Our team has the experience and knowledge to guide you through this process and ensure you have the resources to make a decision that feels right to you.
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.
George Hartnett Metropolitan Funerals can assist you in making arrangements to purchase a new gravesite or a memorial site, or alternatively to use an existing one at any cemetery or memorial park. We are experienced in assisting families who require an above ground burial, such as in a crypt, vault or mausoleum space. We are also experienced in assisting families who require special cremation arrangements to meet their cultural needs.
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. Your George Hartnett Metropolitan funeral director 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. The graveside service may also take 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 play special music, release doves or butterflies into the air, or add other special touches.
Cremations
Many Australians prefer cremations to burials. Our experience has shown us most families choose to hold some form of funeral service, before the coffin or casket is relocated for cremation.
After a body is cremated the ashes are usually memorialised in a permanent memorial or scattered in a place of significance. This ritual offers a place for the family and future generations to visit, so it’s important to carefully consider the location. Your funeral director can provide guidance.
Memorials
A memorial in a memorial park or garden offers a physical place to visit and remember a loved one - a place where memories can last. Memorials can also be purchased ahead of time so you have a specific place ready when the time comes, which is particularly helpful if you want a memorial next to other members of the family.
Planning ahead and preparing a place where you and your family can always be together provides a sense of comfort and permanency. These sites also offer a historical and genealogical record for your ancestry that helps future generations understand their heritage.