Funeral Arrangements
Every person is unique and the life they live is distinctive.
To best honour a person’s memory in death, their funeral service needs to reflect this. We are here to assist in creating the best possible farewell for your loved one. While doing so, we hope this will assist with your mourning as you move forward in life without them.
Please contact us if you would like to speak with one of our consultants at G Beavan Funerals.
Before you meet with us
If you are arranging the service of a loved one, there are several things that you may wish to do before we meet for the first time to help make things easier. Our arrangement forms can be printed out and filled in prior to the funeral arrangement if you wish. This is the information we will pass on to the Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages.
Funeral Service Information
Who arranges the funeral?
Usually the next of kin of the deceased (i.e. child, spouse, legal partner, parent, or sibling) are responsible for making the funeral arrangements. When there is a dispute in the family and the deceased has left a will, the executor should take charge of planning the funeral. The executor can also appoint someone else to make the arrangements if they wish to do so. In rarer cases, when a person has no known relatives, authorities and public trustees may need to take responsibility for arranging the funeral.
Choosing G Beavan Funerals as your Funeral Director
G Beavan Funerals selection as your funeral director is a very important decision when considering funeral arrangements, as the choice of the firm may affect the whole funeral arranging process. Our caring and professional staff will help you through this difficult time, we will take responsibility for many practical tasks such as taking care of the body, registering the death, the viewing, the coffin and the legal paperwork. We will also help you plan for the funeral service and will present you with choices of venues for the ceremony, hearses and coffins.
Funeral Service Options
We will present you with different choices of products and services when you are planning for the funeral. The family has absolute choice regarding the service, except when coronial investigations are taking place in a murder case, where there may be permission for burial only.
These are some of the things you need to consider when arranging a funeral:
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A place for the funeral service, which is usually a church, chapel or at the gravesite.
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The date for the burial or cremation.
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The person to preside the ceremony, who can be a member of the clergy or a celebrant.
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Clothing and jewellery your loved one will be wearing within the coffin or casket, along with other items of your choice. It is a good idea to take this with you to the arrangement.
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Funeral newspaper notice.
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Music selection for the funeral. It is a very good idea to have discussed this before seeing the clergy or celebrant.
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Choice of pallbearers.
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Floral tributes and decorations, such as photos, medals, candles or any special items.
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Whether to get a memorial booklet with the signatures of all the funeral attendees. G Beavan Funerals offer this at no extra cost to you.
Burial or Cremation
In Australia, cremation has now outnumbered burials, especially in large cities, where crematoriums are in close proximity. To have a burial or cremation is a very personal choice. This may be affected by certain cultural customs or religious beliefs. In the Islamic faith, for instance, the body needs to be buried, as cremation is not allowed. Hindus, on the other hand, traditionally choose cremation. It is predicted that more and more people will opt for cremation in the future as cemetery space is becoming scarce.
Funeral Costs
The cost of a funeral can vary greatly depending on what you choose to include in the service. There are certain things that have fixed costs and others that have a negotiable price. This is what you have to consider when paying for funeral arrangements:
- Funeral director fees.
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Type of transport used in the service.
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Choice of coffin or casket.
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Death certificate fees.
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Permits from council if required.
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Whether you chose the body to be cremated or buried.
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Cemetery plot or urn.
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Extra costs (such as flowers, newspaper notices, celebrant or clergy fees and the wake).
It is important to note that cremation is a more affordable option than burial. There are exceptions to this, such as when the family already has a license or lease for a grave which further internments are allowed. If that is the case, you need to take into consideration the costs of reopening and digging the grave.
Embalming
An embalmer with professional qualifications is the one responsible for the embalming process. Embalming is when a body undergoes a chemical treatment in order to disinfect and preserve itself. The presentation of the deceased is improved by the procedure when the funeral takes place. Embalming may be needed in the following cases:
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The funeral is delayed or will take place later than the average time frame.
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The body needs to be moved overseas.
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The deceased is to be buried above the ground in a crypt or a vault.
The Viewing – To view or not to view
A viewing is a very personal decision and it is completely up to the family if they want to organise one when considering funeral arrangements. While not mandatory, holding a viewing can be beneficial to relatives and close friends of the deceased, as it gives them the opportunity to spend some time with their loved one and say their final goodbyes. Viewing is a very personal choice and one which not every family is comfortable with.
The Ashes
After the body is cremated, only the bones are left. They are then granulated and the result of this procedure is what constitutes the ashes. The ashes are returned to you after cremation. If ashes are interred in a local council owned cemetery, once organised with Wingecarribbee Shire Council they will arrange collection for you.