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June 18, 2026

Our West Queensland Tour is Underway!

The first leg of our Western Queensland tour is underway!

From Longreach to Blackall and Mount Isa, our facilitators, Karen Gower, (Vice President of PCQ), and Sheena Larter (WQPHN), have been connecting with communities, sharing knowledge, listening deeply, and strengthening local approaches to palliative care. This education and training tour, proudly supported by WQPHN and delivered by Palliative Care Queensland in collaboration with Proveda, is creating meaningful opportunities to learn and connect across the region.

Highlights so far include the Longreach Care Expo, a powerful Navigating the Journey education session in Blackall to the staff and residents of Barcoo Multipurpose Service RAC, Seniors Living, and Barcoo Retirement Village. The session was followed by lunch and a panel discussion funded by the Proveda Dying to Know Grants program featuring Palliative Care Queensland facilitators, representatives from Proveda, Boyd Johnstone a local solicitor, Naomi Jones, Clinical Nurse Palliative and Community Care from Central West Hospital and Health and Kelly Bethel from Barcoo Community Village giving attendees the opportunity to ask questions and gain practical insights from a range of perspectives.

Another highlight was participating in the Death Cafe funded by the Proveda Dying to Know Grants program and hosted by Longreach Arts and Cultural Association Inc. Bringing together community members, including a former ambulance officer, the gathering created a safe and welcoming space for open conversations about death, dying, grief and living well. It was inspiring to witness the peer support that developed throughout the session, with participants exchanging contact details and choosing to continue the conversation beyond the event.

We’ve arrived in Mount Isa, where local health and community professionals from organisations including North West Remote Health, Blue Care, Gidgee Healing, and Blue Care Mount Isa/Cloncurry Community Care joined us for Navigating the Journey training. Their engagement and commitment to delivering compassionate care close to home highlights the strength of regional Queensland communities.

Every stop on this tour reinforces the importance of creating spaces where people can learn, ask questions, share experiences, and support one another through some of life’s most important conversations.

We’re looking forward to continuing the journey through regional Queensland until 20 June and connecting with even more communities along the way.