski; Founder and Director of the human rights-focussed Metis Centre, Dr Marilyn Metta; and Director of Tender Funerals Perth, Jane House.

This panel conversation was recorded by the State Library of Western Australia. Head to centreforstories.com to find out more about our work.

You Only Die Once - A Conversation on Death

Centre for Stories is a vibrant, inclusive literary arts and cultural organisation based in Perth, Western Australia. We use storytelling to inspire social cohesion and improve understanding of diverse communities. We cultivate stories that inspire thought, spark empathy and challenge intolerance, with a focus on empowering people whose experiences and perspectives are often marginalised.

Death and... Choosing life with Leon Ruri and Adrian Momber

Centre for Stories

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