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- Prepaid Funeral Plans
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Absolutely. While Far North Queensland is our base, we serve families throughout
Yes, we are able to arrange for translators, and community liaisons to ensure clarity and respect throughout the process. Whether you need a Buddhist monk, Hindu priest, or cultural elder, we will help coordinate the right support.
We support a wide range of cultural and religious traditions including Polynesian, Chinese, Buddhist, Hindu, Islamic, Vietnamese, Korean, and more. If you have specific requirements, we are happy to accommodate them in consultation with community leaders or faith representatives.
Pre-planning your funeral provides peace of mind for you and your family. It alleviates the emotional and financial burden on your loved ones during a difficult time and ensures that your wishes are carried out exactly as you’d like.
A pre-paid funeral allows you to lock in today’s prices by paying upfront, ensuring there are no unexpected costs for your family later. Funeral insurance requires ongoing payments and may ultimately cost more if payments are made over many years.
Our pre-paid funeral plans are designed to be flexible. If you move interstate, we can transfer your plan to one of our partner funeral homes in your new location.
Our plans cover everything from the transfer of your loved one into our care, funeral arrangements, and service coordination, to cremation or burial services. Contact us for a detailed breakdown tailored to your needs.
We recommend reviewing your plan every few years or whenever there are significant changes in your circumstances, such as moving, acquiring new assets, or a change in family dynamics.
Yes, we offer a 30-day cooling-off period where you can cancel your plan and receive a full refund. After this period, specific terms and conditions apply.
Pre-paid plans can be transferred to another individual if needed. Contact our care team for assistance with the transfer process.
Yes, Cairns Funeral Directors offers fully customisable funeral services. Whether you’d like specific music, readings, or themes, our team will work with you to create a personalised service.
Yes, we are proud to offer eco-friendly options, including green burials and sustainable urns. Speak to our team about our environmentally conscious choices.
We honour all cultural and religious traditions. Our experienced team will work with you to ensure that all practices and rituals are respected.
Funerals typically take place within a week of death, but this can vary depending on your preferences and circumstances. We’ll work with you to find a suitable date.
We can arrange transport for immediate family members upon request. Speak to our team for more information.
Yes, we offer livestreaming services to ensure that loved ones who can’t attend in person can still participate and pay their respects.
A funeral service is held before the cremation or burial and includes the presence of the coffin. A memorial service takes place after the cremation or burial and can be held at a variety of venues, with or without the ashes present.
We offer a wide variety of venues to suit your needs, from cemetery chapels and community halls to restaurants and private gardens. Let us know your preference, and we will make the necessary arrangements.
Absolutely. Our services are designed to reflect the unique life and personality of your loved one. You can include personalised elements such as music, photos, videos, keepsakes, and more.
Flowers can add beauty and warmth to a service, but they are not mandatory. You can also include personal mementos, photos, or letters to honour your loved one in a meaningful way.
Yes, we can help create a slideshow featuring photos and videos of your loved one. Accompanied by their favourite music, this is a heartfelt way to honour their life.
Cremation involves reducing the body to ashes, which can be kept, scattered, or buried. Burial involves placing the body in a coffin or casket and interring it within a cemetery or other designated site.
A direct cremation is a simple, unattended cremation with no service. It’s an affordable option that allows families to hold a personalised memorial service at a later time.
Yes, we can assist with securing burial plots in local cemeteries. Speak to our team for more details.
This is entirely up to you. Some families choose to include the ashes as a central element of the service, while others opt for a framed photograph or another meaningful item.
The ashes will be returned to your family in a dignified urn. You can choose to keep them, scatter them, or inter them into a memorial site.
We’ll guide your family through the necessary paperwork, including authorisation forms and registration of the passing with the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages. This ensures everything is handled legally and with care.
Yes, direct cremation can be included as part of a pre-paid plan, giving you peace of mind that your wishes will be fulfilled.
We offer a variety of urns, from traditional to modern designs, as well as eco-friendly options. Our team can help you choose one that best suits your needs.
If a death occurs away from home, contact us immediately. We will coordinate the safe transfer of your loved one and ensure that all necessary arrangements are made.
Yes, we understand that circumstances change. Our team is happy to help you update your plan to reflect your current wishes.
Keep your will and final wishes in a safe but accessible place, such as with your executor, solicitor, or in a secure online vault. Ensure your executor knows where to find these documents when the time comes.
Choose someone you trust to handle your estate. This could be a family member, friend, or solicitor. Ensure they are organised, capable, and willing to take on the responsibility.
Yes, you can document your funeral preferences and final wishes separately, but we recommend having a legally binding will for your estate.
We operate with a modern approach that reduces overhead costs, such as managing large funeral parlours. This allows us to provide high-quality, affordable services.
You have a 30-day cooling-off period during which you can cancel your plan and receive a full refund. After this period, your bond cannot be withdrawn prior to death except under specific circumstances
Yes, we offer flexible payment plans to make our services accessible to everyone. Contact us for more details.
When the time comes, your family should contact us immediately. We will take care of everything, from bringing your loved one into our care to registering the passing and coordinating the service or cremation.
No, all costs are transparently outlined in our packages. You’ll know exactly what’s included and what additional options are available.
Yes, we can create a digital memorial to celebrate your loved one’s life, including photos, videos, and messages from family and friends.
Yes, we prioritise the security of your information with advanced encryption and data protection measures.
We handle the registration of the death with the relevant authorities and will provide you with the death certificate once it is issued.
Yes, we can arrange for military honours or other special requests to be included in the service.
If your loved one passes away overseas, we can assist with repatriation services to bring them home safely.
Our team is available 24/7. Call our emergency line, and we’ll guide you through the next steps.
We value your feedback. You can provide comments through our website or speak directly to our team.
Yes, we operate across QLD and can assist families in most regions.
Yes, we can arrange for interpreter services to accommodate non-English-speaking families.
Simply call us or visit our website to get started. Our compassionate team will guide you through every step of the process.
Please discuss with your consultant at the time of arrangement with Cairns Funeral Directors so that your specific circumstances can be addressed.
Funds are placed with an investment manager in accordance with the Fair Trading (Prepaid Funeral Code of Practice) Regulations 2020. The funeral investment must be designated in the name of the client with Cairns Funeral Directors. The funds are only released after the funeral arranged for the recipient has been carried out, as per the prepaid funeral contract.
Some people may feel comfortable discussing their funeral plans with a spouse, adult children, or another member of the family. Others, however, may prefer to make arrangements directly with Cairns Funeral Directors in complete confidence. We would strongly advise that, if the immediate family is not informed, a trusted friend, solicitor, or executor be notified when a plan is purchased.
The cost of a Prepaid Funeral Plan with Cairns Funeral Directors will vary, depending on the type of funeral service that you choose. A consultant will discuss with you the different types of funeral services, including burial, cremation, and other options. Many people now prepay for their funeral earlier in life with Cairns Funeral Directors because the cost is more affordable, the price is protected against inflation, and they can become involved in the decisions made on the funeral.
Many individuals are turning to Cairns Funeral Directors to arrange their own funeral plans. A Prepaid Funeral Plan not only enables you to ease the financial burden on loved ones, but they also allow you to plan your goodbye the way you would like it to be. If requested, your decisions can be documented in our Funeral Arrangement system for all third-party costs that are not a part of the Prepaid Funeral Plan. Unlike funeral insurance, a prepaid funeral is a one-off cost, and there are no ongoing premiums to worry about.
Contrary to what many believe, coffins are very different to caskets. A casket is rectangular, usually has a hinged lid and is of European origin. Coffins are just how people imagine them, tapered out to a point at the shoulder, and with a lid which usually lifts off completely. Coffins are of English origin. Today, coffins and caskets are made of either particle board (chipboard), timber (including pine, oak, cedar and mahogany), metal (these are imported from the USA) and very recently the outside of some is made of velvet. The lining is made from materials ranging from understated calico to hand ruched satin.
All “reportable deaths” need to be investigated by the State Coroner or by another Coroner. The first step is identification, and the Coroner usually asks for a family member or close family friend to identify the deceased. This can be done either at the place of death, in the presence of the police, or at the Coroner’s office.
A prepaid funeral offers your family and friends the peace of mind knowing that your wishes have been recorded. Additionally, prepaid funerals offered by Cairns Funeral Directors are a fixed price. The funeral expenses are paid at today’s prices and are protected from inflation. A prepaid funeral may be paid as a lump sum or paid in monthly instalments over a period of up to three years. When the time comes for the prepaid contract to be used, a simple phone-call from your executor, next of kin or friend is all that is required for us to commence implementing your recorded wishes. All monies paid toward the prepaid funeral contract are invested independently.
A “prearranged funeral” is one planned sometimes years in advance. A prearranged funeral offers your family or friends the peace of mind knowing that your wishes have been recorded. The funeral expenses are paid by the family or estate at the time of need. All the funeral details are planned in advance. A phone call from your executor, next of kin or friend is all that is required for us to commence implementing your recorded wishes.
A mausoleum is a large monumental tomb which has a chamber that contains funeral urns or caskets. Unlike most tombs, mausoleums are generally built above ground allowing the rank and achievements of the deceased to be displayed. The earliest known mausoleums were built over five thousand years ago from huge pieces of stone, and were usually covered with earth or rock. In the centuries that followed, mausoleums were usually built for significant individuals or for prestige. The best known mausoleum is the 17th century Taj Mahal. Today mausoleums can be found in cemeteries around the world – they are usually multi-storeyed and can accommodate hundreds, sometimes thousands, of entombments.
By law, both the coffin and body are consumed in a cremation. The only items not consumed in a cremation are the metal handles on the coffin. Some crematoria may be required by the local Environmental Protection Authority to remove fittings made of other material. This is because of the adverse effects the material may have on the environment near the crematorium. All these items are destroyed. They are never recycled.
