Direct Cremation

There are many ways to mark the passing of a loved one, you may opt for something simple and memorable to reflect how they lived their life, or a more structured farewell adhering to religious customs and cultural traditions. Ultimately, there is no right or wrong answer. What matters most is that the decision is made with care and respect for the deceased.

A direct cremation is an increasingly popular choice for many families. It can provide much-needed closure and peace of mind during a difficult time.

There are many reasons why people might choose cremation, such as the desire to avoid burial or the wish to keep the ashes with them. Whatever the reason, it’s important to know what happens during cremation and what options are available afterwards.

Here at Personal Farewells, we’re committed to creating a respectful supportive environment for all our clients. We provide comprehensive Direct Cremation services with a great degree of care, sympathy and compassion. Our empathetic professional team will look after you through every step of the grieving process, and create a fitting environment to say goodbye to your loved one.

What Is Direct Cremation?

Cremation is a centuries-old method for dealing with the passing of a loved one that involves burning their remains into fine ashes.

A direct cremation is a simple and affordable option that provides the flexibility to accommodate a loved one’s wishes. It is a cremation with no service and without anyone in attendance. Typically, this type of cremation is performed within days after someone passes away.

After the cremation, the ashes are then returned to the family who can then carry out a loved one’s wishes, where they might hold onto the ashes for memorialisation, or arrange a less traditional memorial service at a later date.

Direct Cremation at Personal Farewells

Direct Cremation
$2990

Here at Personal Farewells we’re a proudly independent, family owned and operated direct cremations funeral service. We offer respectful funeral and cremation services for people of all walks of life and religious backgrounds.

Our Direct Cremation / NSNA services include;

• 24/7 Customer care and support
• Transfer into our care anytime within the Sydney or Wollongong
  • We service ALL AREAS OF NSW, including Sutherland Shire, Wollongong and Campbelltown
  • Additional fees apply for all areas outside of these regions
  • There are NO additional costs for after hours, weekends or public holidays
• Medical and Cremation Certificate
• Cremation Coffin
• Crematorium Cremation Fees
  • Cremation at Macquarie Park Crematorium North Ryde, Woronora Memorial Park Sutherland or Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park Matraville.
  • Additional fees apply for cremation at other crematoriums
  • Standard size cremation coffin included
• Registration and Death Certificate from the Registry of Births, Deaths & Marriages
• Basic Mortuary Care / Professional Service Fees
• Collection of ashes from our Heathcote, Neutral Bay or Canterbury offices (by appointment), or complimentary personal delivery within Sydney and Wollongong

Should you have any further questions on any details of our packages don’t hesitate to contact us.

How Does Direct Cremation Work?

In such a solemn and sensitive time it can be hard to think about what’s ahead. To better prepare, it’s important to take some time to understand exactly what’s involved, thereby helping to make the transition for what’s to come a little bit more manageable.

With a direct cremation, initially the deceased is transported from the place of their passing to a mortuary facility where they will receive respectful essential care. The family of the deceased will then meet with the funeral director to go over any applicable arrangements. During this time documents and agreements are signed which allow for the cremation to take place. Documents are then filed by the funeral director, including the death certificate.

Since the deceased is to be cremated, certain items such as a pacemaker (if present) and jewellery will be carefully removed. Jewellery and any other related personal items such as rings or watches will be passed on to the deceased’s family at a later stage. A third-party doctor will then attend to verify the deceased and take care of the appropriate paperwork.

As opposed to an expensive casket or coffin that’s associated with a traditional burial, for the cremation, the deceased is placed in an inexpensive and environmentally friendly coffin. Since there’s no viewing or wake that takes place before a direct cremation, there’s no need for embalming or other body preparations.

Typically you will have the option of choosing the urn that the deceased’s ashes will go into. This can range from a simple design to one more elegant and ornamental option. Once the cremation has been carried out, the ashes are placed into the urn of your choosing and handed over to the deceased’s family.

Preparing Your Family for Direct Cremation

Being cremated or buried is a very personal choice. It’s a difficult subject to contemplate, but making a decision and communicating your choice in advance matters.

Since cremation without a service is typically not seen as a traditional send-off, your decision might initially come across as a bit of a shock to your family. To avoid any difficulties going forward, it’s important to have open communication and explain to them the reasons behind your decision.

Typically families are concerned that there is no traditional funeral service. You can reassure them that even though there is no ceremony prior to cremation, there is just as much respect and care taken in the procedure as a traditional funeral service.

This is also a good time to further discuss whether you would like your family to hold a personalised memorial service or celebration of life after the cremation takes place, and what you’d like done with your ashes afterwards.

You can also think about listing your preferences for arrangements to be included as part of your Will. Putting your final wishes in writing makes it clear to your loved ones what’s right for you, and avoids the potential for disagreements in the future.

Benefits of Direct Cremation

More and more people are choosing direct cremation as their preferred option. There are many reasons why direct cremation might be suitable for your circumstances.

Cost

Despite best-laid plans, in today’s economic climate it is difficult to find the funds for unexpected funeral expenses. The last thing you want to do is to leave your loved ones with a financial liability they may struggle to take care of.

Since direct cremation does not include a formal funeral or any pre-funeral events, many of the costs that are associated with a traditional funeral (i.e. expensive coffins, embalming, ministers) are avoided.

Cremations are also far less costly in the long run, with this option you don’t have to pay for the land of the grave itself.

Flexibility

Traditional funeral arrangements typically operate on a strict schedule, with certain events required to take place within a short period of time. While this may be suitable for some families, for others, the whole experience can seem rushed.

With a direct cremation, since there is no pressure to plan a funeral or memorial service in a span of a few days, you have greater freedom and flexibility to consider a fitting farewell for your loved one.

Personalisation

Since you’re not restricted by traditional burial limitations and timing, once you collect the ashes you have time to plan and arrange a memorial service that truly honours and respects their wishes.

This may take the form of a personalised memorial service, celebration of life, or ceremony to mark the spreading of ashes. Additionally, with greater time to prepare a personalised service, this also allows for the accommodation of a greater cross-section of guests who would like to attend, such as those that need to travel from interstate or overseas.

More Options for a Final Resting Place

With cremation, you are freed from the limitations of a cemetery.

You can keep the remains exactly according to your loved one’s wishes. This may entail keeping them at home in a suitable urn of your choosing or scattering them in a meaningful location such as a hiking spot, or waterway.

Some of the options available to you include:

• Place in a columbarium at a nearby Cemetery (a structure for the reverential and usually public storage of funerary urns)
• Buried at a cemetery
• Buried on private property
• Scattered on land
• Scattered at sea
• Kept at home

Note there are various rules and regulations that apply to the spreading of ashes. To ensure you cover all bases, you should check which are applicable in your state.

Religion

For many cultures and religions, cremation is the preferred option to celebrate the life of a loved one.

Canon Law now permits cremation for Roman Catholics, but the remains must be buried or entombed, not scattered or kept. This change was made in recognition of the fact that cremation is increasingly popular among Catholics, as well as changing attitudes towards the practice. While the Church still prefers burial, it recognises that a cremation is a legitimate option for those who wish to choose it.

In the past, Muslim, Greek and Jewish Orthodox faiths have forbidden cremation, as have some Protestant groups. However, more recently these religions have relaxed church laws to allow cremations to take place. The reasons for this change of heart vary between religions, but they generally centre around the belief that cremation is a more respectful way to deal with a deceased person’s body.

In Hinduism, cremation is strongly associated with the faith and not only tolerated but encouraged as the traditional passing preference. This is because Hindus believe that cremation helps encourage the soul to leave the body as part of the ongoing process of reincarnation.

Environmentally Friendly

Cemeteries are increasingly running out of room and more land is constantly being sought for traditional burying purposes.

Cremation forms a vital part of the land conservation movement within the funeral industry. With this option, little to no land is needed. Remains can be kept at home, scattered, or stored in a small columbarium that can cater for a large number of urns in a small area.

Additionally cremation eliminates the need for embalming and the many associated harmful chemicals. Embalming techniques use formaldehyde, a chemical that is not ideal for our environment or the staff handling the process.

Why Us

Here at Personal Farewells we understand the difficulty in saying goodbye. This is why we strive to create a supportive environment so that each of our clients knows that they will be looked after every step along their journey, no matter how big or small it may seem.

We’ve based our business to run on a number of fundamental principles.

Family Values

Family has always been one of the most important relationships in people’s lives. When times are tough, family members come together to support each other and offer their love as a means for healing from difficult situations or events that may have transpired throughout life.

Personal Farewells is a 100% family-owned and operated business that recognises the importance of family values. We strive to offer top-quality service with compassion at every turn, showing the care and empathy one normally receives from family.

Fully Tailored Services

We understand that every family is unique, and as a result, we customise our services for each individual’s needs. We listen carefully to ensure the perfect farewell ceremony is thoroughly planned and respectfully carried out.

Our friendly professional team will spend the time to understand your unique situation, and then advise the right service option to meet your needs.

Trust and Support

The thought of saying goodbye can be quite difficult, but there are ways to make it more manageable. We provide one point of contact for any concerns you may have along the way so that your experience with us will be as smooth and respectful as possible.

Our team is here, with 24/7 email and phone support, meaning you can count on us being there when you need us the most.

Affordable Prices

We understand that you might be searching for an affordable option to arrange your funeral, and we want to provide the best service possible. Our family-owned business is not driven by profit, so all of our options are tailored around what’s right for you, not how much it costs.

We offer a range of flexible quality service options with varying price points to help support our clients in their time of need.