Dearly Departed conversations: a good death

What does it mean to have a good death?

Is it about dignity, choice and comfort? About care, preparation, or not facing death alone?

A good death is an expert-led panel conversation that explores how we understand death and dying – not simply as an ending, but as a deeply human experience shaped by values, relationships, culture and care.

Drawing on informed perspectives from professional practice and lived experience, the discussion considers how ideas of a ‘good death’ are formed, challenged and understood. Panelists will reflect on themes including death literacy, end-of-life decision-making, grief, ritual and the emotional realities of dying, offering thoughtful insight rather than definitive answers.

Grounded in reflection and shared knowledge, this conversation invites audiences to consider how greater openness about death might shape the way we live, care for others, and approach mortality with intention and compassion.

The event concludes with a facilitated audience Q&A, providing space for respectful questions and shared reflection.

This event runs in conjunction with Dearly Departed: death in life, State Library’s exhibition drawing on rich collections of objects and stories to explore how social, cultural, spiritual, historical and political forces have shaped Queenslanders’ attitudes to death and dying. Attendees are encouraged to visit the exhibition before or after the event to deepen their engagement with its themes and artworks.

Facilitator: 

Navin Sam Regi 

A journalist, academic, and practitioner based in Brisbane, Navin Sam Regi investigates grief and death across multiple media. Through Talking Stories, an audio storytelling and portrait photography practice, he documents life narratives with emphasis on resilience and lived experience. This work reflects a sustained commitment to honouring how we remember and what we choose to preserve. Navin Sam Regi contributed works from four distinct projects to the Dearly Departed Exhibition, each exploring death, dying, and grief through different creative and documentary forms. As an Associate Lecturer in Journalism and PhD can​​didate researching media models, Sam brings scholarly rigour to questions of how difficult stories are sustained and shared. 

Panellists: 

Annie Caufield

Annie is the heart behind Grassroots Deathcare, where she supports people to plan ahead, have important conversations, and feel more in control of their end-of-life choices. Annie works as a death care worker and funeral celebrant, helping individuals and families create meaningful, personal farewells. She is passionate about building community understanding around death and encouraging honest, open conversations about dying. Grounded in community, empowerment and dignity, Annie’s approach blends warmth, creativity and inclusivity, helping people feel more informed and connected as they navigate death, grief and the many choices that exist around a good death. 

Associate Professor Margaret Gibson  

Associate Professor Margaret Gibson is a sociologist in the School of Humanities, Languages and Social Science at Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia. Her research explores material objects of memory and mourning, and memorialised places and spaces in which the living continue their bonds with the dead.
 

Content note

This event forms part of Dearly Departed: death in life and engages with themes of death, dying, memory and remembrance. Content may include personal stories, imagery, sound or discussion that some people may find emotionally affecting. You’re welcome to participate at your own pace and to step away or take a break at any time.

Some events may also include references to, or recordings of, people who have since passed, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Image: Several headstones on display outside J. McCulloch's Monumental Works, Warwick, 1911?, unidentified, 27814 Warwick and District Glass Plate Negatives, John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland. Image 27814-0001-0041