Burial & cremation information
When you're organising a funeral service, one of the first decisions will be whether you are organising a burial or a cremation. This choice will directly impact the type of funeral service you will have, and will include deciding which cemetery or memorial park that will be used.
Once these decisions have been made, you can be creative and add many unique, personal touches to the ceremony if you choose. Even a religious or traditional funeral service can still have a very personal touch.
Burials
A burial – or interment – is the human ritual of placing the dead into a burial plot in the ground, or into an above-ground burial such as a crypt, vault or mausoleum. The coffin or casket is lowered into a burial plot, and the gravesite is covered with soil once the funeral service is over. For a burial service you will need to decide on a coffin or casket, and the preferred location of the burial plot. Allan Drew's funeral directors can assist you in making the arrangements to purchase a new gravesite, unless a burial plot was purchased in advance in which case the burial will take place at the existing gravesite.
GRAVESIDE SERVICES
Many families choose to hold a graveside service as part of their farewell to a loved one.
A graveside service can be the sole venue for the entire funeral service, meaning the funeral service will be conducted at the actual site of the grave, or the graveside service may be one part of a traditional funeral service, taking place after a service at another venue.
A graveside service can be personalised to your values, culture and spiritual, emotional or personal preferences. As an example you can have special music played or add any other special touches you think appropriate.
Cremations
Following the funeral service, the coffin or casket is moved to the chosen crematorium for cremation. Flowers cannot be cremated with the coffin, so families may choose to keep these following the funeral service. Please let your funeral director know if you would like to keep the flowers, or they will be carefully disposed of by the crematorium. Cremation will be carried out on the same day as the funeral service, or up to 48 hours later, in line with Australian legislation.
SCATTERING OR WITNESSING SERVICES
After a body is cremated the ashes are usually memorialised in a permanent memorial. Even when they are returned to the family for scattering it is common for a small amount to be permanently memorialised so that the family and future generations have somewhere they can visit.
Gathering your family members and friends of the deceased to witness the scattering of the ashes or the memorialisation of the ashes is growing in popularity. Allan Drew Funerals can assist you to arrange a meaningful scattering or witnessing ceremony with your chosen memorial park.
INURNMENT SERVICES
There are many ways to memorialise your loved ones ashes. At Allan Drew Funerals, we have helped families make arrangements to take the ashes home for display on a mantle, placed in a garden of remembrance, or in a family mausoleum among many choices. We can inform you of all the options available to you and help you make a decision that is in keeping with the values of your family.
Burial & cremation FAQ
Is burial more expensive than a cremation?
If you already have a ‘Grant of Right of Burial’ (meaning a burial space has already been purchased) then the costs will be similar. If a gravesite hasn’t been purchased, this will be an additional expense.
Does having a cremation mean there will be no funeral service?
Not at all. There can be a funeral service in exactly the same way as there is with a burial. The only difference is that at the end of the funeral service the remains are cremated rather than buried.
Why do people choose burial versus cremation?
The choice is often based on family traditions or family/individual beliefs. Whatever you choose, we will be able to accommodate every detail.
Are we running out of space for burials?
There has been media coverage about the issue of burial space but if you are trying to decide between burial and cremation, space should not be a consideration.
What is the difference between a cemetery and a memorial park?
Typically, a cemetery offers upright monuments and markers or memorials flush to the ground or on stone bases while a memorial park only offers markers flush to the ground or on stone bases.
In memorial parks, visitors can experience a park-like, tranquil setting while remembering their loved ones. In many memorial parks, benches, pergolas and other garden features have been positioned to provide seating and shade. If you are unsure about the options available at a memorial park or a cemetery, give us a call and one of our knowledgeable funeral directors can discuss it with you.