I’m Robyn O’Connell, the founder of Last Farewell.
When I became a funeral celebrant in 2002, I began to realize that families knew so little about how to go about organising a funeral. Usually, I was brought in after the family had met with the funeral director, whereby they were suggested that I be the celebrant for them. Fortunately, most of my work has been with competent, ethical funeral companies. Those proved otherwise, I have chosen not to work with again.
I began to realize that people were unaware of the well-known service providers in the industry, being fantastic for what they do. People are also unaware of how to refrain from going to those who are less than professional. Yet how does the everyday person who may only ever arrange one or two funerals in their lifetime get to learn about that?
Don't get me wrong, most people (and I mean the majority) who work in the funeral industry are kind, caring people. Unfortunately, some are restricted by their company guidelines or are pushed to meet sales figures and budgets. Often they have the pressure on them to upsell, which sometimes can even go against their morals. I have seen such situations firsthand, where people talked into having things that they either would not have wanted or could not have otherwise been able to afford. All this happens because we don't know what the options are!
Over the years, so many have asked for my advice on which funeral director to choose and I have happily helped wherever I can. When Covid19 hit, many families said to me that they were not going to have a funeral when they could only have ten people. Even more sought my advice, given those circumstances which funeral director would I recommend. That was when the idea of Your Funeral Wishes Advocacy which has become Last Farewell came into being.
I had previously chatted with a solicitor who specialises in wills and estates, as well as someone who has helped people choose aged care facilities, and both of them told me that people often don’t know where to turn to when it comes to funerals. Many people don't even realise that most companies will work all over the metropolitan area instead of thinking they have to use a local funeral director.
Many smaller companies can do equally as good a job for often thousands of dollars less; however, they just do not have big advertising budgets, so people just don’t know about them. Yet there is room for everyone, from the large beautifully presented funeral homes to the small ones with no chapel.
The challenge is to find a company that reflects who you are and how you want your send-off.
This is where I can help. I can give you good, solid advice when you need it the most.
I look forward to chatting with you about what your Last Farewell wishes will be.
Robyn