Ignite Talks Sunshine Coast (Dying to Know)

An Ignite event is a series of five-minute presentations. Speakers provide 20 slides that automatically advance every 15 seconds, resulting in a fast-paced talk that is loaded with ideas. As the Ignite slogan states “Enlighten us, but make it quick”

Ignite is also about having fun, and showing that presentations don’t need to be about “death by PowerPoint”.

This event is Ignite Talks #3 and is specifically themed for "Dying to Know Day"

Dying to Know Day events activate conversations and curiosity, build death literacy and help grow the capacity of individuals and community groups to take action toward end of life planning.  For more about "Dying to Know Day" click here...

Below is the basic run sheet for the evening:

6.00pm - Registration in foyer

6.30pm - Doors open

6.40pm Ignite Talks(1st Half)

7.20pm - Networking and drink break 20mins

7.45pm Ignite Talks (2nd Half)

8.30pm Networking

9.00pm Close

PLEASE NOTE: Meals can be ordered and eaten in the restaurant from 5.00pm. A cash bar is available.

 Speakers

Jackie Cambell

Jackie Campbell is one of Australia’s leading voices in the field of veterinary palliative care. The owner of Sunset Vets, a network of veterinarians focused exclusively on palliative and end-of-life support services, Jackie spends much of her time helping families to effectively navigate medical decision making at end-of-life. As one of the first palliative care veterinarians practicing in Australia, she is a passionate advocate for helping pets to live well at all stages of life.

Wendy Pearse - “My dirty little secret”

As the stack of books on my bookshelves about the end of our lives grows ever larger, so too has my realisation that I’m not alone in my interest. If people are writing books about the subject, then other people are reading them too. What do we think about death and dying, and why?

Dr Louise Welch - "A doctors stories about death" 

Talking about dying is ok and if we make it part of our lived experience than wouldn’t that be wonderful. Louise is a Palliative Care Physician and the Clinical Director for the SCHHS Palliative Care service. For well over a decade, Louise has led an incredibly compassionate and capable multidisciplinary team who have won multiple State and National awards for their outstanding work in caring for dying patients on the Sunshine Coast.

Ruby and Beryl

"Be prepared". Ruby and Beryl are a couple of old twin grandmothers from outback QLD. They moved to the sunshine coast to be closer to family. Then they died. Now Ruby was prepared, but Beryl, well let's just say she is lucky to have a sister like Ruby. Rebecca Dostal & Kerry Chave

Amy Cadd - "Bring It To The Boil"

Working at the coalface of Palliative Care in the home brings certain challenges as a Health Professional - Amy will share some insights into how she negotiates braving the heat.

Dr  Colin Dicks

Dr Colin Dicks works as a Radiation Oncologist on the Sunshine Coast. He has more than 20 years of experience working in oncology and is aware of the pressing need to talk about death and dying. It is not a popular topic, but Colin thinks it is an essential topic of conversation. He self-published a book” About Dying: how to live in the face of death” to promote a discussion on dying. He is happy to share his view on "the three secrets on dying and practical things to do before we die.’ When he is not working in oncology, Colin enjoys planning his next venture- His view is that we are all given 86400 seconds each day- what are you going to do with yours? 

Sharon Tregoning

After losing 4 loved ones in the space of 5 years and with a belief that the dying and death experience can be improved for all concerned, Sharon Tregoning founded Spiritual Palliative Care. Part of her purpose is helping people know that they can create an end of life experience that is powerful, meaningful and most of all personal. She is a facilitator of healing, a published author, an experienced public speaker, and a specialist trainer in the palliative environment. She has a Bachelor of Divinity, a Diploma in Counselling and is an Ambassador for Death Over Dinner.

Carolyn Mandersloot

Carolyn Mandersloot’s stand up comedy takes inspiration from parenting teenagers and, surprisingly, her career as a Palliative Care Community Nurse. Her friendly demeanour and depth of knowledge allow her to delve into the difficult subject of life right before death with a light and compassionate touch. Her comedic storytelling style unravels tales that are both funny and memorable. Carolyn was a QLD state finalist in the Melbourne International Comedy RAW Competition in 2018 and she recently performed in the Comedy Lounge show as part of Anywhere Theatre Festival.

Dr Will Cairns

"If you lived to 150 you could play tennis with your great-grandchildren." Will Cairns is the Statewide Clinical Lead for Care at the End of Life. In the second half of two decades as a GP he developed an interest in palliative medicine and completed the transition into full-time specialist practice in 2000. He and his family have lived in Townsville for 40 years and he enjoys the outdoor life of NQ, landscaping and concreting. 

John Endacott

“After birth, death is the only universal human experience. Geriatrician Dr John Endacott thinks our awareness of the universality of death is the founding stone of compassion. Its role in connecting us and its inevitability makes it fundamentally a social and community event rather than a medical event. Through the active participation in the care of the dying and the expression of grief through art and creativity, is it possible to create a more compassionate and sustainable society?”

Indiana Hehir

Indiana is just 16 and year 11 at school. She has recently been selected as an Australia Young Ambassador for UNICEF. Her personal experiences with death are considered different from other teens. Indiana's mother is a palliative care nurse so she has grown up around death being a normal conversation throughout her life. It has shaped and influenced her perspective on death and dying.
Indiana's hope is that talking about death and grieving will become a conversation that is easier for teens to have.