Arranging your own direct cremation ahead of time

You can arrange your own direct cremation in advance. At its simplest it means deciding that a direct cremation is what you want, writing that down, and telling the people who will be making the calls. Nothing has to be paid to do that. If you would rather settle the cost ahead of time as well, ring Shane and talk it through, because the right answer depends on your circumstances.

Most of the people who ring us about this say a version of the same thing: they do not want to leave their children with a decision, or a bill, at the worst possible moment. Some have just been through it for a parent and know exactly how much easier it would have been if the answers had already been written down. Either way, it is a practical thing to do, and it is not morbid. It is one less thing for the people you love.

Pre-arranging and pre-paying are two different things

Pre-arranging means deciding what you want and recording it. You choose a direct cremation, you note who to ring, you say what you would like done with the ashes and whether the family should hold a memorial. No money changes hands. It costs nothing and it can be done this week.

Pre-paying means settling the cost now so that your family is not asked to pay anything later. Whether that suits you, and how it would work, is a conversation rather than a form on a website. Rather than list something here that may not fit your situation, Shane would rather have a straight talk with you about what you are trying to organise and tell you plainly what is possible. Ring 0461 543 517 and ask.

What to write down

A single page is enough. It does not need to be a legal document, it needs to be findable. Include:

• That you want a direct cremation, with no funeral service beforehand.
• Who to ring: Ashes to Ashes Cremations, 0461 543 517, any hour.
• Who your next of kin is and who your executor is, with their phone numbers. One of them will sign the cremation authorisation, so they need to know it is coming.
• What you would like done with the ashes: kept by a particular person, scattered somewhere that matters to you, or interred.
• Whether you would like the family to hold a memorial afterwards, and if so, roughly what kind. Our guide to holding a memorial after a direct cremation gives them somewhere to start.
• Anything you specifically do not want. This is often the most useful line on the page.

Where to keep it, and who to tell

Keep it somewhere the family will look in the first day, not the first month. A will is often not opened until after the funeral has already happened, so on its own it is the wrong place for this. A note on the fridge, a copy with your next of kin, and a copy with your executor covers it. Then tell them, out loud, that it exists. The page only works if the person making the phone call knows it is there.

If you would like, you can also ring us now and tell us. We will make a note of your wishes so that when the call comes, whoever makes it is talking to someone who already knows what you wanted.

What it costs today

A direct cremation with us is $1,990 + GST, and the full list of what that covers is written down on this site. There is nothing hidden and no upselling, whether the call comes from you today or from your family in years to come. The one thing that can change the total is a transfer outside office hours, and we always say the amount before anything happens.

If you are doing this for a parent

Plenty of families in Cairns, on the Tablelands and down the coast have this conversation with an ageing parent, and it is easier than people expect. Most parents are relieved to be asked. If the question is what happens on the day itself, our guide to what to do when someone dies and our guide to the day of a direct cremation walk through it plainly.

To talk through your own arrangements, or a parent's, call Shane on 0461 543 517. No obligation, no pressure, and nothing to sign to ask a question.