The Day That Hearses Ruled the World

    As part of my dive into the history of the funeral industry in Australia I noticed a lack of information on the Australian hearse.  Which, considering the importance of the hearse, was odd.  As such the next few posts will be focusing on the Australian hearse!

    And what better way to start than with video from a hearse enthusiast group!  Every year 'The Phantom Coaches Hearse Club' hold a fun looking event called 'The Day That Hearses Ruled the World' where basically hearse owners and enthusiasts gather.  It's a great display of vintage and cool American style hearses, and of the enthusiasm people have for the hearse.

    Below are two videos of the event, check them out!

Lack of History About the Australian Hearse

    Recently I put together this short history of the funeral industry, in it I note that there is a serious absence of the hearse.   In this post I discuss this absence of such an important part of the industry.

Stopping Traffic

    Undertakers have a long tradition of stopping traffic, it is a natural part of the industry that many think little of.  However, should they really be doing this?

Talking to me

    A few people have said how they didn't want to bother me much, or to take up my time.  But by far one of the best things about this blog is chatting to others interested in the funeral industry from all over the place.

    I genuinely enjoy chatting with people, so never hesitate to email me!  Not only is it fun, but it's sometimes a welcome break from work.

   So email me, or chat instantly via google plus, or even leave a comment on the blog.  I might not always answer immediately, but I will always enjoy and appreciate hearing from others.

    For now I'll leave this with a funny saying I once heard: "never annoy a funeral director, or you might get a free funeral"

An~~

Appropriate In a Cemetery

    What is appropriate in a cemetery is quite a debatable thing, but I have found that many take a reverential and highly respectful view of cemeteries.  However, this view requires a certain distancing from the cemetery, that those who think this way cannot understand the cemetery itself and cannot visit cemeteries regularly.

Working Funerals - Why Foot First

    This is an oddly common question, and one I had not really looked into or thought much about until others asked me.  The foot first method has a strong symbolism to it, but it also has a very practical reason.

The Criticism Cycle

A while ago I wrote a post about the 'vulnerable capties' of the funeral industry, how the public perception is that the funeral customer is locked into using the industry and vulnerable while using it.

Museum of Human Disease Day

    The Museum of Human Disease was really fun little excursion, it really was a very interesting and informative day.  Everyone had a great time, as usual it was only a small group.  But this made it more personal and relaxing.

    After visiting this museum and chatting to the staff I might tie in more events along these lines.  I'll certainly be visiting between classes when uni starts.

First letter of support - Lady Anne Funerals

    I would like to take time to say thank you to Lady Anne funerals, this a busy company and yet they have always taken time to help me how they can.  Lady Anne has been supportive and friendly,  right from when we first met at the 2012 Rookwood Open Day.

    This was the first company to let me in and write about publicly on the blog.  They went so far as to let me take photos of just about anything and chat with staff freely.

    Recently Lady Anne gave me the first letter of support!

    Thank you Lady Anne; to the company, staff, and owner/manager, you were the first for a few things for my blog and honours.  So you will be the first I think of when I look back fondly at my early experiences studying the industry.

    Lady Anne is a genuinely excellent company, many might rightly talk about how there is nothing wrong with the industry or that they have nothing to hide.  But Lady Anne takes the time to prove it.

An~~

Ethics letters of support reminder

    A reminder, I'm looking for letters of support from funeral companies, the ethics paperwork has to be submitted by the 5th of March.  So I am going to chasing up companies properly over the next week to find letters.

   The letters are not a commitment or obligation from the company, nor will this be seen by anyone except a handful of ethics people; but the letters are essential to my application as without them I suspect approval will be denied or delayed.  The letter does not say how a company will work with me, companies are more than entitled to their own individual conditions and restrictions as they see fit.

    Really, the letter of support really is just a symbol to the ethics pannel/committee that there are some companies willing (in theory) to work with me.  It proves that my research project is at least possible.  It's little more than this, and yet I cannot do much without at least two to three.

    Basically it's six months of potential work for a 20,000 word thesis; I will get approval after March (if I make that deadline) and have to have the thesis mostly completed in September.  Missing the March deadline will push everything back to April, meaning I only get five months to do the work the same work.  So if there is a hint of desperation in my tone I think it's well justified, I can't even start recruiting potential participants without ethics approval.

    I have even written the letter, so all that it needs is the company name and a signature.

    If there are any questions, or you are interested in providing a letter of support, then contact me through: theothersideoffunerals@gmail.com.

    My supervisor (Dr. Amanda Kearney) would also be happy to answer any questions, but I won't be posting her contact details on this public blog.  If you want to contact her simply email me and I will provide her details.

An~~