Death Cafe profile for Melissa Halliday
Location: Australia
https://www.facebook.com/DeathCafeNewtown
About Melissa Halliday:
Singer, celebrant, yoga teacher and seeker on the spiritual path; I believe that talking more fully about death encourages us to live more fully in life and helps us flex our death literacy muscle.
I have hosted 17 Death Cafes since 2005 and each one is completely different!
What brings you to Death Cafe?
I'm interested in connecting and supporting those who wish to talk about death without fear of judgement in a safe and inspiring space
What would you like your legacy to be?
To write a series of books that honour the Aussie perspective on death and dying in a humorous, no nonsense way and inspire the nation and the world to speak lovingly and with ease about death and dying as a natural part of the process of living; and encourage individuals and families to have end of life conversations and resources that heal, uplift, connect and transform all participants and ensure that the dying and the living feel heard, valued and accepted.
Thoughts for sharing:
Death is just another side of the coin to life and without exploring what death means to us we have no linguistic currency to truly articulate what life means to us...
Contact Melissa Halliday
Melissa Halliday's posts on the Death Cafe website
With Melissa Halliday
Dec. 12, 2023, 9.45 a.m. - 12.30 p.m. (Sydney EST)
Free
Sponsored by Palliative Care NSW, this free Death Cafe is being held in the Newtown Neighbourhood Centre and tea, cake and light refreshments will be provided. The event will be ...
With Melissa Halliday
Nov. 12, 2022, 3.00 p.m. - 5.15 p.m. (Eastern Standard time)
Free
I am running this coming Death Cafe as I have been receiving requests to run it again: sometimes I'm unsure whether it's the great chai and cake provided ...
With Melissa Halliday
March 6, 2021, 3.00 p.m. - 5.00 p.m. (Sydney (EST))
Free
I am running this relaxed and safe Cafe with End of Life Conversations and death literacy in mind: whatever that means to you; it is the ninth I have run ...
With Melissa Halliday
Oct. 31, 2020, 4.00 p.m. - 6.00 p.m. (Sydney (EST))
Free
I am running this relaxed and safe Cafe with End of Life Conversations and death literacy in mind: whatever that means to you; it is the eighth I have run ...
With Melissa Halliday
June 8, 2019, 4.00 p.m. - 5.30 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time)
Free
Death is a club of which we will all become free members at some stage. Making friends with the subject of death through honest conversations can be healing, connecting and ...
Death Cafe write up: Death Cafe Newtown
Posted by Melissa Halliday on July 7, 2018, 2:47 a.m.
Another day of shared community discussion over chai and Tim Tams- a brave courageous group of souls who spoke and shared stories about the death of parents who have served in the military and find it hard to cope in the 'real' world to the Jewish way of doing death. Feedback comments included; "Interesting hearing other people's stories and perspectives' to " thank you for this sharing and growth" to "better death literacy and confidence to engage with others at end of life" to "go with an open mind and don't feel compelled to take any position or share" and generally participants felt their experience was: "safe ...
With Melissa Halliday
July 7, 2018, 3.00 p.m. - 5.00 p.m. (EST (Australia))
Free
I am running this relaxed and safe Cafe with End of Life Conversations in mind; it is the sixth I have run and is always different! I think some people ...
Death Cafe write up: Death Cafe Newtown
Posted by Melissa Halliday on May 23, 2018, 12:23 a.m.
A wonderful gathering of souls who brought orange cakes, cheeses and yummy nibbles to accompany my bucket of chai.There was definitely a thirst to know more- it seems that there is never enough time to discuss all that people , once uncorked, want to speak about on this mighty topic but its always a great start!
Feed back ranged from 'easy for each of us to open our hearts and express our deepest feelings' to 'such an amazing diversity of life stages/experiences in the room and everyone was so open' to 'I liked that the structure was flexible' to 'I've always seen death as an event ...
With Melissa Halliday (me)
May 19, 2018, 3.00 p.m. - 4.30 p.m. (Eastern Standard time - Sydney)
Free
This is a free event and in my home so I appreciate a text RSVP at least 3 days prior to secure your spot (limited places) and for catering! There ...
With Melissa Halliday
Oct. 28, 2017, 5.00 p.m. - 6.30 p.m. (EST (Australia))
Free
This is the 5th or 6th Death Cafe I have facilitated (the last being the first one at Bundanoon in the Southern Highlands) that is now going from strength to ...
Death Cafe write up: Death Cafe Newtown
Posted by Melissa Halliday on Feb. 27, 2017, 9:59 p.m.
Some courageous participants talking about the ordinary and extraordinary around end of life and how much easier it is to talk about death when you get to practise in a safe space like this; feedback expressed the hunger people have to talk about death and dying but the lack of safe forums to do it and their gratitude they can come to something like this. We looked at a range of areas from what to write on a Sympathy card (most agreed that people are generally just grateful you are holding them in your thoughts and don't want your opinions or pity so you don't have ...
Death Cafe write up: Death Cafe Newtown
Posted by Melissa Halliday on Jan. 19, 2017, 4:27 a.m.
Fascinating discussions this November Death Cafe that ranged from the issues of being cremated with mercury fillings that pollute the atmosphere to being buried in a mushroom suit that breaks down toxic chemicals and other forms of body disposal that are sustainable from being made into liquid fertiliser or dried through processes such as aquamession/promession to being buried with a tree seedling in an organic pod that breaks down over time; spoiled for choices we are now!
With Melissa Halliday (me)
July 15, 2017, 3.00 p.m. - 5.30 p.m. (Eastern Standard time - Sydney)
Free
I am running this Death Cafe with End of Life Conversations in mind; it is the fifth I have run and gets more interesting each time! I prefer to keep ...
With Melissa Halliday (me)
Feb. 25, 2017, 3.00 p.m. - 5.30 p.m. (Eastern Standard time - Sydney)
Free unless numbers require venue hire donation
I am running this Cafe with End of Life Conversations in mind; it is the fourth I have run and gets bigger and better each time! I think some people ...
With Melissa Halliday (me)
Nov. 19, 2016, 4.00 p.m. - 6.00 p.m. (Eastern Standard time - Sydney)
Free
I am running this Death Cafe to provide a safe, comfortable and intimate place in inner west Sydney to speak freely on death, life and end of life matters over ...
Death Cafe write up: Death Cafe Newtown
Posted by Melissa Halliday on Aug. 4, 2016, 10:18 p.m.
Thanks to all who attended last Sunday: provocative, life affirming conversations on topics as broad as addressing the disconnect and missed opportunities at end of life- families struggling with moving from hope that a cure will be found/ disease prevention and all the medical interventions that can entail to accepting the opportunity for quality of life in the precious time still left and filling it with love and happy memories or simply the chance to bring peace..... A paediatric doctor gave her take on this whilst medical students gave us hope in the system of the future with doctors that were more compassionate in outlook and in the ...
With Melissa Halliday (me)
July 30, 2016, 3.00 p.m. - 5.00 p.m. (Eastern Standard time - Sydney)
Free
Hi there; this will be the the Death Cafe I have run and there is always something to learn and dicuss to keep the conversation around death alive....so come ...
Death Cafe write up: Death Cafe, Newtown, Sydney
Posted by Melissa Halliday on Oct. 14, 2015, 6:10 p.m.
A small but positive start.
Run in my own home so a comfortable environment and people commented how the Chai tea was a winner!
Discussion was open and freeflowing. Topics ranged from a 21 year old American male discussing the suicide of a room mate and the impact on him, how he now deals more proactively with depression in colleagues to let them know they have options and relief of being able to speak about it to others. Another attendee was older and death literate, had experienced breast cancer that sharpened her awareness in this area. She clarified the importance of end-of-life discussions in creating normalcy in this ...
With Melissa Halliday
Nov. 3, 2015, 7.00 p.m. - 8.00 p.m. (Sydney (Eastern Standard time))
Free
Those interested in placing conversations around death and dying off the taboo list and back in normal, healthy conversation are invited to join me on Tuesday 3rd for a relaxed ...
With Melissa Halliday
Sept. 7, 2015, 11.00 a.m. - 1.00 p.m. (Sydney (Eastern Standard time))
Free
Those interested in placing conversations around death and dying off the taboo list and back in normal, healthy conversation are invited to join me next Monday for a relaxed cuppa ...