In this member-exclusive webinar, we explore the realities, challenges, and rewards of palliative care nursing across rural and remote Northern Territory.

Rebecca Garner, Complex and Palliative Care Clinical Nurse Consultant based in Katherine, and Jane Ulrik, Community Clinical Nurse Specialist in Alice Springs, share stories from the frontline of nursing in the bush.

Together, they reflect on what it means to deliver timely, culturally safe, and patient-led palliative care across vast distances and diverse communities. From supporting people to remain on Country or closer to home at end of life, to navigating continuity of care between metropolitan and remote services, this conversation offers both practical insight and honest reflection.

Moderated by Holly Pitt, the session also highlights the strengths of rural and remote practice — the connection to community, the depth of relationships, and the “gems” that shape care in the Northern Territory. It invites reflection on what those working in metropolitan settings can learn from colleagues on the ground.

Whether you work in community, hospital, or aged care, or have an interest in rural and remote nursing, this session offers an important perspective on equity, access, and choice in end of life care.

About our speakers

Rebecca Garner is a Complex and Palliative Care Clinical Nurse Consultant based in Katherine, Northern Territory, with extensive experience across respiratory, infectious diseases, and palliative care nursing in both metropolitan and remote settings. She is passionate about improving access to culturally safe, patient-led palliative care for rural and remote communities, particularly supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients to remain on Country or closer to home at end of life.

Jane Ulrik is a Palliative Care Community CNS Alice Springs. Jane trained as a nurse in Melbourne before relocating to Central Australia in the early 1980s, where she raised three children and developed a diverse career across remote communities. Over nearly a decade, she worked in roles spanning nursing support, store management, childcare and education, engaging closely with Aboriginal communities and gaining a strong understanding of the complexities of distance, culture and service delivery.

Based in Alice Springs, Jane has worked with Aboriginal organisations, including night patrol services, environmental health education and managing an Aboriginal Healing Centre. She holds a Master of Primary Health Care and a Graduate Certificate in Palliative Care.

Since 2018, Jane has worked in palliative care across both inpatient and community settings, supporting and educating individuals and families across vast and culturally diverse regions.