About

Origin of Dead Honest

The idea for this podcast started many years ago after a chance conversation with a very talented Forensic Counsellor in Sydney called John Merrick*. He’d spent 20 years working at the city morgue supporting families in the wake of tragically, sudden deaths; murders, suicides, fires, drownings, fatal crashes, terrorist bombings - you name it, he’d seen it.

“Which are the cases you’ll never forget?” I asked.

I remember one very clearly. It concerned the brutal rape and murder of a little girl and his quiet re-telling of this story left me totally spellbound. It wasn’t just the unbearable poignancy of the circumstances surrounding her death, but the remarkable story of the friendship he’d forged with her mother that held my attention. It was gripping and made me wish I’d been able to record him.

Roll on 10 years and I knew how to make this happen. I would make a podcast. After a bumpy and lonely start, I released the first season of Dead Honest. I was then joined in Season 2 by award winning audio producer Kate McAll whose wise counsel helped take Dead Honest to another level. 

*You can read about John’s work in his book True Stories From the Morgue

Editorial Approach

Death professionals rarely consent to being interviewed. This is because they are often misquoted or what they say is sensationalised. For this reason, my interviewees have total editorial control over their episode. I want them to sound like they want to be heard. These are their stories after all, they should own them. This is very important to me.

Will I find the content of the episodes disturbing?

The professionals I interview often work under extremely distressing circumstances. Therefore, our discussions range from the very graphic to the deeply moving. Some Dead Honest Podcast episodes are tougher to listen to than others but the content is never gratuitous. However, you should be aware that we discuss suicide, baby loss and go into pretty explicit forensic detail at times.

The logo: why the fern?

Finding the right image to illustrate a podcast about death has been a challenge. Skulls, skeletons, gravestones just felt too disrespectful. So I chose the fern because it is known historically as the plant of sorrow and sincerity. That felt right.

My Story

“Can I see that special oven that’s gonna turn Tony into ash?”

I am deeply curious about death. It started when I was nine and a classmate was killed in a freak accident. His sudden death provoked horror and fascination in equal measure. When the other kids were asking, “Has Tony gone to Heaven?”, I was asking “Can I see the special oven that’s gonna turn Tony into ash?” No, I could not. Yes, I was that child.

Unsurprisingly, I became that adult and chose a career helping others affected by traumatic loss. I use my skills as a lobbyist to help families campaign for better access to justice after sudden death. I’ve been doing it for 25 years.

As a result of that work, I’ve met some extraordinary people. They are the professionals who support us in the darkest times; accident investigators, coroner’s officers, memorial photographers, funeral directors, Police Family Liaison Officers, pretty much anyone and everyone who works with the dying and the dead and I want you to meet them…