When Tarna Bibron retired after five decades in retail, she imagined spending her days tending the garden, catching up with friends and enjoying a slower pace of life.

Instead, just months after making one of the biggest decisions of her life, she was told she had stage 4 cancer.

Now, almost five years later, the Mornington Peninsula woman is still here, still travelling, still making memories and, perhaps most remarkably, still visiting the Pink Crepe Myrtle she once planted believing her family would one day visit it without her.

Retiring during the COVID pandemic gave Tarna the chance to reassess what she wanted from life.

“After 50 years in the retail world and suddenly being forced to stay home for months on end, I realised I was enjoying being at home and doing what I call pottering and dithering,” she said.

“So, when we finally went back to work, I decided to retire.”

Looking ahead to retirement also prompted her to think about something many people prefer to avoid — what would happen after she was gone.

The death of her brother-in-law had forced difficult conversations within the family, and watching her sister organise everything while grieving left a lasting impression.

“When you are grieving and at your most vulnerable, the last thing you need to do is organise a funeral,” she said.

“Being on my own and knowing it would be my sister who would have to do it all, I didn’t want her to have to go through that again.”

At 67, Tarna decided it was time to get her affairs in order. After researching funerals, cremation and cemeteries, she chose a memorial tree in the Living Legacy Forest at Mornington Green, a decision inspired after seeing the gardens featured on television.

Then everything changed.

Shortly after choosing her tree, Tarna was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer.

Faced with an uncertain future, she finalised her plans, believing she had little time left.

“I went with my two dearest friends, and we planted the tree,” she said.

“It gave me peace of mind knowing that, when the time came, which I thought would be soon, everything was taken care of.”

The tree she chose was a Pink Crepe Myrtle, selected in honour of her parents.

“I have always loved crepe myrtles and thought it was a fitting tribute to a woman I loved and respected, and to a dad who looked after our family garden,” she said.

“Planting it was quite special and, yes, a little daunting at the time because it will be ‘my place’. However, I was able to choose a spot overlooking the lake and gardens, so it is very pretty.”

While Tarna’s cancer remains terminal, it has remained stable, allowing her to continue living a full life and regularly returning to the Living Legacy Forest at Mornington Green to see how both the gardens and her tree have grown.

“Amazingly and wonderfully, five years later, I am still here to visit the gardens and my tree,” she said.

“I love walking through the gardens, which are planted in groves, and watching the Living Legacy Forest come to life. You meet people who want to tell you the stories of their loved ones, and it is a happy place full of memories. It is not sad at all.”

Rather than dwelling on what lies ahead, Tarna says her diagnosis has sharpened her appreciation for every day she has.

“I am grateful for every extra day I have. Good or bad, every day is a bonus, and I am living life to the fullest by travelling and spending time with the people in my life who are so special to me.”

Although she knows her illness is terminal, she says she has found peace with the future.

“I have no fear of death. It is inevitable for me sooner rather than later, although now I am planning on making it to 10 years,” she said.

“I have lived, and am still living, a wonderful life, so I cannot ask for more.”

For Tarna, the tree has become something much more than a final resting place.

“It is not so much the end of my life, but rather my own little memorial that will live on through my tree.”

She also hopes her story encourages other Australians to have conversations about end-of-life planning before they become necessary.

“Yes, it is uncomfortable but do it while you are well. Then put all the paperwork away and forget about it,” she said.

“We do not often talk about these things, but for the people you love who are left behind, it is the most awful time. They deserve to have time to grieve, remember and celebrate you. If they do not have to organise a funeral, they can do that without the added pressure and stress.”

Having everything organised has given Tarna comfort, not because she is ready to stop living, but because it has allowed her to focus on doing exactly that.

“Now that everything is in place, from my cremation to my final resting place, and yes, I do still pause a little when I say that out loud, I know my family will only have to make one phone call when I pass away,” she said.

“Then, hopefully, they can have a party in my name.”