Helping people find peace with death
Karuna is here to bring comfort and support at the end of life. We believe death is not an ending, but a natural part of life.
We help families and individuals find peace in the midst of grief and remind them that life continues. No one should face their experience alone or in fear.
Just as the sun sets and rises, hope and renewal follow every ending.
The seed of a vision
Our journey officially began in April 1991, driven by the simple vision of Venerable Pende Hawter and Lama Zopa Rinpoche to establish a home-based palliative care service. We knew that for many, the greatest comfort is the familiarity of home and the presence of loved ones.
By November 1991, our first two employees, Margaret Gargan and Hilary Clarke, were on board, and began operating from a private residence in the Grange. This initial model of care, which still guides us today, was heavily influenced by the expertise of Margaret who was a palliative care professional.
In January 1992, we welcomed our very first patients. Karuna was officially registered as a public benevolent institution a few months later, providing the formal structure needed to serve the community.
Our early years were a testament to the generosity of the community, with funding coming from sources like the Jupiter’s Casino Community Benefit Fund, community groups, and individual donations.
A major milestone for our stability and growth arrived in 1994 when we secured our first 3-year funding agreement with Queensland Health. This partnership solidified our ability to provide consistent, reliable home-based hospice care to the Northside of Brisbane – a commitment that, despite a brief pause in 2014, has been consistently renewed.
The same year, we established our first formal counselling and bereavement service. This dedicated support was, and remains, a deliberate and essential part of our promise to care for the whole family, long after physical care has ended. It was a clear sign that our mission extended beyond the patient to encompass the profound experience of grief and loss.
Growth, community and a home
Our commitment resonated deeply, even inspiring similar movements. In December 1994, we were proud to support the establishment of the Cittamani Hospice Service on the Sunshine Coast, which began under Karuna’s governance.
While Cittamani became a fully independent organisation in October 2003, this early collaboration reflects the spirit of care that bound us together.
As our services grew, we needed a permanent home. In the early 2000s, Karuna obtained a 30-year lease from Queensland Health for “Rosemount House” – a heritage-listed building on the Rosemount Hospital site.
Renamed Karuna House, the subsequent restoration and repair project, completed with the dedicated help of numerous volunteers, was an act of love to create a safe harbour for our team and community. In January 2005, Karuna officially moved to the new office in Windsor.
We also expanded our reach beyond in-home care. In 2003, we launched the “Cherish Program” to provide counselling and spiritual care to patients and carers experiencing grief and loss who didn’t require home hospice admission. It was a deliberate way to offer our compassionate support earlier in a person’s journey.
Our commitment to the spiritual dimension of life and death was further honoured in June 2007 when the 14th Dalai Lama visited Brisbane and accepted an invitation to be Karuna’s spiritual patron.
Modern challenges and new voices
As we entered the modern era, our focus remained on refining our care and reaching new segments of the community. In 2012/13, we introduced the Palcare client care IT system to electronically record care management and plans, a pragmatic step to ensure our care was as efficient as it was kind. In May 2013, we were honoured by a visit from the Governor General of Australia, Quentin Bryce.
The COVID-19 pandemic tested our resilience, leading to significant restrictions on community access and forcing the temporary cessation of all volunteer services. This crisis reinforced the importance of our mission and drove us to find new ways to connect and support people, even from a distance.
This led to the launch of our podcast, “What about Death?!” in April 2021. This project was a deliberate effort to normalise conversations about death, dying, and grief by interviewing diverse personalities – from Samuel Johnson and Bindi Irwin to Mark Zusak and Rowley Sussex. It was our way of fostering trust and creating a safe, open space for the community to engage with a topic often avoided.
In September 2022, we celebrated our 30-year anniversary of service. This was followed by a key moment of reflection in January 2023, when the Queensland Government introduced Voluntary Assisted Dying legislation. Karuna responded by developing a clear policy that manages the new requirements while staying true to our fundamental Buddhist values of understanding and compassion and committing to non-judgemental service for all our patients and families.
We continue to grow, guided by the same compassionate principle that started it all. In June 2025 Karuna launched its new visual identity, and in October 2025, extended our services further through a contract with Wellways Carer Gateway.
