Ignorance is not bliss, according to Diana Todd-Banks, journalist, musician and entrepreneur. The former Palm Cove resident has been through some hair-raising experiences but has also basked life’s heady successes.  She has now launched her book “Wrapping It Up, which relates these experiences.

Wrapping It Up - The Ultimate Guide’ is based on extensive research, but this remarkable and practical book began as a result of a personal experience of the author.

She says death is something no one likes to talk about it. 'Falling off the perch, deceased, passed over, late, passed, dead, departed or that famous phrase, 'shuffle off this mortal coil' from William Shakespeare's Hamlet … are words which seem to cause trepidation in the minds of most people whether or not they are facing it with someone close or even oneself.

When someone dies, it's a time when emotions are raw and engulfing, so powerful, consuming and unfamiliar are the feelings, that these can prevent or even block ones ability to think clearly and logically. Yet after someone dies this is what is needed, at least by someone close to deceased person.

Understandably it is a difficult time having to deal with the reality that a loved one has died, let alone identify what to do after a person has died, what to do after the funeral, then on top of all that what to do with the deceased person's possessions. All this can be daunting.

Importantly after a person has died and particularly after the funeral it is a time when those affected need support and help because many feel very alone.

Special counsellors and groups do exist to help those who are affected by the death of a loved one. BUT until Wrapping It Up - The Ultimate Guide was recently published, little if any information has existed to provide practical help after the funeral, including help how to deal with the possessions of the person who has died, possessions possibly accumulated over decades.

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