Q. What is a "Lawn Cemetery"? A. A lawn cemetery is one in which the burial takes place in a lawn setting and which may have memorial plaques that are set just below grass level, or a "Beam Lawn Cemetery" where headstones may be placed at the head of the grave upon the concrete beam. I.e. Western Districts Memorial Park Cemetery is a true "Lawn Cemetery" whilst Dubbo City Council's New Dubbo Cemetery is a "Beam Lawn Cemetery".
Q. What are the benefits of a lawn cemetery? A. The philosophy behind a lawn cemetery is that it allows the cemetery to be designed as beautiful parklands, sweeping lawns, interspersed with groves of both native and exotic trees, allowing for our loved ones to be laid to rest in a setting which produces an atmosphere of peace and reflection for relatives and visitors.
Q. What type of memorial can I have on the grave? A. As mentioned earlier all plaques at lawn cemeteries such as Western Districts Memorial Park Cemetery are placed just below grass level. The plaques are bronze and of a standard size with many design options available to cater for individual preference. Staff of Western Districts Memorial Park Cemetery are available to help with the selection of design and wording. At a beam lawn cemetery you may have a headstone of your choice of materials e.g. granite or sandstone etc. as long as you meet the required dimensions of your local cemetery authority. Staff of the Abbey Funeral Home can assist you in choosing from a wide selection of monuments.
Questions about Cremation
Q. How many cremations take place each year? A. There are about 43,000 deaths in NSW each year, and about 24,000 cremations take place. While the state average is about 55%, where cremation facilities are more readily available, such as in Sydney, the rate is almost 70%.
Q. How is the cremation arranged? A. The first step is to contact a funeral director as soon as possible after a death occurs. Due to the finality of cremation, specific documentation is required under the NSW Public Health Act. The funeral director will arrange for the necessary documents to be completed for the cremation, and the day and time for the funeral service.
Q. Do I have to sign any paperwork? A. If you are the person authorised to arrange the funeral then you will be required to complete an application for cremation form. The funeral director will assist you in this matter.
Q. How does the cost of cremation compare with burial? A. Usually cremation is cheaper than burial. The funeral director will advise you of exact costs.
Q. Can I have a religious service with cremation? A. Yes. The form of the service should be discussed with the funeral director and clergy. Basically, the service for burial and cremation is the same, apart from the committal. The service may take place in a church, or a funeral director's chapel, followed by a short committal at the crematorium chapel. Increasingly these days the whole service is conducted at the crematorium chapel.
Q. What if there isn't a crematorium close to my town? A. If the nearest crematorium is in another town, an increasingly common option is for the whole service to be conducted in your town whereupon the funeral director simply drives away at the end of the service with the deceased for a private cremation. For example, we may be asked to pick the deceased up in Warren or Cobar etc, conduct a service there, and then we and the deceased will proceed alone to Dubbo for a private cremation. The funeral director will outline all the options for you.
Q. Must we have a religious service? A. The form of service is entirely up to you. It may be a religious or civil ceremony, or none at all. Sometimes a memorial service is conducted after the cremation has taken place. We are occassionaly requested to arrange an 'essential care' cremation. That is we arrange a private cremation without any service. Perhaps the deceased did not 'like a fuss', or perhaps the mourners are in another state and may have a gathering of rememberance there.
Q. What happens at the crematorium? A. Procedures may vary slightly between crematoria. Most commonly, however, the funeral attendants carry the coffin into the chapel and place it on the catafalque, either prior to the mourners entering the chapel, or after they have been seated. At the appropriate time during the service the coffin is screened from view. At completion of the service the mourners are ushered from the chapel by the funeral director.
Q. When does the cremation take place? A. The cremation takes place as soon as possible after the service. A crematorium must commence cremating within 4 hours of the delivery of the deceased to the crematorium, unless the crematorium has a refrigerated storage facility (holding room). In nearly all circumstances, however, the body is cremated soon after the service.
Timber urns.
Q. What is the cremation procedure? A. After the completion of the service the coffin passes from the catafalque into the committal room where the cremator is situated. There the nameplate is checked against the cremation order to ensure correct identity. Before the coffin is committed to the cremation chamber the nameplate is removed and placed with a tray which will contain the cremated remains once they have been removed from the cremator.
Q. Is the coffin cremated with the body? A. Yes. Once the body is delivered to the crematorium it is never removed from the coffin. The coffin is never re-used.
Q. How long does the cremation take? A. This does vary depending on the body size and operating temperature (between 600 and 1000 degrees Centigrade) but on average about 2 hours.
Q. Are the coffin fittings removed before cremation? A. As explained earlier, only the name plate is removed for identification purposes. Most handles and fittings are combustible and remain on the coffin. If non-combustible metals are used, then the fittings would be removed before cremation takes place and later buried in the crematorium grounds. Fittings are never re-used.
Q. Is more than one coffin at a time placed in the cremator? A. No. Cremation chambers are designed so that only one coffin can be placed in the chamber at a time. Moreover, the Public Health Act states that a person must not cremate more than one body in the same crematory retort at any one time.
An exception could be made in the case of for example, a mother and baby, when the Crematorium may accept both in the same coffin at the request of the next of kin. They would require approval from the Health Department.
Q. What happens to the cremated remains? A. When the cremation is completed the remains are removed from the cremator into a cooling tray, accompanied by the nameplate. The tray is removed to the preparation room, and when the remains have cooled the remains are placed into a granulator, a machine which reduces them to a granular, grey ash. The remains are then placed in a container labelled with the name and other relevant information. The remains are stored at the crematorium until instructions are received from the funeral director regarding their disposal.
Q. What can be done with the cremated remains? A. The remains may be: 1) Memorialised in the crematorium grounds. 2) Handed over to the person who applied for the cremation or someone acting on the applicants written authority. 3) Disposed of in the crematorium grounds after 6 months has expired from the date of cremation, subsequent to 14 days notice being given to the applicant if the crematorium has not been advised otherwise.
Q. How do I arrange a memorial? A. Memorialisation can be arranged by contacting the crematorium office. The type of memorial offered varies between crematoria and is a matter of personal taste. The cost of the memorial varies accordingly.
Timber urns.
Pewter urns.
