The 2013 Events

    This is a collections of past events from this year.  It has been a great year and I look forward to 2014!

Rookwood Picnic -- 18th Jan, 11:00

    A small and casual picnic in Rookwood Cemetery for those interested in the funeral industry.

    Post about the 2013 Rookwood Picnic.

    My blog post with more information.




UNSW Museum of Human Disease -- 18th Feb, 12:30

    This is the only museum of its kind that is open to the public in Sydney, and the staff were very nice, offering to do a presentation and will have someone there to chat with us as part of our visit.

When  -  18th February, 12:30 (lunchtime).
Cost  -  $11 per person (free for UNSW staff and students).
Where  -  Samuels Building, UNSW Kensington campus.

    Post about the 2013 MoHD visit.

    My blog post with more information.

Museum of Human Disease Website:
http://medicalsciences.med.unsw.edu.au/community/museum-human-disease/home


Rookwood By Night -- 19th March, 19:00
    A visit to Rookwood cemetery at night, to take advantage of the late open hours and to experience it in another light.  This was a great event, fun and different, yet impossible to take any decent photos due to the darkness.


Woronora Open Day -- 13th April, 10:00

    A strangely unknown yet anual event as part of Heritage Week, very few from the funeral industry (that I spoke with) knew anything about it.  But it looks like fun and I will certainly be there.

    My blog post about the 2013 Woronora open day.

Pinegrove Memorial Park Open Night -- 30th April, 18:00

    I don't have much information about this just yet, so check back closer to the date.  This is the only InvoCare only open evening that I know of, so could be fun!

    The Pinegrove Events page.

    My blog post about the 2013 Pinegrove open day.




Rookwood Picnic -- 18th August, 12:00pm

    Time for another picnic at Rookwood. This is a casual event open to anyone who might be interested.

When  -  18th August, 12:00 (lunchtime).
Where  -  The Elephant House just off Haslem Drive, in Rookwood Cemetery.

My blog post with more information.

Hidden Art Exhibition at Rookwood -- 21st Sept - 31st Oct

    Every year there is an art exhibition in Rookwood Cemetery, it is free and quite fun, seeing the different exhibits on display among the graves.  I particularly like how some incorporate that specific place of the cemetery within their artwork.

   On the last day they hold a little closing ceremony with videos and food, which was very fun and informative last year.

    Hidden homepage with more information.


ESMP Open Day -- 26th Oct

    The 2013 ESMP open day was great fun, well worth the trip.  It's also the only funeral home open day I know of, making it a rare opportunity.

    My post about the ESMP 2013 open day.

    My past post about the ESMP 2012 open day.




Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) -- 2nd November

    This is a new event, or at least one I have not heard of in Sydney before. It's a celebration of things related to death and the way life and death are so entangled. There will be a skull painting competition and more.

When  -  2nd November, 9am to 5pm.
Where  -  Gore Hill Oval/Park, Corner of Pacific Hwy and Reserve Rd, St Leonards.

Day of the dead event page.


Living with Our Dead -- 10th November

    Living with our dead is an event organised by a Sydney celebrant to remember and honour the deceased and bring the idea of death into an acceptable and public setting. I don't have any other information at this stage, so if you're interested follow the link below.

Living with our dead site.

Living with our dead FaceBook page.


Macquarie Park Open Day -- Not held in 2013
    I have been asked about this, and the Macquarie Park Cemetery & Crematorium (MPC) open day will not be held in 2013.  The open day is only held every two years according to the website. Macquarie Park Cemetery & Crematorium website.


Rookwood Open Day -- Not held in 2013

    Rookwood is a huge place with a few different organisations working out of it.  As such they have a wonderful open day, from parades to displays and tours.

    Unfortunately this event is only held every second year, so the next one will be in 2014.

    My post about the Rookwood 2012 open day.


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ESMP Open Day

    I finally have time to write for the blog again, so I'll start with the 2013 Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park (ESMP) open day.  As expected it was a great day and included a variety of things from free food to an Aboriginal dance, needless to say I had a blast.

Thank You For Participating

     It's been a while since I had the time to write a post, as many know I've been tied up in my honours thesis. However, the thesis will be submitted in just a few days, so yay! It's been a long and difficult road, but it has also been incredibly rewarding and worth every step.

    I would like to thank the wonderful organisations and individuals who participated. This includes Lady Anne Funerals, Mannings Funerals, and the Funeral Celebrants Association of Australia. These organisations were amazingly helpful and supportive of this project. Furthermore, I also want to thank the numerous unnamed individuals who participated in the study.

    These organisations and individuals didn't just provide valuable information, they made the project mean something and turned it into something truly special. I will always be grateful to those who participated. You have been a big part of making a long and difficult path worth it.


    Several people have asked where this thesis will be available, so I'll answer this quickly:

- No, the thesis will not be posted on the blog, this blog is not the right audience so there is no point putting it here. However, a short summary will most likely be posted in the future.

- The thesis will be archived in the honours room at UNSW, this is not exactly something to boast. Those that have seen the honours room or know how universities operate will understand.

- I will submit the thesis to various conferences and other places.

- Those that participated in the study 'may' receive a copy if they ask, simply email me at theothersideoffunerals@gmail.com to receive a PDF.


    I will write some more posts before the end of the year, but generally there will not be much content until next year. This is because I will be relaxing, but mainly because I will also be organising some fun things for next year. There will be more on this later if it works out.

~

Hidden at Rookwood (2013)

   I went to Hidden at Rookwood Cemetery this year but haven't had time to put together a post about it, and won't be able to for a while at least. So in the mean time I've uploaded some photos to my Facebook page. So head over to my Facebook page for the photos and other fun stuff!

    Hidden really is an amazing art exhibition, so check it out if you can! The closing ceremony will be on the 31st of October, check my Facebook page and the Hidden website for the details.

The Other Side Of Funerals Facebook.

Hidden photo album.

~

Guest Post - Girl Problems in the Mortuary

    A female mortician and I were talking about mortuary work and the topic of fingernails came up. How she managed to wear glove and perform mortuary duties despite having relatively long and elaborate fingernails. So she has decided to write a post about being a woman in the mortuary. Here it is:

Don't get me wrong it's not all bad, but being a female certainly does have its disadvantages. Allow me to elaborate.

Forest Lawn Open Day

    Apparently Forest Lawn Memorial Park will be having an open day this Saturday (26th of Oct), it's a shame this is the same day as the Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park open day and I won't be able to go.

    I'd recommend going to the Forest Lawn open day as InvoCare, who manage Forest Lawn, organise decent events. The Pinegrove Memorial Park open evening was fun and informative so I expect the Forest Lawn one would be fun to.

    InvoCare are doing a good job of slowly opening their side of the funeral industry to the general public, they tend to be honest with any questions asked. Making the Forest Lawn open day a great chance to get a get some decent information and answer any questions.

    Unfortunately I won't be going due to the ESMP open day and being busy with thesis work. So if anyone goes let me know how it was!

More information: Forest Lawn Memorial Park open day link.

~~

Event - ESMP Open Day

    The Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park (ESMP) open day will be held on the 26th of October. The 2012 open day was great fun, so I'm looking forward to it this year.

When  -  26th October (Saturday), 11am to 2pm.
Where  -  Military Rd, Matraville. 
Cost  -  Free.

    This is the last open day for the industry that I know of, and It's a fun day. Based on last year there should be free sausages, tours (of the funeral home, crematorium, cemetery), face painting, cars and hearses on display, stalls, and more! It's well worth a say out, I'll certainly be there and look forward to seeing some of you.


    My post about the ESMP 2012 open day.

    A post about ESMP including contact information & how to get there - although this needs updating.

    My guide to some interesting places in ESMP.

~

Honours Writing

    If you'd like to help in my honours thesis you can do so by completing a survey (it should take 5 minutes). You can find information about the surveys, and links to the surveys here. It will be appreciated!

    As some might have noticed my posts have dropped off recently, and I'm taking a while to reply to emails. This is due to a combination of not having time and simply being tired.

    My honours thesis is at an important writing stage, I'm analysing data and putting everything together. Basically I'm writing a few thousand words a day and reading a lot. This isn't actually as big a task as it sounds. Or maybe I've simply become use to it. However, by the time I'm done writing for the thesis I am tired of writing, and so I don't feel like writing even more for the blog.

    So between being busy and being drained I'm simply not generating content for the blog for a while. The thesis is due in November, so everything should be back to normal by December.

    As for where the thesis will be available; any individual or organisation who has participated will be eligible to get a copy, simply email me. I will also look to get it published and submit it to conferences next year, when I finally have time for that. A summary will also be put on the blog, however this will only be short and essentially a long(ish) abstract. Other than that I have no idea at this stage, but I know the full thesis will not be put on the blog. This is simply not the right audience or place for it, a 20,000 word academic article is never going to many (if any) people reading it here.

    Thank you again to those who have participated. This project would not have been possible for a large number of people and a few organisations.

~~

LifeArt - Making Coffins

    This is an interesting video about how LifeArt make their cardboard coffins. Unfortunately it's only 240p and a low quality video. But it is definitely worth a watch, especially for those not familiar with LifeArt.

LifeArt Clean Coffin Technology

     You can read more about LifeArt coffins via their website. Essentially they're cardboard coffins, which are environmentally friendly. Personally I like them for their customisation abilities and how light and practical they are. You can get any image or design printed on them, or simply get a plain one and decorate it in person as I have seen some people do.

    LifeArt recently released an online design tool, allowing people to design coffins themselves. It's a fun tool to play with, LifeArt Online Design.

    However, a huge drawback is that they are not available directly to the public. To me this is a bit of a shame as LifeArt would make a wonderful art medium. I've seen families paint, write poems, and stick collages on the coffins. Opening this up to a wider community could be good.

    My personal belief is that LifeArt could be a great product and used in a great way, but often gets dismissed or ignored too soon. The environmental benefits, the costs, and the quality are not as important as the customisation. The very option and notion of being able to completely customise a coffin like this is great and should be given more credit. So I think it's wonderful to see LifeArt running with this through things like the online design tool. The ability to interact so directly with the coffin, and to change it so dramatically, is a very powerful thing. I've had the pleasure of seeing some amazing things mourners have done with LifeArt coffins.

~~

Guest Post - Pros & Cons of Cremation vs. Burial

    Here's a short guest post about the positives and negatives of both cremation and burial. It is an interesting debate, to go with cremation or burial.

Death is an aspect of life that most people fail to understand. Even though everyone is going to experience it eventually, it’s often a topic of discussion that doesn’t come up. But, regardless of how far and fast you run away from it, there is always the stunning realization that at some point in the future you will cease to be.

One way to cope with this is of course to be prepared for when it comes to fruition. This may be a thought you’d like to keep out of your head, but as you ease into your inevitable demise, you can start with simple questions such as: should I be buried or cremated?

If you’ve never taken the time to ponder this thought, here are a few pros and cons to consider as you draw nearer to the infinite beyond.

Event - Hidden Sculpture Walk at Rookwood

    Every year Rookwood Cemetery is host to a sculpture walk called 'Hidden'. Sculptures are scattered throughout the Anglican section of the cemetery, using their surroundings as part of the sculpture itself in many cases.

Where: All Saints Chapel, on Hawthorne Ave, Rookwood Cemetery. Near the Anglican office.
When: 11:00am Saturday, on the 21st of September.

    The event is completely free and good fun, the path to follow is no always perfectly clear and sculptures can be hard to find (hidden in a sense). Which creates a fun feeling of exploration and adventure, and because of this every time you go you'll have a very different experience.

    Below I have photos from Hidden last year.

Reminder - Honours Surveys

UPDATE: Surveys are now CLOSED and interviews are no longer being conducted, thank you to those who participated!

HREA Panel B approval no. 13 031

    Just a quick reminder, in addition to the interviews and fieldwork I will be conducting two short surveys as part of my honours thesis.  Each surveys should take 10 minutes or less, and all answers will be kept anonymous. Your participation will be greatly appreciated and will really help my study!! :)


The Public Survey:
    This survey is open to anyone from the general public and has never worked in the funeral industry. Answer honestly and do not worry about a 'right' or 'good' answer.

Direct link:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1sp6_muhcGpNX4MU05eQg3CG6t9iK94sXn9od1pEGtWA/viewform

The Funeral Staff Survey:
    This survey is open to anyone who has worked in the funeral industry in any capacity or role. Answer honestly and do not worry about a 'right' or 'good' answer.

Direct link:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1nAa04xdAv9EJdQhIlwIi4DYmjCEmzd3qiQ2GLoBtYY4/viewform

    Feel free to share the surveys with anyone who might be interested. You are also welcome to participate in interviews, follow the link below for more information:

Click here for information about the interviews & how to participate.

All participation in this project is appreciated, if there's any further questions or comments feel free to email me via theothersideoffunerals@gmail.com.

    This project is part of honours in anthropology at the University of New South Wales and has received ethics approval (approval no. 13 031) from HREA Panel B at UNSW. If there are any questions or issues you can contact me via theothersideoffunerals@gmail.com or my supervisor Dr Amanda Kearney at the University of New South Wales.

Upcoming Events

    There are many funeral industry and death related events held around Sydney each year. These are a few that I know of and think look particularly interesting or relevant.

    For more information about past and future events check out the 'events 2013' page.

Hidden Art Exhibition at Rookwood -- 21st Sept - 31st Oct

    Every year there is an art exhibition in Rookwood Cemetery, it is free and quite fun, seeing the different exhibits on display among the graves.  I particularly like how some incorporate that specific place of the cemetery within their artwork.

   On the last day they hold a little closing ceremony with videos and food, which was very fun and informative last year.

    Hidden homepage with more information.


ESMP Open Day -- 26th Oct

    The 2012 Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park open day was a blast, I really had a great time and there was such a variety of stuff to see and do.  This is also one of the only funeral home open days I know of.

When  -  26th October, 11am to 2pm.
Where  -  Military Rd, Matraville. 

    My post about the ESMP 2012 open day.


Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) -- 2nd November

    This is a new event, or at least one I have not heard of in Sydney before. It's a celebration of things related to death and the way life and death are so entangled. There will be a skull painting competition and more.

When  -  2nd November, 9am to 5pm.
Where  -  Gore Hill Oval/Park, Corner of Pacific Hwy and Reserve Rd, St Leonards.

Day of the dead event page.


Living with Our Dead -- 10th November

    Living with our dead is an event organised by a Sydney celebrant to remember and honour the deceased and bring the idea of death into an acceptable and public setting. I don't have any other information at this stage, so if you're interested follow the link below.

Living with our dead site.

Living with our dead FaceBook page.

    For more information about past and future events check out the 'events 2013' page.

~~

Guest Post: Top 10 Tips for Planning a Funeral

    Here's a guest post by Tom Reynolds, a co-owner of Memorials of Distinction with 10 tips when planning a funeral. It's an interesting read with some good points. Normally I don't look at how to organise or plan a funeral from a family/mourners/deceased perspective. But a lot of people want this and find it helpful, plus it's great to get a more diverse perspective on the blog.

Arranging a funeral can be a stressful time in a persons' life especially if it needs to be done unexpectedly. Although many people try to put off making plans for when they or a loved one passes away, there's a lot to be said to having things in place just in case. However, it's human nature to avoid thinking about it, but if you do make plans, it will make things that much easier at a difficult time when you have lost a loved one. Below are 10 tips for planning a funeral.

The TAFE Mortuary Sciences Course

    Recently someone sent me this link, it's the information for the 'Mortuary Theatre Practices' at TAFE. It looks like an interesting course, and while not essential for the funeral industry it could certainly be useful or at least informative.

    For more information follow the link below:

http://www.sydneytafe.edu.au/coursefinder//29004#.UhFC6mSSCuN

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Mortuary Station Graffiti

    I was on the train a while ago and noticed some graffiti on the poster memorialising Australia's first female architect, Florence Mary Taylor.

    Mortuary station itself is covered in graffiti, so it's interesting that this poster/memorial lasted so long without any graffiti considering the area.

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Picnic Reminder & Update

Rookwood Picnic:
    Just a quick reminder, there is a picnic at Rookwood this Sunday 18th. We will be meeting at 12 for a relaxed and friendly little gathering. Anyone interested is welcome. For more information (including how to get there and what to bring) follow the link below:

http://theothersideoffunerals.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/event-rookwood-picnic.html

Thesis Update:
    Right now is a very busy time in terms of the thesis work, so blog content will slow down and be sporadic for a while. But don't worry, it will be over soon as the thesis deadline is in November. I'm not sure if that is a good thing yet, but at least it will be finished soon and not drag on.

   The thesis research is going along well, right now I'm collecting data (such as interviews) and writing several chapters. There is a LOT more work to be done, another 15,000 words or more, but it is coming along nicely. By the end of this month I should have my methodology chapter essentially finished and considerable amounts of both the background and methods chapters completed.

    A few funeral homes have been very supportive and so importantly helpful in gathering data. The individual funeral staff interviews and the field observation of companies have been informative. Also, the Funeral Celebrants Association has been REALLY helpful and wonderful. Many members have been so happy to participate in interviews.

    This study is only possible due to the great support of various people and organisations. So thank you to all those who have participated in any capacity!

~~

Honours Surveys !

UPDATE: Surveys are now CLOSED and interviews are no longer being conducted, thank you to those who participated!

HREA Panel B approval no. 13 031

    In addition to the interviews and fieldwork I will be conducting two short surveys as part of my honours thesis.  Each surveys should take 10 minutes or less, and all answers will be kept anonymous. Your participation will be greatly appreciated and will really help my study!! :)


The Public Survey:
    This survey is open to anyone from the general public and has never worked in the funeral industry. Answer honestly and do not worry about a 'right' or 'good' answer.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1sp6_muhcGpNX4MU05eQg3CG6t9iK94sXn9od1pEGtWA/viewform

The Funeral Staff Survey:
    This survey is open to anyone who has worked in the funeral industry in some capacity. Such as a funeral director, mortician, gravedigger, celebrant, etc. Answer honestly and do not worry about a 'right' or 'good' answer.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1nAa04xdAv9EJdQhIlwIi4DYmjCEmzd3qiQ2GLoBtYY4/viewform

    Feel free to share the surveys with anyone who might be interested. You are also welcome to participate in interviews, follow the link below for more information:

Information about the interviews & how to register interest.

 
All participation in this project is appreciated, if there's any further questions or comments feel free to email me via theothersideoffunerals@gmail.com.


    This project is part of honours in anthropology at the University of New South Wales and has received ethics approval (approval no. 13 031) from HREA Panel B at UNSW. If there are any questions or issues you can contact me via theothersideoffunerals@gmail.com or my supervisor Dr Amanda Kearney at the University of New South Wales.

Event: Rookwood Picnic!

Elephant House

    It's about time for another Rookwood picnic, this is a casual gathering of people who share an interest in the funeral industry. If is open to anyone, although these events are usually quite small (and friendly).

    This will be a small and relaxed picnic, we might even go for a walk through Serpentine Canal or explore some old areas of Rookwood.

Top Ten Posts

    Here's a list of my personal favourite ten posts so far. They're in no specific order and there's no exact criteria for why I chose these particular posts other than if I liked them.

Research Participants Needed - reminder

UPDATE: Surveys are now CLOSED and interviews are no longer being conducted, thank you to those who participated!

HREA Panel B approval no. 13 031

The Public & Private Domains of Everyday Life: Social Sanitation & Australian Understandings of the Funeral Industry 

    I am looking for people to participate in my honours project!  This project seeks to develop a better understanding of our society through the modern Australian funeral industry.

    To do this I will need people to participate in interviews.  There are two types of participants I am after; those who have direct experience working in the funeral industry (funeral staff), and others with no experience working in the industry (the general public).  This project is part of honours in anthropology at the University of New South Wales and has received ethics approval (approval no. 13 031) from HREA Panel B at UNSW.

If you, or someone you know, is interested then contact me: 

theothersideoffunerals@gmail.com

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Selection Criteria (for funeral participants):

• Currently based in Sydney.
• Work within the funeral industry, past or present.  This can include any role with direct funeral experience.  Such as an undertaker, crematorium staff, transfer crew, mortician, gravedigger, celebrants, and so on.  You do not need to be directly employed by a funeral company as long as you have direct experience working within the funeral industry in some capacity.
• Aged 18 to 70.
• Potential participants who have experienced a loss of a family member or friend within the last 24 months will be excluded.

Selection Criteria (for non-funeral participants):

• Currently based in Sydney.
• Very little to no direct experience with funeral industry procedures.  As in, never employed by a funeral company.
• Aged 21 to 60.
• Potential participants who have experienced a loss of a family member or friend within the last 24 months will be excluded.

Other Important Information:

• All interviews will be conducted between the 25th of June and 30th of August.
• Interviews will last 30 minutes.
• Voice recordings and written notes will be taken, no videos or photos will be taken.
• Interviews are face-to-face and semi-structured.  This means there will be a set of open ended questions which the participant can direct.
• It should be noted, this project is separate from the blog and its own project done through the University of New South Wales (UNSW).

If you, or someone you know, is interested then contact me: 

theothersideoffunerals@gmail.com

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

    There is a copied of the project flyer below which has more information about the project.  You are welcome to share this flyer (and post) with anyone who might be interested in participating.

Funeral Industry Study

Hello, my name is Peter Minucos, and I am conducting a study exploring perceptions of the funeral industry in Sydney. This study will be looking at the public and private aspects of what happens after death and people’s attitudes and understandings of the industry. 

This study is for the purposes of my Honours research project in Sociology and Anthropology at the University of New South Wales, and this research has received ethics approval (approval no. 13 031) from HREA Panel B at UNSW. Through this study I hope to gain a better understanding of ‘social sanitation’ within society, how undesirable processes are removed from the public. I also hope to learn more about the funeral industry itself, from how it operates to why it works the way it does. 

I am seeking people and organisations willing to participate in the project and discuss their views on this topic. 

Anyone interested in the funeral industry or this topic is free to participate. I am seeking anyone who might have experience relating to the funeral industry, such as having attended a funeral, or work in a funeral company. But I am also looking for anyone curious in the funeral industry. The interviews should go for no longer than 30 minutes, and there will be no compensation from participation, although it will be greatly appreciated! 

If you are interested in participating please contact me with the information provided below OR if you know someone who may be interested please feel free to pass on this flyer. If you are interested you can contact me for more information on how you can participate to this research. 

I can be contacted on the following:

Email: Peter Minucos at theothersideoffunerals@gmail.com 

Or you can contact my research supervisor, Dr. Amanda Kearney.

Thank you so much for your time and consideration! 

Thank you to all those who have participated and are interested in participating!!

~~

Will Baby Boomers Significantly Impact the Funeral Industry?

    The baby boomers are considered somewhat of a prized commodity by many within the funeral industry. Essentially the theory is that over the next few years there will be a growth of deaths as the boby boomers die. Hence current marketing is attempting to tap into this desirable market.

    Yet I question this notion, maybe the baby boomer generation will push death rates up, but will it really be a notable rise?  In this post I explore the rising deaths of baby boomers and whether this might be as significant for the funeral industry as assumed.

PHD Comics Thesis Outline

    The comic PHD Comics is a very accurate (and amusing) summary of many university experiences.  Their recent summary of a thesis chapter outline is surprisingly accurate, with a few minor changes I could say this is my honours thesis (although I only plan to have six chapters).

    This is actually quite a good chapter outline in a way, simple and to the point.

http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive/phd071713s.gif

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Rookwood Rail Line

    I accidentally found this interesting post on the blog Past/Lives about the history of the rail line at Rookwood.  It's actually one of the better sources of information on this that I have come across so far.

    So check it out via the link below, it has a lot of good photos and information not found elsewhere:

http://pastlivesofthenearfuture.com/2012/07/08/rookwood-necropolis-railway-lidcombe-nsw/

~~

Changing Society & Technology

    I am very busy lately so I don't have time to write a post. Instead I will quickly discuss something which continues to come up every now and then, and while not directly about the funeral industry iy relates to the industry.

   People comment about the changing nature of society, specifically how technology is making us less social.  To me this is a simplistic and incorrect argument; nothing has changed much really.  This is an old issue that has been brought up time and time again, as the web comic xkcd so nicely demonstrates.  You can view the comic in full below.

Mortuary Station

    Here's some photos of Mortuary Station in the CBD from the rail lines. Currently Mortuary Station is  closed to the public, as it is on an active rail line and under renovation. But if you catch the right train you can get some pretty close photos of it, some other lines get even closer than this.

The Process - On the funeral

    Recently I came across an old post which I never published, simply forgot about it. It might not be completely accurate, or even up to date. This was written just over a year ago and forgotten about.

    Not long ago I wrote about how the body makes it from the site of death to the hearse for the funeral.  This is my follow up post on what happens once the coffin in loaded into the hearse.  Once again I focus on the coffin and its immediate preparations.  There is a lot of paperwork and other things going on at the same time which I do not cover.  Yet this time I talk more about the staff and how they go about the job.  This is so you can understand the feel of it better.

    Anyway, here's what happens after the coffin is loaded into the hearse.

Honours Timetable

    As some might have noticed my posting has decreased lately. This is due to the tight honours timetable. Right now is my midyear review, and it's a busy process anyway. I am hoping to start the fieldwork soon, which should be good fun!

    On that note, if anyone is interested in participating in the study you can email me:
theothersideoffunerals@gmail.com

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The Echo of Graves

    The missing graves, or vanishing graves as I call them, have always interested me.  These are graves that for one reason or another have simply gone, reduced to little more than an outline in the soil.  All that remains is an 'echo' of the grave which once stood there.

    They interest me for a number of reasons, so this post is a collection of photos and comments about these vanishing graves.

The New Blog Logo

    As some of you have noticed the blog has a new logo, we're still tinkering with it but I'm quite happy. So I'd like to thank the person who made it. She put in hours and did around 50 different versions, all for free! Always happy to take into account my changes, however minor. She's already talking about designing other things (like business cards). If anyone needs a designer I'd highly recommend her.

    Thank you, and I look forward to the other design work lined up already!

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Books about the Australian Funeral Industry

    Here are three good books which look at the history and changes to the Australian funeral landscape.   These books have been an invaluable source for my thesis, and generally understanding the industry as it is today.  The books look at social changes with death, in terms of attitudes, customs, demographics, and so on.  Through knowing how dying and grieving have changed we can understand the funeral industry and funerals in general.

    Anyone studying (or simply interested in) the funeral industry ro funerals anywhere in the world should have a look at these books.

Griffin, G.M., & Tobin, D. (1997). In the Midst of Life: The Australian Response to Death: Melbourne University Publishing.

Jalland, Patricia. (2006). Changing Ways of Death in Twentieth Century Australia : War, Medicine and the Funeral Business. Sydney: Sydney University of NSW Press.

Kellehear, A. (2000). Death and Dying in Australia: Oxford University Press Australia.

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Reminder - Interviews Needed

UPDATE: Surveys are now CLOSED and interviews are no longer being conducted, thank you to those who participated!

HREA Panel B approval no. 13 031

Project Title: The Public & Private Domains of Everyday Life: Social Sanitation & Australian Understandings of the Funeral Industry 

    I am looking for people to participate in my honours project!  This project seeks to develop a better understanding of our society through the modern Australian funeral industry.

    To do this I will need people to participate in interviews.  There are two types of participants I am after; those who have direct experience working in the funeral industry (funeral staff), and others with no experience working in the industry (the general public).  This project is part of honours in anthropology at the University of New South Wales and has received ethics approval (approval no. 13 031) from HREA Panel B at UNSW.

If you, or someone you know, is interested then contact me: 

theothersideoffunerals@gmail.com

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Selection Criteria (for funeral participants):

• Currently based in Sydney.
• Work within the funeral industry, past or present.  This can include any role with direct funeral experience.  Such as an undertaker, crematorium staff, transfer crew, mortician, gravedigger, celebrants, and so on.  You do not need to be directly employed by a funeral company as long as you have direct experience working within the funeral industry in some capacity.
• Aged 18 to 70.
• Potential participants who have experienced a loss of a family member or friend within the last 24 months will be excluded.

Selection Criteria (for non-funeral participants):

• Currently based in Sydney.
• Very little to no direct experience with funeral industry procedures.  As in, never employed by a funeral company.
• Aged 21 to 60.
• Potential participants who have experienced a loss of a family member or friend within the last 24 months will be excluded.

Other Important Information:

• All interviews will be conducted between the 25th of June and 30th of August.
• Interviews will last 30 minutes.
• Interviews are intended to be conducted at the UNSW Library, Kensington Campus, in private rooms.  Other locations around Sydney can be arranged.
• Voice recordings and written notes will be taken, no videos or photos will be taken.
• Interviews are face-to-face and semi-structured.  This means there will be a set of open ended questions which the participant can direct.
• There is no compensation for participating.
• It should be noted, this project is separate from the blog and its own project through the University of New South Wales (UNSW).

If you, or someone you know, is interested then contact me: 

theothersideoffunerals@gmail.com

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

    There is a copied of the project flyer below which has more information about the project.  You are welcome to share this flyer (and post) with anyone who might be interested in participating.

Funeral Industry Study

Hello, my name is Peter Minucos, and I am conducting a study exploring perceptions of the funeral industry in Sydney. This study will be looking at the public and private aspects of what happens after death and people’s attitudes and understandings of the industry. 

This study is for the purposes of my Honours research project in Sociology and Anthropology at the University of New South Wales, and this research has received ethics approval (approval no. 13 031) from HREA Panel B at UNSW. Through this study I hope to gain a better understanding of ‘social sanitation’ within society, how undesirable processes are removed from the public. I also hope to learn more about the funeral industry itself, from how it operates to why it works the way it does. 

I am seeking people and organisations willing to participate in the project and discuss their views on this topic. 

Anyone interested in the funeral industry or this topic is free to participate. I am seeking anyone who might have experience relating to the funeral industry, such as having attended a funeral, or work in a funeral company. But I am also looking for anyone curious in the funeral industry. The interviews should go for no longer than 30 minutes, and there will be no compensation from participation, although it will be greatly appreciated! 

If you are interested in participating please contact me with the information provided below OR if you know someone who may be interested please feel free to pass on this flyer. If you are interested you can contact me for more information on how you can participate to this research. 

I can be contacted on the following:

Email: Peter Minucos at theothersideoffunerals@gmail.com 

Or you can contact my research supervisor, Dr. Amanda Kearney.

Thank you so much for your time and consideration! 

Cemeteries Running Out of Space

    Every so often the public papers will run a couple of stories on how cemeteries are running out of space, then promptly drop the story.  It is an odd occurrence I have seen repeated ever few years and something I should address eventually.

Thank you for the book

    I want to say thank you to a fellow honours student for giving me a handy book.  Recently this student gave me a book for free, a nice gesture which I appreciate.  But what is better is that he saw the book and thought of me.

    This book was just what I needed for my background chapter.  So it was not only a thoughtful gift, but also a useful resource.

     One thing I really enjoy about honours are the other students, everyone is supportive and just a pleasure to chat with.  It is people like this who make the honours experience all the more enjoyable.

    So thank you fellow student, I hope to return the favour one day!




Details of the book:

Griffin, G.M., & Tobin, D. (1997). In the Midst of Life: The Australian Response to Death. Melbourne University Publishing.

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