A gentle guide for when you need it most.

If your loved one was receiving care at home, phone the service that has been caring for them — for example, Blue Care or Anglicare. A member of their team will visit and complete a Life Extinct form, which allows us to bring your loved one into our care.

They will usually also contact your loved one’s doctor, who will complete the Cause of Death Certificate (Form 9).

Nursing homes now ask residents to nominate their chosen funeral home when they move in, so there’s no confusion about who to call.

When a death occurs, the nursing staff will let the family know, complete the Life Extinct form and contact the funeral home. They will also notify your loved one’s GP so the Form 9 can be completed, which we collect when it’s needed.

The hospital’s nursing staff will contact the next of kin. When you’re ready to begin the arrangements, simply call us. We’ll liaise with the hospital to bring your loved one into our care and obtain the paperwork needed, including the Cause of Death Certificate.

When a death is sudden or unexpected — for example after an accident, or a suicide — the police must be notified. Please don’t move or disturb your loved one until the police or the Coroner say it’s okay.

The police will arrange for the government-contracted funeral service to take your loved one to the Coroner’s mortuary. The Coroner will then investigate the cause and circumstances of the death, which may include a post-mortem examination.

Sometimes this means the funeral can’t go ahead until the Coroner has given clearance. You can still contact us whenever you’re ready, and we’ll gently guide you through what happens next.

Arranging a funeral can feel daunting. Making decisions about a farewell for someone so important carries a real sense of responsibility — which is why it matters to have a caring, creative team who will listen, and help you celebrate the life, culture and interests of the person you love.

Every funeral we arrange is tailored to the family. We’ll give you the time and attention you need to make the farewell meaningful and personal.

This page gives you an overview, but the best advice comes from a conversation. You’re welcome to meet with one of our experienced arrangers, at no cost and with no obligation — or we can talk over the phone if that’s easier. You can always count on our care and discretion.

Many people believe a funeral must happen within a set time after a death. That isn’t the case — you can take your time and go at a pace that feels comfortable.

Some families prefer to hold the funeral as soon as possible, and that’s okay too. We simply encourage you to plan carefully, so the arrangements truly meet your family’s needs. When choosing a day and time, allow enough time to:

• hold a viewing, if you’d like one
• write the eulogy
• prepare an order of service
• gather old photographs
• prepare a memory display, if you’d like one
• let relatives and friends travel from other places

Like any professional you might call on for specialised help, a funeral director plays a unique role in the community — caring for families when someone they love dies. Here’s what we look after for you:

• Guidance, care and attention from our trained team, 24 hours a day
• Bringing your loved one into our care from home, a nursing home or most hospitals, at any hour
• Registering the death with the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages
• Meeting with your family to plan the arrangements and service details
• Booking everything you’ve chosen — church or chapel, crematorium or cemetery, minister or celebrant
• Providing the coffin or casket, flowers and newspaper notices (if requested)
• Mortuary care — preparing your loved one for viewing
• Preparing and transferring your loved one locally or interstate, with all legal requirements met
• Our professional staff attending the funeral ceremony
• Helping arrange music and any special requests for the service

Above all, we’re here to listen, guide and support you every step of the way.

Anyone can lead a funeral service — a minister of religion, a civil celebrant, or a family member or friend.

You may like your local minister or priest to lead the service, especially if your loved one was connected with their church, even if it’s been many years. We can arrange this for you, or one of our own celebrants can lead a non-religious service.

Whoever you choose will try to meet with you beforehand to learn about your loved one’s life, so the ceremony reflects your family’s wishes.

There’s no single right way to write a eulogy. Some are serious and reflective, others light-hearted — and often the most loved are a mix of both, honouring the sadness while celebrating a life well lived.

The most meaningful eulogies come from the heart. It doesn’t need to be perfect; whatever you share will be appreciated by everyone there.

Start by thinking about your relationship — the things you did together and what you’ll miss most. Talk with family and close friends to gather stories and details. You might include:

• Their age and date of birth
• Family and other close relationships
• Education, work and career
• Hobbies and special interests
• Places they lived
• Special achievements

Write in your own words, without being too formal, and practise reading it aloud a few times. On the day, take a deep breath and remember you’re surrounded by people who love you. If it feels too hard to read it yourself, we’re always happy to read it on your behalf.

We’ll talk through ideas with you. Small personal touches can help the service reflect everything that made your loved one special. Some ideas:

• Place some of their favourite things on or near the coffin
• Create a picture board of treasured photographs
• Choose a hymn, song or piece of music that meant something to them
• Include their favourite flowers, or flowers from their own garden, in the floral tribute (our florists can only supply what’s in season)
• Create order of service booklets with photos, a poem or favourite quotes — we can help with these
• Show a photo presentation during the service — we can help with this too
• Involve the RSL if your loved one was a returned serviceman or servicewoman

By law, every death in Queensland must be registered with the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages within 14 days. We do this on your behalf, and during the arrangements we’ll ask you for:

• Their full name
• Date and place of birth — and if born overseas, the year they arrived in Australia
• Date of death
• Their residential address
• Their occupation during their working life
• Marital status
• Details of all marriages
• Father’s full name and occupation
• Mother’s full name, including maiden name, and occupation
• First names and ages of all children, living and deceased

After the funeral, we lodge everything electronically with Births, Deaths and Marriages, well within the required time. The death certificate is usually returned to us in around three weeks, and we’ll let you know when it’s ready to collect. You’ll often need it for legal and estate matters.

A viewing gives your family a private moment to see your loved one and say goodbye before the funeral. It takes place in a quiet setting and isn’t publicised.

Some families choose to keep their loved one’s ashes, and today there are many ways to do so — urns, jewellery and blown glass, to name a few, in a wide range of styles, sizes, colours and prices. See our urn & jewellery range.

There are also more unusual options, such as fireworks or scattering at sea by drone — these aren’t services we offer, but we’re happy to talk them through.

Scattering is one of the most common choices, and there are a few things worth knowing:

• Ashes are highly alkaline and can harm living plants, so we recommend never scattering them directly over gardens or plants.
• If you’d like to scatter on land, the local council or landowner may require permission.
• Scattering over water or on the beach is generally fine — just choose a still day, and make sure you know how to open the urn beforehand.

Our team is always happy to offer advice on any of these options.

A funeral done for the right reasons can be an important part of grieving. By making the choices that suit your family, you can say goodbye in a way that is respectful and honouring — without emptying your bank account.

We’re an independent, locally owned funeral home offering a wide range of options to suit every budget and personal choice, for families across Townsville and surrounding areas:

• Personalised funeral services
• Burials, cremations and The Gentle Way
• Complete funeral packages
• Pre-arranged funeral plans, and help with funeral bonds

Cremation uses heat and flame to reduce the body to ashes.

The Gentle Way uses water instead of flame. A warm, alkaline water solution gently breaks down the soft tissue, leaving only the bones, which are then processed in the same way as a cremation. The ashes are returned to the family, together with a plant.

• A funeral is a service with your loved one present, in a coffin.
• A memorial service is held after the cremation or burial, often with their ashes present.

In Townsville, a funeral normally needs to be held indoors — usually in a church or chapel — and reasonably soon after the death. A memorial service can be held at any time and almost anywhere: our chapel, your backyard, or even the beach.

In a funeral service, your loved one is present in a coffin or casket. The service can be held in a church, our chapel, or one of a small number of other venues permitted under local council rules.

Most local ministers are happy to lead a service in our chapel, and we have our own celebrants if you’d prefer a non-religious service. Our team will coordinate every detail with you so it all comes together seamlessly.

A memorial service takes place after a private burial or cremation, without the coffin present. If there has been a cremation, the ashes can be present in a specially chosen urn if your family wishes.

Memorial services can be held in our chapel or a special place of your choosing, and can be led by a member of the clergy, a civil celebrant, or a family member or friend.

While most Australians choose cremation, burials still make up around 30% of funerals. Families choose burial for religious, spiritual or personal reasons.

A burial involves a few different decisions — such as where your loved one will be laid to rest, whether in a lawn plot, a traditional grave, or an existing vault or mausoleum. After the burial, the grave will also need a plaque or headstone. We’ll guide you through each step. More about burials.

If you’d prefer a simple option without a funeral service, a direct cremation — sometimes called “no service, no attendance” — may suit you best.

Your loved one is cremated without mourners present. The ashes are returned to the family, and we apply for the death certificate, which you can collect from us once it arrives. More about cremation.

On request, we can also provide:

• Contemporary memorial books
• Order of service booklets
• Keepsake memorial books
• Photo tribute presentations
• Memorial urns and jewellery

As people age, they may appoint an enduring power of attorney to manage their affairs. While they’re alive, that person has legal power to act on their behalf.

Some people believe their attorney also has the final say over the funeral. In fact, an enduring power of attorney (and any power of attorney) ends at death. The attorney can still be involved in the arrangements, but if there is a will, the executor of the estate has the final say. If there is no will, this falls to the next of kin.

As part of our service, we pay for the goods and services associated with the funeral on your behalf. These may include cemetery plots, cremation fees, flowers, funeral notices, catering, clergy or church fees, an independent doctor’s report for cremation (where required), the coffin or casket, and our professional and mortuary fees.

That way, you receive everything — including our own charges — in one clear, itemised account. If your loved one had a bank account with enough funds, in most cases our account can be presented to the bank for payment directly. See our prices.

It can feel awkward to talk about money at a time like this, but an open and honest conversation about costs is an important part of planning — balancing the heart with practical common sense.

Centrelink. The Centrelink bereavement payment helps with the change in circumstances after the death of a pensioner, long-term allowance recipient, child or care receiver. It may include the continuation of existing payments and/or a lump sum paid to a surviving partner, carer or parent. Please contact Centrelink to check eligibility.

Department of Veterans’ Affairs. If your loved one was a veteran, contact DVA to ask whether they’re eligible for a funeral benefit. If so, DVA will send you a claim form, and once it’s returned, payment is made into the veteran’s estate.

During the arrangements, your arranger will ask for details about your loved one so we can apply for the death certificate for you — such as where they were born, any marriages, their parents’ names (including mother’s maiden name), and their children’s names and dates of birth.

After the burial or cremation, we apply to Births, Deaths and Marriages on your behalf. The certificate usually arrives around three weeks later, and we’ll call you when it’s ready to collect.

There may be a number of people and organisations to contact after a death. This checklist may help as you work through your loved one’s affairs:

• Accident insurance
• Accountant
• Ambulance service
• Australian Taxation Office
• Banks
• Building societies
• Centrelink (general & Age Pension)
• Chemist
• Church or religious organisation
• Clubs and associations
• Companies (e.g. directorships)
• Credit card providers
• Credit unions
• Dentist
• Department of Veterans’ Affairs
• Doctor, specialist or hospital
• Electoral office
• Electricity provider
• Employer or former employer
• Executor of the will
• Financial institutions and lenders
• Friendly society
• Gardening services
• Gas provider
• Home appliance rental
• Home and contents insurance
• Home delivery services
• Home nursing
• Household help
• Landlord
• Life insurance
• Local council
• Meals on Wheels
• Medicare
• Optometrist
• Post office
• Private health fund
• School or college
• Service organisations (e.g. library)
• Social worker
• Solicitor or Public Trustee
• Superannuation fund
• Telephone and internet provider
• Trade union or professional association
• Vehicle insurance
• Vehicle registration
• Veterinarian

When someone who shared part of our life dies, we experience one of the strongest human emotions: grief. It can leave us feeling desolate and confused. This is normal, it happens to everyone, and it’s alright to feel completely devastated.

Grief is a natural response to a significant loss. It isn’t a passing state of mind, but a process that can take months or even years to work through. Many people find it hard to grieve in today’s busy world, yet allowing ourselves to grieve fully can help us heal and grow.

Grief has many passages — physical, emotional and mental. For some people they are distinct; for others they blur together. Some move through them in order, while others seem to move forward and back many times along the way.

If you’re finding it hard to cope, you can talk to someone any time, day or night, by calling Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Feel the Magic is an Australian charity offering grief education programs for children and young people aged 7 to 18 who have experienced the death of a parent, guardian or sibling.

Around 1 in 20 Australian children will lose a parent before they turn 18 — which means there’s likely a grieving child in almost every classroom. Grieving children can feel isolated and alone, and need ongoing support to learn how to cope and move forward.

Feel the Magic’s evidence-informed programs were developed by a clinical psychologist and are delivered by trained professionals. They help build confidence and teach practical, healthy ways to grieve, aiming to reduce the mental health challenges that can follow a childhood loss.