Two deeply confronting personal experiences sparked the beginnings of Critical Info, leading me to take a new path with the intention of helping other people navigate end-of-life planning as smoothly as possible.
In 2019 I was involved in a car accident that resulted in lifelong injuries and chronic pain. Consequently, I had to leave a 13-year career as events producer at the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria; many other aspects of my life were disrupted in turn. Further, the accident brought me face-to-face with my mortality and the need to prepare for death beyond the obvious fundamental of having a valid will.
In February 2023, that need was brought home yet more strongly after the sudden death of a very close friend. He’d left a will that was in good order, but he hadn’t shared with anyone the details of his finances and other day-to-day affairs, nor notes about how he’d like his funeral to be conducted. I found myself sorting through voluminous piles of paperwork in his apartment, not only trying to identify who he banked with, but also seeking clues about how he might have wanted his life to be celebrated. It was heartbreaking to have to do this while dealing with the shock and grief that accompanied his passing.
His adult children had to travel to Australia from the United States for his funeral, and were forced to crowd-fund to cover costs. When I tried to find information for them about all they’d need to undertake when they arrived, it became uncomfortably obvious there was no single, authoritative source to guide them. Although many of us might have a few useful details to hand, whether via direct experience or the stories of others, it struck me as a terrible lack that there was no consolidated education platform outlining clearly and fully all that needs to be done after a loved one dies in Australia.
I became determined to create a secure, supportive platform that would empower people with the knowledge and tools they need for informed decisions and comprehensive planning around the end of life – whether to prepare for their own death or to assist a loved one. Critical Info is the product of that determination.
Its development has been supported by a number of organisations with specialist resources; their support will continue as Critical Info evolves. In summary, the platform’s content spans the legal frameworks applicable to all deaths in Australia, and the machinations of medical institutions and the funeral industry. It also covers much of what’s currently available to help dying people and their loved ones prepare for and cope with the legal, administrative, psychological – and where relevant, spiritual – aspects of death.
The skills honed during my previous roles have proven consistently valuable as Critical Info has taken shape. Whilst my career has been woven from seemingly disparate threads, this is where they cohere. My experience in event management (both at the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria and in professional boxing promotions), and roles as a live-in caretaker at the National Trust property Mulberry Hill on the Mornington Peninsula and business manager for my husband’s decorative painting and vintage-poster restoration company have all brought useful attributes to the table. Among them: a natural diligence and curiosity, broad professional and personal communication skills, research, administration and organisational skills, and substantial business expertise.
Critical Info is also built on my values. I want whatever I do to be founded in openness, honesty, empathy, safety, availability, affordability, flexibility and sustainability. Establishing a social enterprise aligns comfortably with those values, and with my conscience in turn.
On a more personal note, my life beyond work is focused on perfecting the art of roasting, visiting new gallery exhibitions or local gardens. And it’s underpinned by a long-standing love of nature borne of growing up in the eastern Victorian coastal town of Loch Sport, on the shores of Lake Victoria and close to the beautiful, expansive bushland of the Lakes National Park. I love walking my dog and I am trying to attend deep water running classes each week.