Joseph Medcalf Open Day

Click to enlarge.

    To celebrate 'Dying to Know Day' Joseph Medcalf will be having an open day on Saturday the 9th at 2pm.  This is a rare chance to see and explore the inside of a funeral home, so I think it's well worth going and will certainly be there.

    According to the banner the event will include a tour of the funeral home, discussions about planning funerals, and more.


Location:   447 Burwood Rd, Belmore NSW (google map).

Time:   2:00pm, 9th of August.


To RSVP and for additional information you can email director@josephmedcalf.com.au or call 0433 181 091.

Joseph Medcalf Site: http://josephmedcalf.com.au

Joseph Medcalf Contact Page & Address (with google maps) : http://josephmedcalf.com.au/contact-us

Groundswell Project (with other similar events): http://www.thegroundswellproject.com/find-an-event

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Ask an Undertaker

     This is a reminder about the 'Ask an Undertaker' post, which allows people to anonymously and publicly ask and answer questions about the Australian funeral industry. Anyone can post a question, and I or another person with experience will try and answer it.

Ask an Undertaker link:

http://theothersideoffunerals.blogspot.com.au/2013/02/ask-undertaker.html?showComment=1393475233082#c2284015309962946785

    I also have two other sections of this blog which might be useful;

Advice for mourners: Tips and information to make attending a funeral easier
    This section gives advice for people attending a funeral, from how to design an order of service to funeral industry terminology - simply click here.

Working Funerals: Tips and information on how to be an undertaker
    This section discusses and explains the work of funeral staff, from how to conduct a transfer to why feet first - simply click here.

     You can also contact me privately through my email: theothersideoffunerals@gmail.com.

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Balancing the Price

    One thing I have come across is the issue of pricing. This is a big issue for all involved in the funeral industry, from mourners to staff, and one I want to discuss in more detail. So today I'll be looking at the balancing act many funeral home have to perform when it comes to pricing.

    That is, the balance between getting paid enough to operate and not overcharging the deceased and/or mourners.

How to Complain About a Funeral

    Over time various people have contacted me through this blog to complain about something related to the funeral industry. These complaints are quite rare and often varied, yet one thing remains common between them. That the majority of people don't know who to complain to or how to complain.

    Many are not really much asking for my advice so much as who to contact. As such here is a post on how to complain. Remember, I am based in Sydney so this information is aimed for the Sydney funeral industry.

Recommended Funeral Homes

    Several people have asked me what funeral homes I would recommend and why. I find this a tough question to answer as personally I feel it is hard to find a 'bad' funeral home because the vast majority are to a respectable standard.

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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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.

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.

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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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.

What the American Funeral Says About the Australian Industry

    The concept of the American funeral comes from the Australian funeral industry, it is because of the industry that it has a presence.  Which I find amusingly ironic in a sense, how the American funeral is considered an ever-present threat to the Australian funeral, and yet it can only exist directly because of the Australian funeral; without the Australian industry there would be no American funeral.

Does the American Funeral Exist?

    Does the American funeral actually exist?  In short "no",  and yet at the same time it does.  The American funeral is an interesting thing which says a lot about the Australian funeral industry, and Australian society on a broader level.  In this post I continue my theme of 'American funeral' and look at if it really exists.

Could Big Data Predict Funeral Work?

    One of the most common annoyances of the funeral industry is the lack of predictability for the work.  However, recently I was in a class on quantitative research where we discussed 'big data' and I realised how it could possibly apply to the funeral industry.  That this new form of qualitative research might be able to accurately predict specific details about funeral work.

Which would be quite a benefit to many companies and individuals!

Ageism in the Industry & The Funeral Friends

    Ageism is quite common within the funeral industry, I have found only a few places where it doesn't exist.  So no one company is at fault really, no single company, group, or person is ageist.  Instead it is an industry wide thing, ageism is an aspect of the funeral industry and not of funeral companies.

Defining the American Funeral

    The 'American funeral' is a very important concept for the Australian funeral industry, it is talked about and referred to heavily (both directly and indirectly) by those within the industry.  Without doubt it is very important to discourse within the industry, and yet it is poorly explored or even defined, which only leads to an unhealthy discussion.

    As such I will spend some time digging deeply into this important yet overlooked topic, finally exploring it and giving it the time it deserves.

Alternative Memorialising with Heinz

    A while ago Heinz launched the myHeinz site where you can make custom messages on Heinz bottles.  At the time I thought nothing of it and barely even noticed it, until someone recently had a rather amusing suggestion.  To use this as a way of memorialising the dead!

Upright Burial

    The concept of burying coffins standing up (vertically rather than horizontally) is by no means a new one.  This is an older idea and one brought up every so often, but it is about time I gave my own personal thoughts on the matter in a short post.

Possible reason for Diversity in the Hearse

    Previously I discussed what the public do not look for in a hearse, that generally the public looks at the symbolism rather than the physical appearance.  As such the public have little knowledge in the physical side of the hearse, despite the significance of the hearse.

    I suspect this is the reasons there is such a diversity of the hearses in Sydney.

The Hearse - In the eyes of the funeral industry

    To those within the industry the hearse is such a significant thing, from a thing of pride to part of identity.  It is a complex thing to the funeral industry, and much more than just a transporter of coffins.

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.