Final farewells are now being held in a wide variety of places that are meaningful to the deceased person and their communities including: the beach, local parks, bush clearings, sport fields, RSL clubs, pubs, and community halls.

People are choosing to make or decorate coffins to more appropriately commemorate the person who has died.

Advances in technology has enabled DVDs of photos and music to be developed on home computers and can provide a fitting tribute to a life at a memorial service.

A DIY funeral may save you thousands of dollars and provide an intimate and meaningful farewell.

More people are dying at home due to the growth of palliative care services which is leading to more ‘vigils’ where people spend time with the deceased person saying their goodbyes before a funeral. This is also leading to people wanting to be more involved in the funeral arrangements.

One option may be to use the services of a funeral company for all matters involving the deceased person’s body (transporting from mortuary or home, cremation or burial) and using the services of a celebrant to arrange and conduct a service at the venue of your choice. Or conducting the whole of proceedings yourself with help from family and friends.

The ceremony could be held in the person’s house, garden or down the beach or in the forest.

The ceremony may involve the use of symbols such as candles and things from the natural environment.

The possibilities are limitless as there are no legal requirements or religious rites to be followed.

People are becoming more concerned about the effect we are having on the planet. We still have an effect on the environment after we are dead.

Eco-friendly options may include:
No embalming of the body
Sea burials (needs to be in a depth no less than two kilometers)
Bush burials (in a biodegradable coffin)
Scattering of ashes in bushland, sea, rivers etc (though cremation causes polluting emissions)

An Australian book with interesting and useful information was published in 2007:

Funeral Rights – What the Australian ‘death-care’ industry doesn’t want you to know
Author: Robert Larkins Pub: Viking 2007

There are also many websites dedicated to alternative funerals. Here are some sites that I have found interesting and useful.

www.uk-funerals.co.uk/green-funerals www.naturalendings.co.uk/green-funerals.htm
An Australian site: www.users.on.net/~arachne/burial2.html

Talking through your grief with trusted families and friends can be very healing.

For other supports please follow the link to the
Centre for Grief Education

As there are many different ways to conduct a funeral, please contact me to discuss your situation.

Currently most people use the service of a funeral director or company who have their own resource bank of celebrants. If you want to use a celebrant of your choice you would need to negotiate this with the relevant funeral company.

If you would like to have assistance in arranging a funeral yourself, with your family or community, I would be happy to help you as a consultant.