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Process

Undertaker? Funeral Director?

Undertaker, funeral director, funeral service provider… they can all mean the person or business helping with a funeral. None of them tells you exactly what that person does.

Undertaker

Originally an undertaker was just someone who undertook a job. Since the late 1600s it’s meant someone who takes on the responsibility of a funeral, like;

arranging the coffin, transporting the deceased, organising the burial and bringing together the various people and services needed.

Many early undertakers were cabinet makers, stonemasons, printers or upholsterers. The State Library of Queensland describes undertaking as a business that pulled together lots of different trades.

Funeral director

As funerals became more organised, ‘funeral director’ slowly took over, mostly through the late 1800s and early 1900s. (The British Undertakers’ Association, formed in 1905, later became the National Association of Funeral Directors.) The title changed, but the job didn’t really.

Funeral service provider

This one’s newer and more descriptive. A funeral service provider might collect and care for your person, arrange a burial or cremation, help with paperwork, coordinate a service, or just do some of those things. It also doesn’t assume every funeral needs to be ‘directed’.

What do we call ourselves?

Undertaker and funeral service provider, because that’s what we do. We undertake the practical side and bring it all together, but the funeral belongs to your family. We’ll do as much or as little as you need.

Do I need to use a funeral director?

No. There’s no law in Queensland that says you have to use a ‘funeral director’ for any part of a funeral.

Families can arrange a funeral themselves. A close relative or personal representative can even apply for permission to cremate, either personally or through someone else. There’s no special licence to be a funeral director either.

The catch is that some hospitals, cemeteries and crematoriums have their own policies and will only deal with a funeral service provider. That’s a big part of why Rest exists: to help you understand what you can do yourselves, and step in where you actually need us. When Mum died, we would have struggled without someone in our corner.

It isn’t all or nothing. There’s a lot of ground in between.

What happens when someone dies in Queensland

It depends on where and how the death happened, but a few things always need to happen before a burial or cremation.

First, the death is confirmed, and it’s decided whether it needs to go to the Coroner. After that, there’s usually no rush. You can take a breath and start thinking about caring for your person and the kind of farewell you want.

For a cremation, Queensland needs permission to cremate. A close relative or personal representative can apply, either themselves or through someone like us. The death also has to be registered with the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, generally within 14 days.

There’s a lot more to it than fits in an FAQ, so I’ve written the whole thing out, from the moment of death through to the Death Certificate, in P is for PROCESS, POWER and PREPARATION.

What is a will?

A will is a legal document that says what you’d like to happen to the things, and the people, you leave behind.

Most people think of money and houses, but it’s more than that. If you have kids under 18, your will is where you can name who you’d like to look after them. The courts will always decide based on what’s best for the children, but your wishes carry real weight.

You don’t have to be old

One of the big myths is that wills are for later in life. If you have kids, a home, super, a car, a business or just people you care about, it’s worth having one. Without a valid will, you die intestate, and the law decides how your estate is shared instead of you.

A will isn’t a funeral plan

We hear “It’s all in my will, I want to be cremated” a lot. The problem is your will often isn’t read until after the funeral. If you have funeral wishes, tell the people who’ll need to know. More on that in My funeral wishes are in my will. Do I need to plan?

Where to start

Think about the people who matter to you first, then your property and who you’d trust to carry out your wishes. A solicitor can help you get it right, and it’s worth reviewing every so often as life changes.

Sometimes the most important question isn’t “Who gets my stuff?” It’s “Who’ll look after the people I love?”

What is probate?

Probate is a court process that gives the executor named in a will the formal authority to deal with the estate.

In Queensland, a grant of probate comes from the Supreme Court. Not every estate needs one. It depends on what the person owned and what banks and other organisations ask for.

Probate is separate from the funeral, and it isn’t something we handle. The Queensland Courts website has current information, and for advice about a particular estate, have a chat with a solicitor.

When will I receive a Death Certificate?

Usually around two weeks after the burial or cremation, but it can take up to four.

Once we have your Personal Details, we register the death with the Queensland Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages. The Registry says standard applications take up to 10 business days once they have everything they need, plus postage. Missing information slows things down, so we’ll let you know straight away if we need anything from you.

One thing that trips people up: the Form 9 (Cause of Death Certificate) from the doctor isn’t the Death Certificate, even though a lot of people in health and funerals call it a ‘DC’. Centrelink and funeral insurers will usually accept it, but most others need the real one.

Not using a funeral service provider? You can register the death yourself. Queensland Government: Register a death.