August 8 marks Dying to Know Day, an annual campaign encouraging Australians to plan ahead, speak up, and demystify conversations around death, dying, grief and end-of-life care.
This year’s theme “Nobody Knows” reminds us that unless we take action, no one knows our wishes — for end-of-life care, legacy, or even how we want to be remembered.
A number of Churchill Fellows are helping lead this national conversation, each contributing a unique perspective to how Australians can approach death and dying with greater awareness, dignity, and cultural sensitivity.
Rebecca Lyons (TAS, 2018) features in our Churchill Collective Podcast, sharing her journey to improve end-of-life services for people with intellectual disabilities. Listen HERE.
Eliza Munro (QLD, 2024), a proud First Nations woman and 2024 Fellow, is currently travelling and documenting how Indigenous communities around the world practice culturally safe death and dying.
Their work builds on that of other dedicated Fellows:
- Joy Cocker (ACT, 2014) explored community-based end-of-life care and the power of compassionate neighbourhoods.
- Dr Margaret O’Connor (VIC, 2018) whose Fellowship and subsequent impact funding helped support meaningful change in end-of-life care education in Australia.
- Megan Plaster (WA, 2022) is working to ensure inclusive, person-led approaches to planning for people with disability.
These Fellows remind us: talking about death or end-of-life care is really about living well.
Let’s use Dying to Know Day 2025 to ask questions, share our wishes, and support each other — because Nobody Knows… unless we tell them.
