KAREN BRADY

SECRETARY

Karen has a diverse portfolio of professional experience rooted in community service and advocacy. She spent ten working in the union movement, where she specialised in industrial law, advocacy, and community campaigning. During this time, Karen fought for workers' rights, navigating complex legal challenges and spearheading initiatives aimed to improve working conditions. Karen continues to be committed to justice and to giving a voice to those who need it most.

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Karen worked as a primary school teacher for eight years. Her teaching experience is as diverse as the landscapes she worked in, from a parent-run community school on the mid-north coast of New South Wales to a remote Northern Territory Indigenous Community school. These experiences enriched her understanding of education's transformative power and allowed her to nurture young minds in unique and challenging settings. In every classroom, Karen fostered curiosity, resilience, and kindness to help students grow both academically and emotionally.

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Beyond her professional life, Karen is an avid reader and movie enthusiast (she has even jumped solo out of a plane a dozen times)! She shares her home with Amber, her 6-year-old rescue dog from Darwin, whose companionship brightens her days.

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Karen has successfully completed specialised Funeral Celebrancy training with Sally Cant, in addition to a Certificate IV in Celebrancy through Box Hill TAFE. Now, as an Independent Funeral Celebrant, she is passionate about death literacy and navigating the evolving landscape of death care. Karen provides families with compassionate guidance, empowering them to make informed and financially sustainable choices. She co-creates personalised, authentic ceremonies that offer a warm, inclusive space for grief.

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Karen is the newly appointed Secretary of the Australian Home Funeral Alliance (AHFA), and is committed to supporting AHFA's mission of promoting home funerals as a meaningful, affordable and environmentally sustainable option.