BURIAL OR CREMATION

Burial, Cremation and the Funeral Service

Making the decision on whether to bury or cremate can be difficult for some, straight forward for others. Many influences come into play – religious or spiritual beliefs, finances or ecological awareness are just some of the reasons for choosing one over the other. Keep in mind that no matter which way you choose to go, we will be there every step of the way, alongside you, making the arrangements and completing the paperwork, ensuring your wishes and decisions are met. We will do everything in our power to guide and assist you.

The following information may be of some assistance when deciding on a burial or a cremation.

Burial

There are many things to consider when deciding whether to bury a recently deceased love one. One of the first decisions you will need to make involves the location of the burial – which cemetery is appropriate for you and your family. The local council presiding over the cemetery will charge a leasing fee together with a grave preparation fee – the charges for each Council area varies and can be discussed with us. Then there is the decision regarding the headstone and base stone however, this does not have to take place right away. Again, we can assist you.

The basics of a traditional burial funeral service include:

The funeral service can take place at a church conducted by a Minister from that church, it can also take place at the graveside or in a community hall and either of the latter two can be conducted by a Civil Celebrant or a Minister of Religion. All services can include music, the reading of literary or religious passages, a eulogy, prayer, and the singing of hymns.

If not already present at the cemetery for a Graveside service, this process involves a vehicle procession to the cemetery followed by a short committal service conducted by either the Minister of Religion or the Celebrant that presided over the funeral service.

Many choose to host a post service gathering at a church hall or other suitable location. This is considered a time to share memories, laughter and support.

Cremation

Cremation can cost less than a burial. With cremation you do not need a cemetery, you can scatter the ashes or keep them with you in an urn.
Of course, there are costs associated with cremation that need to be considered and should you wish to place the ashes in a cemetery there will still be a charge for leasing, you will also need a name plaque, again depending on the cemetery that you select, but all of this generally costs less than a burial.
When looking at the declining availability of land in our urban areas, cremation can make sense. In the country cemeteries this isn’t such an issue.

The types of services for a cremation are:

As with the burial funeral service, this can take place at a church conducted by a Minister from that church or a community hall and this can be conducted by a Civil Celebrant or a Minister of Religion. These services can include music, the reading of literary or religious passages, a eulogy, prayer, and the singing of hymns. Of course there is no committal or procession to the Graveside, instead, the deceased is driven in the hearse from the funeral service to the crematorium.

As with a burial you may choose to host a post service gathering at a church hall or other suitable location.

You can opt for a direct cremation, this process involves completion of all paperwork and the transportation of the deceased from the hospital, home, nursing facility or coroner’s office to our mortuary and then to the crematorium. The coffin is basic and there is no preparation of the deceased. This type of cremation is generally selected due to financial limitations. The ashes are returned to you a week or so later and you can then decide whether to have a memorial service or not. You can even have a service alongside the plot when you inter the ashes, if interment is what you select.

This occurs after the cremation has taken place and can be in place of a funeral service, it can be held anywhere you choose and generally you will have the ashes with you in an Urn.