Groundbreakers Host Dying to Know Day event

‘The Piece of String Has an End’

Dying to Know Day is a not-for-profit day of community action initiated by the GroundSwell Project. Its goal is to encourage all Australians to take action toward more open and honest conversations about death, dying and bereavement.

The Groundbreakers are a group of North West coast residents committed to providing environmentally friendly burial options for our local community. Our ultimate goal is to establish a natural burial site in our region. Such a site will ensure that people who are choosing to live in accordance with environmentally sustainable principles will be able to do so in death also.

In the United Kingdom there are over 270 natural burial sites. Due to the absence of traditional grave markers, many look just like parkland and are utilised by the local community. For this reason we have chosen the bush setting of Sandridge Estate, located in the beautiful Sisters Hills, as the location for our Dying to Know Day event on Monday 8th August.

Our event is titled The Piece of String Has an End. “We may not know how long our piece of string is,” says co-ordinator, Lyndal Thorne, “but what is absolutely certain is that 100% of us are going to be facing its end. There will be activities planned to stimulate discussion and facilitate action regarding end of life choices.”

“As an activity-based event, we hope to bring a light tone and practical approach to the topic of death and dying, which is still something the western world finds difficult to discuss openly.”

“It is far better to have these conversations well ahead of time. The research is now showing what the palliative care practitioners have been saying for decades, there are ways to have a good death, and improving death literacy is an important step in this process.”

The Piece of String Has an End is an all ages, all welcome, all weather event. There is an indoor area at the site. Morning tea provided. RSVP’s can be directed to Lyndal Thorne lyndalthorne@live.com.au

On the Schedule …

‘End of your piece of string’ game
Death Trivia Quiz
Poetry reading by Wynyard poet Mary Kille.
Floor talk ‘Death and dying from the perspective of mindfulness and compassion practice’
Hop in a coffin! Feel a burial shroud!
Resources about death/grief/palliative care
Assistance and information regarding Advance Care Plans
Discussion regarding alternative burial and cremation options
Hospice at Home and Care Beyond Cure
Morning tea!

Download PDF with Map Link, and Fact Sheet …

Groundbreakers2_PDF_with_Map_link.pdf

Dying_to_Know_Day_Fact_Sheet.pdf
Lyndal Thorne