2023 AFDA Convention

And that’s a wrap! After several postponements, the first AFDA National Convention since 2020 was held at Hotel Realm in Canberra on 24-26 February 2023.

The Convention kicked off with drinks, canapes and food stations at the National Portrait Gallery on the Friday night. It was fabulous to see members, sponsors and industry colleagues reconnecting and sharing their experience of the pandemic and their plans for the future.

The Convention officially opened on the Saturday with a moving ceremony, with the entry of the Official Party, the Welcome to Country by Allodial Elder of the Ngambri People Uncle Mingku Shane Mortimer, then the Official Opening by the Hon Stephen Parry followed by industry reports from AFDA, ACCA and FDANZ.

Delegates took time to remember 26 members who have died since the 2020 Convention, led by Past

President, Life Member/Life Councillor John Scott. We were delighted to see Life Membership awards presented to Bernardine Brierty of Bowra & O’Dea, WA and Allan Piddington of Piddingtons, NSW, both of whom were very much taken by surprise before giving heartwarming acceptance speeches.

Sessions presented by Mark McCrindle, McCrindle Research and Allyson Fletcher, Key Business Advisors highlighted that preparation is key to success in the future, with Mark emphasising that understanding trends such as population change, the threat of a recession, intergenerational transfer, virtuous consumerism and a redefined workplace will help funeral directors navigate them, and Allyson drilling down on the challenges of recruiting and retaining staff post-pandemic and providing creative solutions for reducing turnover and increasing staff engagement.

Without doubt the presentation that captured the imagination of the audience was presented by Simon Berry, Charles Berry & Son. Simon oversaw the Return of the Unknown Soldier in 1993 and he gave a fascinating recount of the process. Simon’s presentation was the perfect segway into a tour of the Australian War Memorial at which members witnessed the Last Post Ceremony and visited the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier before enjoying dinner in the Aircraft Hall surrounded by military planes.

The surprise presentation of the weekend was undoubtedly Dr Richard Denniss, Chief Economist. Richard provided insights into the economy all combined with a dry and quick sense of humour. Roddy McKinnon’s presentation on the Funeral Learning Hub provided delegates with the opportunity to get some insight and ask questions about AFDA’s next initiative, the development of an online funeral learning hub to meet the challenges of the future head on via training and upskilling. This was followed by keynote luncheon speaker, Dr Susan Alberti AC who touched the hearts of many as she recounted a challenging life and the resilience to turn tragedy into something positive.

After a fascinating tour of Parliament House in the afternoon, delegates met back at Hotel Realm, to congratulate outgoing National President Adrian Barrett, and welcome incoming National President Kelly Scott. Partners didn’t miss out at Convention and enjoyed a tour of the National Arboretum, a mosaic of living forests and gardens followed by lunch at the Ginger Restaurant as part of the Partner’s Program.

The 2023 AFDA National Convention was longawaited by members, sponsors and affiliates and it’s fair to say it was an outstanding success. Thank you to the sponsors who supported the event, the members who gave their valuable time to attend and AFDA staff who worked so hard to pull it off.