Funerals and Memorials
I offer non-religious funeral and memorial ceremonies. I trained as a Funeral Celebrant through "Celebrations Australia" and hold a Certificate IV in Celebrancy. I also completed "Deathwalker" training through the Natural Death Care Centre in 2016. I can advise on information regarding death, advocacy and ceremony in Australia. I consider myself a humanist. A non-religious person who makes sense of the world using reason and experience. As a humanist I try to base my ethics on the goals of human welfare, happiness, fulfilment and our relationship with the natural world. Of course I respect everyones right to believe what they wish.
The death of anyone we have known and loved, is no less sad, shocking or painful for those of us who choose to live without religion. Whether this is someone in our extended family, a friend or colleague, an elderly person, a parent, sibling, child or a baby.
A funeral director is the professional most likely to deal with all the practical arrangements of a funeral, but this is not always the case. I am able to advise or advocate for you if you wish and charge an houly rate for this service. We are all entitled to specify the kind of funeral ceremony we want and to choose the celebrant we want. Some funeral directors have celebrants they use regularly but you can choose whoever you want. You can also choose the location. It could be your home, a beach , a headland, a hall.
A Humanist, non-religious funeral or memorial ceremony will:
- focus sincerely and affectionately on the person who has died
- allow friends, relatives and acquaintances to express their feelings and to share their memories
- have warmth and sincerity: bereaved people find it helpful to have provided and created a ceremony their loved ones would have wanted
- celebrate the life of the person who has died by paying tribute to them, to the life they lived, the connections they made and left behind
- be simply more appropriate for those who have not lived according to religious principles, or accepted religious views of life or death.
I will meet with the family or friends who are most closely connected with the person who has died. I will want to learn as much about the person as possible, so that the funeral or memorial tribute justly captures the life and personality of that person.
I will be sensitive to your wishes yet ready to give guidance and to answer questions when required. Many family members prefer to read and write the eulogy for their loved one, but I am happy to help write and deliver it for you if you don't feel confident with that. I will welcome your ideas for readings and music and can suggest other suitable material for the kind of ceremony you want. I will empathise with the experience of bereavement but will get on with preparing the ceremony you want and will be ready to lead it on the day.
I prefer to offer my services for funeral or memorial ceremonies in more intimate or natural settings like a garden, a home, or an outdoor venue.
Preparing Your Own Funeral
Like many non-religious people you may want to make advance plans for your own funeral or memorial ceremony. Why not?
It takes a great deal of pressure off friends and family at a stressful time if you leave clear instructions regarding your wishes in this area. There’s no set way of doing this, but it is important that you write down what you would like to happen and very important that you give a copy of your plans to a close family member or friend who is likely to take charge of the event.
You might like to think about the music you would like played and the poems or texts you would like to be read. You might consider writing a short personal history, mentioning the people and events that have been important to you. This can help make the funeral more meaningful for those who attend. If you want to have a non-religious funeral or memorial ceremony conducted by a Humanist funeral celebrant, you should specify this.
Please message me on the contact page if you would like to enquire about a funeral or memorial ceremony.