Death has been a presence throughout my life, shaping how I see the world and my place within it. From an early age, I found myself drawn to questions about mortality, what it means to die, where we go, and how we navigate the sacred transitions at the end of life. These questions deepened over time as I witnessed loss in many forms, leaving me with a lasting awareness of death’s impact and the silence that often surrounds it. While death is a universal experience, the ways we approach it differ across cultures, revealing rich traditions, rituals, and understandings of life’s final chapter.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been drawn to the edges, the places where life and death meet. Whether by coincidence or something more profound, I have found myself present during significant transitions, bearing witness to the beauty and complexity of these moments. These experiences have taught me that life and death move together- one can’t exist without the other. And when we face death honestly, with a heart willing to hold both the pain and the beauty, we open ourselves to deeper love, fiercer living, and a tenderness that lingers long after we’re gone.
My work is grounded in art, education, and death—three threads that have shaped how I move through the world. I’ve spent years teaching in schools, universities, and alternative learning environments, while also creating and performing with dance companies and artistic collectives across Australia and overseas. These experiences—living and working in diverse communities—have allowed me to witness how different cultures honour death: through quiet rituals, elaborate ceremonies, and celebratory expressions of life. I’ve come to see the body as a vessel for holding stories, emotion, and the unspoken parts of loss. This path continues to inform how I hold space for grief, ritual, and the deeply human ways we navigate death.
As a funeral celebrant, I work alongside families to craft meaningful, personalised ceremonies that honour their loved ones. As an end-of-life doula, I offer emotional support, practical guidance, and a compassionate presence for those nearing the end of life and their families. My practice is grounded in the belief that death is part of a larger continuum, a passage as much about life as it is about its ending. There is no single ‘right’ way to approach death, and I strive to meet each person where they are with care and respect.
In this work, I am honoured to be a guide, a witness, and a companion through the uncertainties of loss. My aim is to hold space for those facing the end of life, to honour the stories that matter most, and to contribute to a more open, compassionate conversation about death and its place within the human experience.
We are all doing the best we can with the resources and experiences we carry. Wherever you find yourself on this journey, I will meet you there, with an open heart and a listening ear, and no doubt, a big warm hug.
Dallas xx
Narrm, Melbourne, Australia
