.5 Good Things To Know About Cremations Services Adelaide 

The first crematorium in Australia was built at the West Terrace cemetery in Adelaide in 1901. It was the result of lobbying by a small but active group of citizens. It is likely that some of their motivation was to mimic trends in England where the first crematorium had been built about 20 years before (1879). If England had cremation services then Adelaide cremations would be a reality as well.

A Brief History Of Cremations In Adelaide

In its first year of operation the number of Adelaide cremations totalled just one. The population then was around 170,000 people, and while accurate records are not available, there would have been about 2000 deaths in that year. So it’s fair to say that initial uptake of cremation services was slow. The traditional importance of burial in religious custom was no doubt a strong factor, but there was also opposition to cremation services simply because it was seen as a ‘violent’ means of disposition compared to the prevalent idea of ‘laying a person to rest’.

The notion that some people 120 years ago considered cremation services to be violent probably seems a bit ‘precious’ nowadays. But in reality, the direct cremation of remains was then, and still is, a light industrial process using a furnace and fuel to reduce a body to bone fragment. The thing is that over time we human beings tend to stop thinking about things, and they become ‘normal’ – the technical term is habituation. So debate about the social cost of cremation in Adelaide faded into history.

 

…..Back To The Story Of Cremation In Adelaide. 

The original crematorium continued to operate and each year for a few decades there were few more people who opted for cremation services – ashes to ashes instead of dust to dust. Then around the 1950 the trend changed and the number of Adelaide cremation began to rise. 

You might guess that this was the result of changing social or religious values. Or maybe the influence of scientific thinking on popular culture. While social factors may have had some influence the main cause for the change was much simpler – it was the cost of cremation services Adelaide. 

It was about 1950 when the cost of a burial site and funeral became more than the cost of Adelaide cremations and the associated funeral services. In the years that followed, the number of cremation services in Adelaide continued to rise in line with increases in the cost of cemetery burials. This situation continues to this day, and now the difference in cost is gobsmacking! 

In Adelaide a family can organise a funeral with cremation services (at a crematorium) for $4,000 to $8,000 depending on their choices. If that same family wanted to buy a grave site in a metropolitan cemetery the prices start at about $21,000 and go up to $103,000 – just to clear, that’s for the grave only without any funeral services.

 

There Are More Adelaide Cremation Services Than Burials

Cremation services are now well entrenched in our culture, and in Adelaide cremations represent about 70% of metropolitan funerals. There is however a small, and growing, group of people questioning its environmental impact and necessity. There is another aspect to the cost of cremation over and about the financial cost – the environmental cost of Adelaide cremations. Cremation services use fossil fuels and emit atmospheric pollution. Arguments that cremation is necessary due to land shortage might apply in smaller countries, but lacks logic in Australia.

Until there is a cost-comparable alternative, cremation services Adelaide will continue to be a ‘default’ choice for many people. Provided crematoriums use modern furnaces that limit atmospheric pollution, and can genuinely offset the cremation process, the decision to choose cremation is a reasonable personal choice – at least for now. 

 

Funerals Becoming Less Common With Cremation Services In Adelaide – Kind Of! 

Once a person dies, our relationship with them changes to one of memory alone. What each of us takes away from a funeral is the memory of our final physical moments together. A funeral is most important to the people who knew the deceased, and we tend to think about funerals only as personal or family events. However, as individuals and families we are all part of our wider community, and funerals are an important social custom. 

William Gladstone, Prime Minister of England in the 1860’s is quoted as saying:

“Show me the manner in which a nation cares for its dead and I will measure with mathematical exactness, the tender mercy of its people, their respect for the law of the land and their loyalty to high ideals.”

Gladstone understood that the care that people afforded family members at the time of a death was a reflection of the values and functioning of society.

It doesn’t matter if a funeral is small or large, simple or ornate, affordable or extravagant. What matters is that we as individuals and families make informed and considerate choices, and engage in meaningful funeral rituals. Funerals that allow us the opportunity to pause, reflect, mourn, celebrate, and create lasting memories.

 

Some Things Are Essential For Cremation Services – Others Are Not.  

As it relates to cremation services, there is a part of the population that chooses direct cremation in Adelaide. A direct cremation is exactly what it sounds like. It is a cremation service where the funeral director provides only the essential elements. 

When a person dies, there are a number of practical, essential things that (practically and legally) need to be done to organise the actual burial or cremation of the person’s body (I’ll go into this further below). Then there are a range of non-essential, but important and meaningful, things that most of us want to happen – the funeral ceremony.

Essential things include:

• the immediate transportation and accommodation of the deceased
• some form of coffin or container
• organisation of death certificates and death registration paperwork
• the final disposition of the body i.e. the actual  burial or cremation services

From a practical and legal point of view, beyond the actions listed above, virtually everything else we do when a death occurs is a choice and not absolutely necessary. Of course, there are many things that we human beings regularly do and greatly value that are not essential. 

We don’t have to have birthday parties for our children, go to football matches, do crossword puzzles, paint pictures or listen to music – but we do because these are things that enrich our lives. 

Equally, we don’t have to organise an event or ceremony to mark and honour the death of a friend or family member – but we do because we are alive and feel the loss. Funerals help us address the social and emotional impact of a death, and while they may not be a legal requirement, it might be reasonable to argue that they really are essential acts for us as living beings. 

 

The Cost Of Cremation Adelaide Families Think Provides Fair Value

The direct cremation service is the cheapest cremation Adelaide families can choose because it involves only the essential elements. But families that choose direct cremation are not just seeking the cheapest cremation Adelaide can offer. Many families want more than the bare essentials, with families choosing Adelaide cremation services that are environmentally responsible and sustainable. 

The cost of any funeral comes down to the extent of the professional services requested by a family. At present, a simple attended cremation services funeral can be organised for between $4,000 and $8,000. As a fair cost for a direct cremation Adelaide residents expect to pay around $2,500 for a sustainable direct cremation. 

 

So How Much Should A Cremation Services Funeral Cost?’ 

Provided it is affordable, the cost of the funeral is often of less importance than the social and emotional benefits. What’s important is organising an appropriate event to allow people to come together in a meaningful way. 

There is an old saying that is in the form of a question and answer: 

How much water does it take to put out a fire? The answer is ‘just enough’. 

This is a useful principle to apply when considering the budget for a funeral. How much money should be spent? Enough to meet the practical, cultural and personal needs of the family. In funeral industry surveys, more than half (52%) of the population say they are interested in ‘green’ options. Fortunately there now exists the option of genuinely sustainable direct cremation services Adelaide families can afford and trust. 

So if a sustainable and environmentally friendly cremation is something you’d like to explore for you or your loved one then please call our team 24/7 on 1300 22 44 17 or, fill out our contact form here and we will contact you promptly. Our team is only too happy to provide you with a compassionate, sustainable and affordable alternative.