In Australia, the term next of kin is a person’s spouse, de facto partner or closest living relative above 18.
When a person dies, their affairs need to be finalised. Typically, this starts with notifying family and friends of their passing, making funeral arrangements, and ends with the administration of their assets and finalising financial affairs.
Unless there’s another emergency contact listed, a person’s next of kin is the first person notified in these circumstances. When a loved one dies, in most cases a next of kin is responsible for making legal decisions, organising the funeral, and managing their estate (an estate is all the money and property that the deceased owns upon their death).
Where there is a Will, the executors are responsible for administering the deceased’s estate. If there is no valid Will, the next of kin can carry out these responsibilities.
How to determine Next of Kin
The legal order of priority used to identify the next of kin is as follows:
– Spouse or domestic partner (same sex couples included) – Adult children – Parents – Adult siblings (the eldest sibling takes priority) – Any person who was a representative for the deceased immediately before death
Are you a next of kin and need assistance with what’s required and steps involved to farewell your loved one?
As a family owned and operated funeral service provider, Personal Farewells understands the importance of family, and we’re here to support, guide and help you through this process.
Today’s funerals are more personalised and individual than ever before, allowing us to say goodbye to loved ones with meaning. Gone are the days where we only wear black to funerals, we’re seeing so many requests to wear colour to remember and celebrate the life that was lost. Whilst many religious ceremonies are still quite traditional, respectful and have their place within society, there are so many other options available to families to celebrate the life of their loved one.
At Personal Farewells, we partner with several locations to provide families with alternative options to the traditional church or chapel funeral, followed by a wake at a nearby venue. Known as a ‘Celebration of Life’, select function venues can cater for the coffin to be onsite for the farewell ceremony as an alternative to a church or crematorium, with the wake following immediately thereafter (although, keep in mind that not all venues have the access requirements to be able to provide these services).
Below are our Top 3 venues we work with within the St George & Sutherland Shire area to provide our families with an array of personalised options to farewell a loved ones.
The Founders Room at Wanda Surf Club is an ocean front event space in Cronulla and can host a farewell service onsite with calming ocean views as a backdrop to send off your loved one.
Celebrate life with nature close by. Audley Dance Hall overlooks the beautiful Royal National Park. We work closely with their team to help you and your family share memories and celebrate life.
The location of the venue is a very spiritual place, steeped in deep indigenous history. The Dance Hall can seat up to 200 guests comfortably with easy access for us to transport the coffin in and out of the Dance Hall.
The Waterfront Function Centre is located within St George Motor Boat Club, San Souci. This venue offers an elegant event space where family and friends can gather, reflect and comfort one another
Ground level accessibility allows us to work with the team at The Waterfront to transport the coffin into the venue and coordinate a farewell where you can celebrate life amongst the gentle and soothing views of Kogarah Bay.
As a family owned and operated funeral service, Personal Farewells understands the importance of family, and we’re here to support, guide and help you choose the right funeral service and a meaningful farewell for your loved one.
We offer a range of affordable funerals to help you honour and celebrate their life, with genuine compassion and personalised services to suit your individual requirements.
When we’re faced with a life changing development it can be hard to make sense of what’s to come. There are so many things to consider, let alone trying to understand what might apply to your particular situation.
Palliative care is one area that is often misunderstood and there are many misconceptions out there that can lead to feelings of confusion and despair.
Here at Personal Farewells we’re committed to helping families during difficult times and sharing our empathy and expertise to make things much more manageable. We’ve put together this blog to help dispel some of the common myths around palliative care and display how this form of family-centred care can create a good quality of life.
Palliative Care Is Just About Treating Pain and Other Physical Symptoms
Palliative care aims to provide a holistic approach with an overall goal to give you the best quality of life possible.
Treatment is often designed to suit your particular needs that not only covers pain management but also takes care of any other emotional, psychological, and social needs you may have.
Palliative Care Hastens Death
Palliative care provides a broad comprehensive level of care. It offers physical, emotional, and spiritual support for not only you but also your whole family.
As such, this type of care does not hasten death, but rather provides comfort and the best quality of life from when it is initially required all the way through until the end of life.
Palliative Care Is Only for People Dying of Cancer
Palliative care is not limited to people diagnosed with cancer or any other particular type of illness.
It’s available to be accessed by anyone who is suffering with a life limiting illness or might be reaching their natural end of life. This includes chronic diseases such as heart failure to other neurological illnesses such as dementia.
You Can Only Receive Palliative Care in A Hospital
This is perhaps the biggest misconception held about palliative care. Palliative care can be provided in a range of places such as at home or an aged care facility, or at a location offering more specialised treatment options such as a hospice or hospital.
A patient’s wishes will form a central part of where the care is provided, but this may be exceeded by specialised medical needs.
Treatment Stops When Palliative Care Starts
Palliative care is not a stand-alone type of care nor is it dictated to start a particular point of time. It can begin at any time following diagnosis of a life-limiting illness and can be undertaken at the same time as other forms of treatment.
This means you can receive palliative care alongside treatments you may already be receiving for other illnesses such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
Palliative Care Is Only Available When You’re in Your Last Few Days of Dying
This common misconception is often associated with a patient’s reluctance to undertake this form of care.
Palliative care is available once a patient has been diagnosed with a life shortening illness. By offering a holistic comprehensive approach, it aims to improve quality of life that can cover an extended period, be it weeks, months or years.
Palliative Care Isn’t for Family and Friends
Palliative care takes a holistic family centred approach by offering care not only for the directly impacted patient but also for their extended support network.
This includes offering services they might find helpful and assisting them to cope during difficult times such as; providing a forum to come together to talk about sensitive issues and offering additional counselling and grief support services.
Coming to terms with a life changing development is a difficult time for all those involved. It’s very easy to get overwhelmed and be apprehensive about certain forms of care that can actually improve the quality of our lives.
Palliative care is one form of care that needs to be clearly understood. Despite some misconceptions out there, it’s not a stand-alone treatment limited to treating pain at a hospital, for patients in the last days of their life.
In fact, it’s a holistic family centred care that offers physical, emotional, and spiritual support for not only you but also your whole family. It does not hasten death but aims to provide comfort and best quality of life. It’s also not mutually exclusive and can be undertaken concurrently with other forms of treatment either at home or another facility that may be more appropriate.
We hope this blog has cleared up some of the common misconceptions associated with palliative care. Here at Personal Farewells we strive to be there for families when they need us the most.
We offer a comprehensive level of personalised care and guide you through every step of planning your funeral arrangements. We can come to you and help make sure your wishes are respectfully taken care of.
Should you have any further questions on any matters related to funeral arrangements, don’t hesitate to contact us today.
Being diagnosed with a serious illness, or reaching a point in our lives where we need additional specialised care, can be such an overwhelming experience. Not only is it hard to come to terms with the gravity of the whole situation, but your family and loved ones will also be impacted by the monumental change to come.
During difficult times such as this, it’s important to be aware of exactly what care and support is available to you. Here at Personal Farewells we’re committed to providing families with the level of guidance and support they truly deserve.
Through our time in the industry, we’ve grown and learnt to be that supportive shoulder you can rely on, offering that personalised familiar one-on-one care. To help families, we’ve put together this blog to delve deeper into the details of palliative care and how it may relate to your particular circumstances.
What Is Palliative Care?
Palliative care is the treatment, care and support for people who have been diagnosed with a serious illness and also covers natural end of life care.
It aims to ease the suffering of patients and their families by providing a good quality of life for all parties involved.
Palliative care is based on individual needs, so the services on offer will differ depending on each situation, but they generally fall into the below categories:
Medical treatment and pain management
Access to additional resources needed for at home care
Psychological and spiritual support
Support with everyday tasks
Advice on other services such as home care and financial assistance
Support services for the extended family
Assistance with adherence to cultural obligations
Additional counselling and grief support
Where at home palliative care for the patient is not an option, it may be provided in hospital or nursing home.
It’s important to remember that palliative care is a family-centred model of care, offering practical and emotional support, that helps people live their life as fully and as comfortably as possible.
Whom Is Palliative Care For?
Palliative care is not limited to any particular grouping of people. It applies to people of any age who have been diagnosed with a serious illness that cannot be cured and also covers natural end of life care. This includes people at all stages of life including; children, adults and the elderly.
When palliative care starts will be dependent on your individual circumstances. For some people this might mean from right from the time of diagnosis, while for others it may not be needed until your illness progresses further.
For those coming to end of life, this type of care may result in changes to medications, with the overall goal being to achieve comfort until the end.
It’s also important to factor in that palliative care is not a form of standalone care, while in this form of care, you can still also receive other treatments recommended by other health practitioners.
Where Is Palliative Care Provided?
Where palliative care is provided will be dependent on the care needs and individual wishes of the patient and family. This may include at home or an aged care facility, or at a location offering more specialised treatment options such as a hospice or hospital.
Personal preference will play a major role, but the ultimate decision will be dictated by the level of medical care that is necessary.
A Time to Plan Ahead
Despite going through such monumental change, palliative care can provide you with the right level of support and care needed to begin to plan for any necessary end of life arrangements.
Being in a respectful comfortable environment will give you and your family the time to plan and discuss your preferences for important decisions that need to be taken care of such as finalising your will and funeral arrangements.
Having the tranquillity to plan for your funeral will not only give you the peace of mind that your final wishes will be respected, but also it will also look after the well-being of those you will leave behind. By ensuring your affairs are in order, you will also reduce the likelihood that your family will be liable for any unforeseen financial obligations.
A Funeral Home That’s Right for You
If you’ve been thinking about getting your affairs in order and looking for the right type of guidance and support during this sensitive time, you can rely on us here at Personal Farewells.
We’re an independent family owned service who strive to always be there for families, offering a helping hand and an empathetic shoulder to lean on. We’ll come to you and offer a personalised service where you’ll have the undivided attention of one of our helpful team members throughout the whole journey. With us, you’ll have one central familiar touchpoint offering comfort and a level of familiarity you can depend on.
No matter what your concerns are or what type of funeral service you’d like to have, we’ll present you with a range of options to help you plan for a farewell you truly deserve.
When faced with a life-changing event, it’s important to gain an understanding of any help and support that is available. This will help to make sense of the whole situation and approach any future decisions from a more informed point of view.
Palliative care is a form of comprehensive support for individuals who have been diagnosed
with a serious illness and also covers natural end of life care. By offering services, advice, resources, and support, palliative care helps improve the quality of life for both the patient and their extended support network.
Palliative care can be provided at home or other facilities, dependent on the care needs and individual wishes of the patient and family. A big benefit of this type of care is that it provides a respectful comfortable environment, enabling a patient to start to plan for what’s ahead.
If you are looking for someone to guide you through the whole funeral arrangement process, you can rely on us here at Personal Farewells.
We understand just how difficult a situation like this can be, so offer a personalised service where we’ll come to you and guide you through every step of the journey. We’ll answer any questions you may have and make sure your and your family’s wishes are respectfully taken care of.
Should you have any further questions on funeral arrangements or any other matters, don’t hesitate to contact us today.
A recommendation means everything, especially when seeking support with big life challenges and to that end Stephanie and her team are at all times attentive, calm and caring.Thankyou Stephanie for being so prompt and obliging when supporting Susan and myself organise our Mother's service.Kind Regards Graeme Hadenham
I highly recommend Stephanie and Personal farewells .What a beautiful , empathetic angel that guided me through a very sad and stressful time .From my first email to my last call to the most beautiful service with touches of love and magic that have never been offered by others .I choose personal farewells because of their stand out reviews that are so well deserved .Honestly you will not be disappointed with the way and above service , communication, care.I highly recommend the beautiful doves and Stephanie will be there to gently guide you through your sad and difficult time .Thankyou so much for a beautiful farewell for mum 🕊️🤍
The whole experience from first contact to final stage was excellent, professional and dignified. Thank you, Stephanie, for helping to realise our father’s final wishes. We highly recommend Personal Farewells.
Arranging a funeral at short notice seemed a daunting task, but with Stephanie's guidance all the details came together quickly and we were able organise a service with personal touches that was what we wanted. The photos were easy to upload and there was no problem with my choice of songs to be played during the service.
Stephanie was recommended to me at the time that our dear Dad moved to palliative care and his care facility asked us to nominate a funeral director. It was so confronting. However, my very first conversation with Stephanie put me at ease and she answered all of my questions thoughtfully and compassionately. When our Dad passed away I was so relieved to know that Stephanie was going to support us. She was gentle, reassuring, highly professional and understood that we wanted a celebration of Dads life. We never felt pressured and Stephanie went out of her way to ensure that everything went smoothly. Not only did she check in with us regularly about the details of the funeral, but she also spent time checking in on us to see how we were travelling.The funeral was absolutely beautiful - a fitting tribute to an extraordinary man. As many other people have mentioned - Stephanie is genuine and kind. It is often the little things that speak volumes about a person. For example, when Stephanie collected the garments that Dad would wear we noticed how carefully she placed them in her car. This care and respect was shown by all of the staff who we interacted with at personal farewells. Not only was our Father treated with the utmost respect and dignity, our whole family was well supported during this very difficult time. We are truly grateful and would not hesitate in recommending Personal Farewells to others.
When you are faced with a sudden and painful loss, you need to have someone who genuinely and gently moves you to a Farewell frame of mind. Last thing anyone needs at that point in time is a corporate way of selling a funeral service. Stephanie is an amazing soul who was destined to be in this role, the value and honour was everything a grieving son could have hoped and needed. I would highly recommend Stephanie and Personal Farewells staff. I would say just go and meet Stephanie you'll know immediately Personal Farewells are above excellent.
We cannot recommend Stephanie from Personal Farewells enough for her expertise in organising my brother's funeral during such a traumatic time. Stephanie was recommended to us, and from our very first conversation we knew we had found the right person who would effectively guide us in arranging a memorial service that my brother so richly deserved. Stephanie is warm, empathetic and very efficient - nothing was too much trouble. Thank you so much Stephanie and to your team for your professionalism, support and genuine care in making our highly emotional situation bearable.
We cannot speak highly enough of Stephanie and Personal Farewells. Her warmth, empathy, understanding and guidance helped us plan the perfect farewell for our husband and dad. His passing was very sudden and unexpected yet her gentle nature and professionalism gave us a sense of calm and reassurance during what was a traumatic time for our family. From our first meeting, we knew Personal Farewells was not only a business name but the very nature of Stephanie. Her ability to understand someone's life, to ensure they have the most perfect and fitting farewell is amazing. Stephanie'shelp, support and follow up both during the planning of the service and afterwards meant so much and we cannot thank her enough for helping us have positive memories of what was the most difficult time of our life.
We are so grateful that we chose Personal Farewells which is local and family run. Stephanie has been amazing, professional, kind, compassionate and so so helpful.We cannot speak more highly of the personal and special service provided by Stephanie and Personal Farewells and highly recommend them.Thank you Stephanie!
We are very happy to send this review, along with our sincere thanks to Stephanie and her colleagues at Personal Farewells.Her professionalism and genuine kindness was exceptional, and nothing was missed in preparing for our dear mother's funeral.Every aspect of the ceremony was covered and things were explained clearly to us when we had questions.My family and I would have no hesitation in recommending Personal Farewells to anyone looking to give their loved one a caring and thoughtful farewell.
It is with deepest appreciation that I write this review for Personal Farwell Funerals. Stephanie Kelly, Farewell Director, ensured everything was organised efficiently and with the attention to detail and thoughtfulness that can only be found in a family-run business that places its clients at the center of everything they do. Always courteous and professional, Stephanie took the time to listen and understand what we wanted to express and the atmosphere we wanted to create to honour our loved one, and then caringly guided our thinking so that our wishes were realised. From the moment we met Stephanie we knew she was the best person to entrust with our loved one’s funeral. and she went above and beyond our expectations.I hope this review serves to both thank Stephanie and Personal Farewells for standing beside our family at one of the most difficult times of our lives and provides others the opportunity to benefit from the service and care of this highly professional and independently run family business.
After the loss of my beautiful Mum I wanted to go with a small family run funeral Directors business .Personal Farewells didn't disappoint, Stephanie took care of what was needed and I could get in contact and ask her anything I needed. In those hard times it's so important . I would recommendPersonal Farewells.🌻
Our friend referred Stephanie to us after her own father passed away. We were grateful to have Stephanie's help during the difficult time after my mother-in-law's passed. She is a very compassionate, kind and helpful funeral director. She was generous with her time and explained the entire process to us. Her personal touch and care really meant a lot to us. We highly recommend Stephanie to anyone who is looking for an excellent funeral director. Thank you so much, Steph!
Stephanie arranged our Mother's funeral. We couldn't be happier that we chose Stephanie/ Personal Farewells it was one of the best decisions we made in a difficult time. Stephanie was professional and caring, she was genuine and authentic professionally and personally. She made the process easy and comfortable , she is experienced and knowledgeable and responded to us kindly and promptly. She made great suggestions and everyone at the service loved the finishing touches of Personal Farewells eg beautiful visual tribute, lovely quality printed service booklets. Thank you Stephanie for making our Mum's farewell an extra special event.
Stephanie was a standout choice for us. From seeing the 5 star reviews we totally understand why she deserves every one. It was such wonderful experience to have contact with the one person from our initial enquiry through to the conclusion of the service. The whole experience was made that much more special by Stephanies caring and gental nature. This is a small business and it was a personal touch. We could not offer any area for improvement because it was just perfect! Could not fault one thing. Thank you Stephanie. x
Our family was very happy with the attention to detail and honest sincerity that Stephanie showed us in planning for our Mum's funeral, while we were still in a state of shock at her passing. Everyone said after the funeral it was a beautiful ceremony, and we feel we gave her the best possible goodbye 'until we meet again'. Stephanie is a wonderful person for whom nothing is too much trouble. Personal Farewells is highly recommended.
Stephanie from Personal Farewells led us through the process gently & expertly, providing a beautiful, simple Memorial Service for our husband & father. Everything was better than I could have wished. I highly recommend both Personal Farewells & their celebrant Jacqueline Dee.
Stephanie is the person you want for your loved ones service. Amazing, calm, kind and compassionate.Stephanie an absolute professional with our planning and was a clam face in a highly emotional time.I can’t recommend her enough. Your loved one is in good hands.
Plunged into the unfamiliar territory of organising a funeral service for our father, my sister and I felt immediately at ease after contacting Stefanie. She was extremely professional and empathetic. She gave us excellent guidance and encouraged us to express our wishes with regards to the service and happily encorporated our ideas. With Stefanie's help we had a lovely funeral for our father. Thank you Stefanie and Personal Farewells.
After the sudden passing of my father I was very shaken with grief & left heart broken.Among all the confusion & unsure what to do first, I reached out & made the difficult phone call to Stephanie.From the moment Stephanie answered my call she has been nothing but compassionate, caring and her gentle nature during this extremely stressful time.Once myself & my family had arranged to meet with Stephanie to start planning dads Service it was very clear we had to use personal farewells. We all smiled at each other outside the office and said‘ yes ‘ we have found our lady!Stephanie constantly kept in contact with me along the way, helped me with dads visual slideshow presentation ( which I had no idea how to do) , the order of service Card & organising the flowers and the memorabilia for Dads Memorial table. Everything was stress- free and just went so smoothly. The service was so beautiful, dad would have been really impressed. I cant recommend Stephanie highly enough.Stephanie definitely takes the added pressure away and knows exactly what she is doing.Because personal farewells are family owned and operated with their clear honest pricing we could give dad the send off he so deserves not worrying about financials in a time filled with sadness & grief.From the bottom of my heart Stephanie myself & my family want to Thankyou for your ongoing support before, during and after Dads Service you have been truly amazing. We will reach out to you again in the future x
Stephanie was a breath of fresh air at a difficult time. She was understanding, helpful and kind. We didn't know where to start and she guided us smoothly through the entire process. I think the name of her business is perfect - it felt personal, every step of the way. Thank you Stephanie. We're so glad we stumbled across you.
Stephanie was wonderful right from our first meeting. She was incredibly empathic, professional, and supportive in all aspects of our mum’s funeral. Highly recommend.
Wonderful and empathetic: first class.Stephanie organised my mother's recent funeral. She immediately made us feel at ease and went out of her way to help us with everything… nothing was too much trouble. Stephanie showed great warmth, empathy and professionalism and thanks to her the funeral was lovely – exactly as Mum would have wanted it.Stephanie truly cares, and it shows. We cannot thank her enough.
I recently engaged Stephanie to assist with the funeral arrangements for my father. From our first phone call through to the funeral itself, she was a reassuring guide in this difficult process. Stephanie went out of her way to make things easier for my family in a myriad of different ways and we found her to be caring, professional, hardworking and reliable. Stephanie managed a very tight timeframe extremely well and she and her team were an inobtrusive and supportive presence on the day of the funeral. Everything went exactly to plan and I know that my father would have been so pleased with his final farewell.
We used Personal Farewells to arrange my Dad’s funeral, which was a beautiful and fitting tribute and a wonderful celebration of his life. I would highly recommend Personal Farewells, as they make this painful process so much easier. Stephanie is an absolute delight, and her team of suppliers were brilliant to work with as they guided and supported us during a very difficult time. They were compassionate, thoughtful and fully transparent with pricing and service.
It is always a pleasure to see #personal funerals providing the ultimate of attention to detail. Accompanied with the personal service that I have observed.
I cannot speak highly enough about this company. Stephanie was my first contact. She was so caring and helpful. Nothing requested was too much trouble. Stephanie was so patient and never too busy to answer questions, help with arrangements for our farewell for our father and let us have our final goodbye.I have no hesitation in recommending Personal Farewells. I hope you get to meet Stephanie. She is a very special person.
We had Stephanie at Personal Farewells recommended to us through a friend of a friend & we are extremely glad that we did. Stephanie was warm, empathetic & supportive throughout the whole funeral planning process & on the day of the service. She was extremely efficient & in constant communication with us. Every one of my (numerous) calls & emails was responded to almost immediately. The funeral service was flawless & was everything we could have hoped for in making it a beautiful celebration of my Mum’s life. Stephanie ensured that an incredibly difficult time was made as easy as it could be in regards to planning & organisation. We will be forever grateful that Stephanie was recommended us & that we used Personal Farewells.
Stephanie was warm, welcoming and professional throughout the whole process. She was available, helpful and delivered on all agreements. She made a very difficult process that would be hard to navigate at the best of times, achievable. Her presence and assistance reassured us that all would go well and it did.
I first contacted Personal Farewells after reading their glowing reviews and I liked the fact that they were a family owned independent service who showed their costs upfront.Planning my dear mum’s funeral seemed a bit daunting but after talking to Stephanie I felt calmer and more confident that I could give her the farewell she deserved.On arrival at their premises we were greeted by Stephanie with warmth, compassion and respect, she showed a genuine interest in hearing about my mother’s life.Stephanie helped us create a beautiful service and went out of her way to help my daughter with the slide show when we experienced technical difficulties.On the day of my mother’s funeral Stephanie was a reassuring presence and co-ordinated everything perfectly.We are so happy we chose Personal Farewells.. Thanks again Stephanie and your team.
Genuinely difficult to imagine what Stephanie and her team could’ve done better to make the event more special and beautiful than it was. Not an easy time for the family, hence having Steph in your corner, who provides a perfect mix of empathy and compassion, coupled with being a highly effective and seasoned operator is absolutely priceless. Everything you did is much appreciated; thank you!
Personal Farewells were excellent. Stephanie was very helpful in such a stressful time. She had great communication and ideas as we weren't having a traditional funeral. She followed everything right through to the end.
From our first chat Stephanie was amazing. Organising a funeral is never easy and being interstate even more difficult. Stephanie was always responsive, went above and beyond (viewed a venue for me before I hadn’t yet engaged her), met me on a weekend when I flew in and really listened to who my dad was. She helped gently guide me, was respectful and had great ideas on incorporating my dads many quirks! Stephanie also matched me with the perfect celebrant to run the service (Sharon Swinbourne). I am truly thankful for the amazing efforts and take a lot of comfort from that day in June knowing that my dad would have truly loved his own celebration! Thank you again Stephanie 😊
Stephanie and all of her staff at Personal Farewells were wonderful throughout the entire process for two recent family funerals, we did not have any worries as we new we were in caring hands. They are extremely empathic and well organised, we cannot recommend Personal Farewells more highly.
Highly recommend Personal Farewells. Stephanie was wonderful and looked after all our needs when we lost our precious Mum. Can’t thank her and Personal Farewells enough.
Stephanie and her team provided a first-rate farewell for my Mother at the Audley Dance Hall recently. Steph is a pleasure to deal with, kind, compassionate and very thorough, nothing was too much trouble. Highly recommend.
My mother passed away in February, 2022. Personal Farewells did a sterling job in guiding and helping us through everything that had to be done. They also put us in contact with a wonderful celebrant who helped us organise a memorial service.
Our dear mother passed away last week and during a very emotional and highly vulnerable period Stephanie and her team were exceptional! She walked us through the entire process. Not only did she come to our house to discuss the arrangements on a Sunday, she handled everything including catering. She was in contact continuously - and on the very rare occasion I had a question she responded very quickly either via email, text or phone.Personal Farewells customer service is second to none. Irrespective what we needed we never ever felt rushed. Mandy’s, Stephanie’s and Corey’s genuineness came through in spades!If I could give a higher rating, I would! Such a lovely, caring, warm, professional and genuinely empathetic team of people. Thank you Stephanie and your entire team, for making a very challenging and highly emotional situation not only manageable but very, very beautiful!!
Thank you so much Stephanie for making our Mum's funeral last Friday so special. You couldn't be more professional yet still be so caring.Nothing was too much trouble .
Personal Funerals were amazing. From the first phone call with Stephanie everything went smoothly with my Dad’s funeral. She helped us in every step without being intrusive, she listened and guided us to give the funeral Dad would of wanted. Stephanie put us in touch with a beautiful celebrant Sharon Swanbourne who also listened to us and endless stories about Dad so much I have had many people who were at the funeral or watched it ask if Stephanie or Sharon were family friends as they made it so personal. If I could give 10 stars rating I would. Karan Rogers
I would like to say a huge thankyou to Personal Farewells after the wonderful send off they provided for my sister last week, Thankyou so much Stephanine you went above & beyong, you and your team were very professional and compassionate.Would highly recommend.
We were completely satisfied with Stephanie and her team from Personal Farewells. Highly recommended and happy to provide further feedback should anyone like to reach out.
What can I say but thankyou so much.Stephanie you're amazing you helped so much when I lost both my husband and my Mum arranging the memorial thankyou Personal Farewells
I would on behalf of my family like to extend our sincere thanks to Stephanie and Personal Farewells for the dignified and empathetic manner in which they conducted our father Major General Prem Chowdry's funeral in Sydney in April 2022. It was a difficult time for the family and Stephanie was there holding our hands and guiding us from the start to the final farewell showing sensitivity to the cultural and religious aspects as well as the planning and organisation required for the funeral arrangements. We cannot thanks Stephanie enough for the support and guidance she gave us and I would recommend her to anyone in a similar situation bidding farewell to their loved ones.
My family found the support provided by Personal Farewells to be professional, sensitive and really supportive right from my initial enquiry, through to all the organisation required to arrange my relative’s funeral service and then managing all the legal documentation required.Stephanie Kelly, the Funeral Director was very responsive to our request for a home visit and was able to reassure my sister that her wishes for her Funeral Service would be genuinely respected. She was empathic, provided helpful information and answered our questions, no matter how trivial.Stephanie provided considerable support and guidance with such practical issues as organising the slide show, music and even researching the availability of the specifically requested coffin. All information provided re costs was clear and transparent, with no unexpected extras. We found the service provided allayed all our anxieties about having to arrange a funeral that was a fitting, memorable and affordable farewell to my sisterMy sister’s wish for a family run Funeral Service that offered a personalised and compassionate service turned out to be a wise decision.I thank Stephanie for her warmth and extensive support with our family’s farewell for my sister.Lynne Chapman
It was a phone call with dire news that we received from a selected FD that saw us quickly looking for another Funeral director that would hopefully turn our already stressful situation into one that we had hoped wouldn't be.Stephanie and her team were the epitome of ease, professionalism, compassion and a literal 'always available whenever you need her'. Never too occupied or busy to call back and if we could give her and her team 10 stars we would!. It's the small things that make the difference always making sure my Father's final farewell was not only personal but forever memorable for my family and I. In the chaos of what seemed to be a thousand things to do during my Fathers service Stephanie and her team were there every step of the way..Always in the background always helping where she can. If you're reading this far do yourself a favour and call. You will not regret it! May you also experience a beautiful, memorable and personal farewell for your dear loved ones.
1300 95 95 33 
