FAQ’s
Irrespective of the place of occurrence of the death, the first point of contact should be the doctor or the General Practitioner of the deceased. It is legally important for the doctor to sign a medical cause of death. There are, however, certain circumstances where it would not be legally possible for the doctor to sign a medical cause of death. In situations like these, the involvement of the police and the coroner becomes inevitable.
The Minister or Priest may also be called upon, if that is considered appropriate.
The next point of contact, besides family and friends is the funeral director who is entrusted with the transfer of the body and making the desired funeral arrangements. A vast majority of deaths occur in hospitals and other care facilities where the people in authority take care of the medical formalities. If your loved one resides in a medical or aged care facility and you have arranged a funeral director, then you should let the members of the facility know about the same so that they can contact the funeral director when your loved one passes and is ready for collection.
There are many things involved within a funeral ceremony – organising and coordinating the burial or cremation, fulfilling the necessary government legislative and regulatory requirements as well as making arrangements for the funeral service which include celebrant or minister, musicians, catering and the likes. A funeral director comes with the knowledge and experience to get all these tasks accomplished in a timely and effective manner.
We, at Edward (Ted) Bull & Daughter Funeral Directors, go the extra mile to make sure that funeral ceremony is planned as per your individual needs. We are here to guide and advise you on many matters which need to be considered. Unlike the aura of sadness that typically surrounds a funeral; we ensure that the final goodbye to the deceased is a memorable moment for the bereaved family members.
All deaths need to be registered as per state law. The death of your loved one will by registered by Edward (Ted) Bull & Daughter Funeral Directors on your behalf. Together with the information submitted by the Doctor or Coroners Court the Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages completes the Death Certificate. The certificate is then posted directly from the Registry to the informant (the person organising and supplying the information to the funeral director).
For a full list of personal details required to register a death in Victoria please see our “Personal Profile Form“.
Yes, a funeral service can be held anywhere – be it a church, RSL, crematorium, cemetery, local pub, the family home or a sporting club. The choice is entirely yours.
To see a list of venues of funeral homes, crematorium and cemetery click here
No. There are often reasons that a funeral service is not held; it may be a request made by your loved one. A No-Service cremation or burial means a funeral is not held, there is no viewing or attendance by family and friends, and is a cremation or burial arrangement only. Regardless of the reason why it is quite acceptable not to hold a service.
There is no definite answer to this question because of the scope of options available. There are a number of necessary inclusions and certifications required. Some of them have fixed costs. Conducting a funeral involves the following key expenses:
- Professional Funeral Service Fee
- Transfer Fee
- Coffin or Casket Selection
- Disbursements – We can arrange a number of below listed goods and services on your behalf and these are charged to you at cost price.
- – Crematorium/Cemetery.
– Doctor’s Certificate For Cremation.
– Certified Copy Of Death Certificate.
– Press Notices
– Clergy/Celebrant Fee.
– Organist Fee.
– Church Fee.
– Verger or Church Officer Fee.
– Floral Tribute.
– Refreshments.
– Slideshow.
– Memorial Cards.
- – Crematorium/Cemetery.
Edward (Ted) Bull and Daughter Funeral Directors recognise that it may not be in everyone’s financial capacity to be able to pay for a funeral up front and maintain the type of funeral they want. You shall be given an estimate of the account prior to the funeral service. Following the funeral, we shall post an account. Our terms of payment are 14 days from the date of the service. The same terms apply where an Estate is subject to Probate Application. A copy of the account and our official receipt is sufficient for the person making the payment to claim reimbursement from the Estate.
A ‘Probate’ is a certificate in which you are officially recognised as the executor named in the Will by the Probate Office. It gives you the authority to ‘deal with’ the assets. The executor gets Probate by applying to the Probate Office.
You have the choice as to the cremation or burial of your loved one. Both are rooted in culture; cremation is prohibited within some relevant faiths, while in other cultures cremation is the custom. While both options offer flexibility in terms of personalisation, they do have many points of divergence.
Ultimately, this decision is a matter of personal choice.
While both the terms are used interchangeably, there are stark differences between the two.
Coffins have tapered shape – they are narrow at the head, widest at the shoulders and tapered in towards the foot. They are prepared from timber-veneer, custom wood, composite board, solid timber and enviro-board and come in a wide variety of colours and finishes.
Conversely, caskets are rectangular in shape, have a hinged lid and are available in a choice of solid timber or metal and they too come in a range of colours and finishes.
We will collect the ashes on your behalf and contact you once we have them in our care. The time frame for this is dependent on the crematorium but generally we will collect the ashes within 3-4 days of the cremation. An early collection from the crematorium can be requested if the need arises.
If the deceased was single and receiving ‘Social Security’ benefits, one more payment shall be made by Social Security who will then stop the pension. If he/she was receiving the ‘married couple pension’, then the pension would drop back to the single person rate and the surviving partner would also receive a bereavement allowance. We can notify Centrelink of the death on your behalf and have the relevant paperwork for you to sign.
Embalming is the process by which bodily fluids are replaced with chemical fluids so that the body can be preserved, infection can be controlled and the presentation of the deceased can be enhanced. Embalming is not always necessary. A body may be partially embalmed for the benefit of families wishing to ‘view’ or fully embalmed in certain cultures or when the body is to be repatriated interstate or overseas.
Built upon the foundation of integrity, compassion and reputation, Edward (Ted) Bull & Daughter Funeral Directors have been serving the Somerville community since 1976. Though 42 years have gone by, we continue to practice and live by the ideals upon which the company was founded. We do all that we can in our capacity to help the families of the deceased. Our friendly and helpful staff is available for 24 hours to assist you. Success has not made us complacent – each one of us strives to work to our best in making the experience of a funeral a beautiful and fulfilling experience for the bereaved families. We pay attention to the smallest of details and make sure that everything is taken care of with expertise. Though we would like to be well-prepared in advance, we are flexible to making last minute arrangements/changes if the need arises.
Please look at our complaints handling policy & procedure.
