Knowing what to do when a death occurs can be a scary and unknown path to walk alone, especially if you've never gone through this process before. We understand how difficult this time is and want you to know you're not alone. We are here to help.

It’s not going to be easy but it is manageable, especially with the right helping hand. You will need to make some difficult decisions, fill out paperwork and confront some harsh realities - all while dealing with the unpredictability of grief.

What to do when a death occurs from natural or expected causes at home? 

When a natural or expected death occurs at home, the first thing you need to do is call your family GP (provided they have seen your loved one in the last 3 months) or palliative care nurse and ask them to fill out a Life Extinct Form. This allows us to bring your person into our care. 

When a death occurs in a nursing home or private hospital, the staff provide us with the necessary paperwork.

What to do when a death occurs unexpectedly at home? 

If the death is unexpected, or your doctor is unable to establish a cause of death, the police need to be notified and will likely need the coroner to establish cause of death. Your Funeral Director will liaise with the coroner on your behalf and we are happy to assist you with any questions you have regarding this process.

When do I contact a Funeral Director?

Contacting a Funeral Director as soon as a death has occurred is common practice but not mandatory. In fact, at Rite of Passage Funerals we believe it’s important to take your time with this decision and choose someone you are comfortable with. In this period of acute shock and grief it's often hard to make decisions, so rushing through this process might not be helpful.

If the death is expected, we encourage you to contact us before your person passes, so we can meet in person and ensure we’re the right fit for you. This will eliminate a large decision once your loved one has passed away.

A sudden death can be difficult to process, we encourage you to reach out to us whenever you are ready. 

What are my options when it comes to disposition?

Disposition is the funeral industry term for laying remains to rest. Your options include:

• Cremation

• Standard Burial

• Green or Natural Burial

• Water Burial

I want to do something meaningful for my loved one but don’t know where to start, what do I do?

Call us! Once you’ve reached out to us we can chat over the phone and arrange a time to come out and meet with you. We’ll talk openly about your person, what they loved and what, if anything, you have in mind for the funeral service. 

We’ll come armed with plenty of our unique Rite of Passage Funeral ideas on how you can honour their life, while also getting the healing you need from the ceremony. 

If you think we’re the right fit for you, we’ll then move forward and create a bespoke funeral service that’s just right for you. We’ll take care of everything, but encourage you to be a part of the process too, because that’s just the Rite of Passage Funeral way. 

How much does a Rite of Passage Funeral cost?

One of our key missions at Rite of Passage Funerals is to make the funeral process transparent, so you know exactly how much you’re spending before the bill comes in. 

At our initial meeting we’ll sit down with you and go through your options, talk about all the fixed and variable costs involved and come back to you on a firm all-inclusive quote so there’s no surprises. 

Some costs, like the burial and cremation fees, and death and medical certificates are fixed, but everything else, such as coffins and service fees can be tailored to suit your budget. 

Pre-planning a funeral with us can help your family better understand the funeral costs and plan ahead for them.

You can also download our full price list here or view our pricing page here. 

Why should I pre-plan my funeral? 

It doesn’t matter if you’re 36 or 86, we believe that preparing for your end-of-life in advance is the ultimate gift you can give your loved ones. 

For all the mums, brothers, sisters, wives, husbands… you have the power to take hold of your arrangements and make sure your family aren’t left wondering when the inevitable does happen.

For many people this realisation comes too late or when they’ve been diagnosed with a terminal illness, but we believe it’s never too early to pull this important task out of the ‘too hard basket’ and tick it off the list once and for all.

Here’s what pre-planning a funeral with Rite of Passage Funerals will give you:

• Peace-of-mind knowing that your farewell will be just as you’d imagined it to be

• An opportunity to tell your story in your own unique way

• Serious brownie points with your family for eliminating a huge amount of stress for them

• More money in your pocket, because pre-planning this way will actually save you money in the long run

• The gift of facing death and looking at your life right now. We’ve found it to be a very transformational experience and often gives people the courage to make changes they never would have made had they not faced their own mortality.

Like the sound of it? Head over to our Pre-Plan Your Funeral page and learn more about it there.

I’ve noticed Rite of Passage Funerals offers memorials, what are they? 

A memorial service is essentially a funeral without a casket present. A Rite of Passage Funerals Memorial offers a completely unique and personalised way to celebrate your person, in a cost-effective way.

The benefits of having a memorial service over a funeral is that there’s more flexibility in the planning and location, so creating something truly personalised is even more possible.

We have a range of suggestions that are unique to us, specifically designed to create a meaningful, enlightened and uplifting ceremony that will leave a lasting impact on everyone there on the day. For more information or to organise a Rite of Passage Memorial for your loved one call us anytime.

What areas do you service?

Rite of Passage Funerals is located on the Gold Coast. We currently service all areas of the Gold Coast including but not limited to Robina, Burleigh Heads, Nerang, Mudgeeraba, Southport, Palm Beach, Clear Island Waters, Mermaid Beach and Coolangatta. 

We are happy to travel to meet our families at a location of their choice - usually your home. If you want a Rite of Passage Funeral but aren’t in our immediate area, touch base and we’ll see if we can help. We’d love to hear from you.