Well! It has been a huge couple of weeks in the fungi world, and for reasons that no one would ever want fungi to be in the news. When I first heard that two people had died from suspected mushroom poisoning, I was sitting on the couch after dinner and the first thing I said was “…oh no.” The following morning, I was woken up by a phone call to tell me that a third person had died.

I want to respect people’s wishes for privacy as they grieve, and to that end, I don’t want to fuel the media circus or further speculation. I’ll only say how tragic, heartbreaking, and devastating it is for three people to have died and for another to be critically ill, let alone for an organism that Teresa and I dedicate so much of our lives to shedding light on to be the possible cause.

What it has meant for me is that every conversation I have with a stranger who asks what I do has immediately become very fraught and intense. It has also meant that I’ve gained a lot more experience in the media in a very short space of time – and in my first week back at work following surgery and moving house. There’s been ups, downs, and a lifetime’s supply of adrenaline in seven days!
But for fungi, and for science, it has meant an opportunity to raise awareness about fungi and mycology in Australia. We hope that all the media attention on mushrooms means that more people will be curious to learn about this fascinating kingdom, and lead to more funding for fungi research.

I’ll reshare tips on deathcap identification and foraging risk reduction on the social media platforms over the next few weeks, but for now here’s a few links to Teresa’s and my favourite interviews:

Grace on 3AW with Neil Mitchell https://www.3aw.com.au/fungi-expert-issues-stark-warning-for-those-foraging-mushrooms/
Grace on house of Wellness Radio https://omny.fm/shows/the-house-of-wellness/the-house-of-wellness-full-show-sunday-august-13-2?t=21m30s
Teresa on 3AW with Neil Mitchell https://www.3aw.com.au/ask-neil-anything-why-do-deadly-mushrooms-exist/

Stay safe and be kind out there, Grace