Wherever a death takes place - at home or hospital, in a public place, interstate or overseas, the funeral director is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

The first call to the funeral director's office will enable the immediate needs of the family to be met. The Funeral Director will arrange the transfer of the deceased person from the place of death and obtain all relevant details and proper certificates for the burial or cremation services which may follow.

To guide and advise families on the many matters which must be considered, an arrangement conference is then held either at the funeral director's office or at the family home.

We need to take a little time to plan the most appropriate way of saying goodbye to a loved one. The funeral is the last occasion on which our relationship may be expressed and our close association remembered.

Families can find the funeral to be traumatic or triumphant, depending on their view of life and death.

If we plan a special funeral that has particular significance in relation to the deceased and to the family and friends who are left behind, it is so much more meaningful for the survivors and of much greater help in resolving our grief.

The funeral director is available at all times to help you plan the most suitable ceremony to meet your needs, to advise on how much time to allow interstate family and friends to attend, to advise on legal procedures and costs and to take most of the load of arrangements off your shoulders.

(Extracts taken from 'We need to say goodbye' Brochure, produced by The Australian Funeral Directors Association)