Robyn Ticehurst

Why did you choose to work on a coffin rather than a shroud?

I chose to work on a coffin because both my parents were buried and my memory when viewing them just before their funerals was a very peaceful one and I did not want to be cremated.

What materials have you used for your artwork?

The material I have used are all of a natural origin, Eco paints, charcoal and crayons for the basis of the coffin and then flowers, grasses and photos copied onto paper, small pieces of cotton and wool, greeting cards from friends and paper clippings and Mum’s old recipes.

• Eco wooden coffin
• Eco Paint and crayons from “Flora and Fauna”
• Charcoal from a box I picked up at an op shop
• Dried flowers leaves and grasses from my garden and some from my granddaughter in Melbourne
• Photos copied onto paper.
• Cotton material
• Wool
• Paper clippings
• Cards

What is the story behind your artwork. What does it represent about you and your life story?

My story is a simple one, my life from birth to death in the form of a tree. My whole life has been one of love and family, starting from our family farm and having a wonderful life with a husband, partner, children and grandchildren. I place a lot of importance on my life as a loved child, sister, wife, partner, mother and grandmother and in turn I know my love has and is being returned to me from members of my family and friends.

What are 3 things you have learned from being part of the eco coffin project?

I have learnt many things from the Eco Coffin Project but the 3 things which I have found the most important are:

• The many choices I can make before I die.
• The importance of making these choices myself instead of leaving it to my family when they are grieving for me.
• Ensuring all the legal paperwork is in place before I need them to be enacted. e.g., power of attorney, advanced care directives, wills etc.

What is one thing you will do (or have done already) differently as a result from being part of the project?

I have been talking to my children about my choice of burial and all the other things I have learnt on this course. e.g., emotional wills, death clean of my house and its contents. I have also enquired about a natural burial site in my local council area of Mt Barker. I have also told most people I meet about the project and having a natural burial.

Any other thoughts or comments you would like to add?

I would like to add that the Eco Coffin Project I recently attended was a wonderful learning experience. The participants and guest speakers who attended came with a wide of experiences, ages, jobs, knowledge, compassion and great enthusiasm for this project. This project should be made more available to more people, not sure how to do this, but all the people I have spoken to about it, are enthusiastic and ask me how they can do it.

Testimonial

The Eco Coffin Project was a well-run, highly informative, and well-structured one. The convenor, Abby Buckley, was a warm, loving and professional leader who allowed everyone to interact in their own time and we had plenty of opportunities to share our stories and experiences within the four sessions we attended. The guest speakers were all professional and very generous with their time, answering all our questions with a great deal of insight and knowledge. I believe we all came away with a great deal of knowledge and the empowerment that knowledge gave us. I believe we can now make the choices about our end-of-life plans and our choice of burial we want and more importantly let all our loved ones know our choices.