The Illawarra/Shoalhaven Compassionate Community (ISCC) is holding two free events to mark this year’s Dying to Know Day.

Held every August, the Day seeks to reshape how Australians approach death and dying.

This year’s campaign is to ‘get dead set’, aiming to prepare people for the end of life so they can have a good death, hold conversations to ease anguish, leave a positive legacy and celebrate life. 

Both of the events will be held in the same format and will include free nibbles, tea and coffee.

“There’s going to be discussions about death and then we’re going to take people through a questionnaire on how comfortable they are with certain aspects of death and dying,” says Roe Kitchin of ISCC.

“Questions like ‘how comfortable are you having a conversation with someone about death? And how comfortable are you sitting beside someone that’s dying?

“Then we’ll break into discussion groups so everybody can talk about their answers and why they felt that way and what they could do to make them feel more comfortable.”

ISCC also organise the increasingly popular death cafés in the LGA which let locals talk freely about death with no agenda or objectives.

“We had thirty people come to our last death café,” says Roe.

“We’re all pleased with the growing interest in people wanting to become more comfortable with this inevitable phase of life.”

9 August, Gerringong Library, 3pm.

RSVP 4234 2303 to attend.

11 August, Kiama Uniting Church, 7.15pm.

RSVP 0406 320 232 to attend