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Our facilitators, Karen Gower, Vice President of Palliative Care Queensland (PCQ), and Sheena Larter from Western Queensland Primary Health Network (WQPHN), began the final leg of the Western Queensland Tour by travelling from Mount Isa to Julia Creek to deliver one more Last Aid session. Bringing together a community nurse, the Director of Nursing at the local hospital, and a support worker from the RFDS, the session became an emotionally significant conversation shaped by participants’ personal experiences. 

Discussion centred on the broader barriers communities can face when supporting people with palliative and end-of-life care in rural and remote areas. Participants reflected on the importance of local knowledge, strong community connections, and flexible support in helping families navigate care, grief, and practical decisions close to home. 

Before continuing to the next destination, the following morning included a visit to the Julia Creek cemetery.

Back in Cloncurry, Karen and Sheena delivered Last Aid to a group from Northwest Rural Health alongside a James Cook University facilitator. Advance care planning emerged as a strong focus for both participants and the wider community. After viewing Denis’s Wish, the group was particularly interested in the idea of a living wake and enthusiastic about how it could be made possible. The local ambulance service had already supported people to take a final ride around town, prompting further discussion about how this type of compassionate support could be expanded locally. 

Reflection also turned to the challenges that can arise after death in smaller communities. Participants highlighted the importance of clear communication, local support, and allowing families and communities the time and space needed to farewell someone in a way that feels respectful and connected to place. 

The tour then continued to Winton for a Friday morning session with the over-60s group. Alongside sewing hearts for the 1000 Hearts project, participants had the opportunity to talk, connect, and reflect together. The session also provided a chance to reconnect with some of the women who had taken part in Last Aid education two years earlier. 

The final session took place in Longreach on Saturday morning, where Heather Hale led an Advance Care Planning session at the Pioneers Café. It was a valuable opportunity to support participants and their community by creating space for shared lived experience and helping people navigate what matters most to them. 

Thank you to WQPHN for making this tour possible, and to all the individuals, services, and communities we met along the way for welcoming us, sharing your stories, and helping make the Western Queensland Tour so meaningful.