Creating a Fond Farewell

This book is a first-person account of my many years of practice as a funeral director. The stories are from my own personal experiences within the funeral industry and in no way reflect upon how any specific funeral company operates. They are my particular recollections of the events contained in this book. My intention in writing this book is to share with you the art of saying a meaningful goodbye to a loved one-of creating a fond farewell. I have written in the spirit of openness, so that you will come to understand the many options, and the range of possibilities, available to you when the time comes to arrange a funeral. This book is in no way a criticism of the funeral industry; on the contrary, it is a guide to help the average person navigate their way through, what can be, a confronting and challenging time. At its heart, the funeral industry is a caring and compassionate profession providing an essential service to people in their darkest hours. Knowing how to engage with the process to create a sincere and meaningful farewell, benefits everyone. I have chosen to omit some of the names of people and organisations that I refer to in the book. This has been done, with due care and consideration, to protect the privacy of those individuals or entities. Where I have used names, it is with the express permission of those persons or organisations concerned. I am not a financial advisor-any suggestions or information regarding funeral insurances and funeral bonds (Chapter 14) are my personal view on the products. The information contained in this book is general in nature and does not take into account your personal situation. You should consider whether the information is appropriate to your needs, and where appropriate, seek professional advice from a financial adviser before entering into any contract regarding these products. In the final pages I have listed a resource library to assist you to locate relevant organisations. They encompass the process from planning and conducting a funeral to providing grief counselling. Readers are advised to check for similar organisations in their state of Australia, as there may be different requirements and regulations between states. While these references are Australiaspecific, readers in other countries can be assured that similar organisations exist worldwide, and they can generally be located via a quick internet search.