THE Coffs Coast Death and Dying Expo 2025 takes place on Sunday 10 August at Norm Jordan Pavilion, Coffs Harbour Showgrounds.
The vision for this annual expo is an inclusive, collaborative space where end-of-life professionals connect with the community.
There will be educational talks, panels, food and music, and over 30 exhibitors.
These include local funeral services, solicitors, end-of-life doulas, holistic death carers, programs for end-of-life preparations, grief counsellors, celebrants, artists and legacy projects, Death Cafe hosts, death literacy programs and pet cremation services.
“Our passion is to bridge gaps and bring people together to connect, inspire, educate and have meaningful conversations about all things life, death, loss, grief, ageing well and dying well,” co-founder of the expo and End of Life Doula, Rani Foreman said.
The event is aligned with the annual national campaign “Dying To Know Day”.
“D2KD encourages adults of all stages to take individual action, hold events, gatherings at home – all to improve their knowledge around choices for their end-of-life.”
This year’s expo will include a poetry session in the afternoon.
Emceed by Bruce Meder, a local poet and author, the session will be an opportunity for people to read or recite their own poems about death, dying, and/or grief.
“Poetry is a wonderful way to express grief at the passing of those we love,” Mr Meder told News Of The Area.
“We often express our grief in solitude, or perhaps with just one or two other close friends and family, yet grief is a universal emotional process and, if expressed collectively, allows the grieving process to take its full course.”
Poems may be about the death of a close friend or family member; they may be about the death of a beloved pet. Poems grieving the state of the world are also welcome.
The poetry session is 45 minutes long and, to allow space for as many as possible to read or recite their poem, those interested in participating are encouraged to contact Bruce Meder beforehand at brucemeder@gmail.com.
Entry is free, to register visit https://events.humanitix.com/coffs-coast-death-and-dying
By Andrea FERRARI
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