WA Great Southern Lindsay Tuckwell

Independent Civil Marriage, Family and Funeral Celebrant

Great Southern, Central Wheatbelt and South East WA

I believe my role as an independent funeral celebrant is to encourage and support families as they prepare to farewell their loved one. Although death is final, the way the funeral is conducted can help to keep memories alive in the hearts of those who care.

Often the funeral can be a celebration of all that person has achieved and an acknowledgement of how they have touched the people around them.  Obviously some losses are so tragic that it can be hard to see anything to celebrate. I know that I can offer empathy whilst still maintaining a professional and compassionate manner. 

I have conducted funerals in many different and some challenging circumstances, but I feel that the families always know how much I care and want to help them through what can be a daunting task.

Funerals can be a time of uniting families but also a time when past hurts can surface. My role is to assist and support as decisions are made about music, readings, the eulogy and who should be involved. I know that every ceremony is unique to that particular family.

The nice thing about funerals today is that families are encouraged to put their mark on the ceremony.  I attended one recently where the lady, who had known she was dying, arranged a party at the hospice, which had become her home. There was a slide show, important music and she had a chance to see her memoirs as written by her sister. Great food and champagne was shared and although she was not very well, she knew her family and friends were surrounding here with love.  As a request to her family she asked them to purchase a plain casket and to paint it with her favourite flowers. The job was tinged with sadness but it also allowed the family to share stories and prepare for the inevitable. As the casket was brought into the chapel, it was so bright and cheery, covered in beautiful hand painted nasturtiums, trailing around and over. 

The farewell music at the end of a funeral can be extremely moving and one that sticks out in my mind is the playing of ‘TUSK’ by Fleetwood Mac. As the casket left the building, this song was played very loudly and everyone felt uplifted. 

Another time, as we commenced a graveside ceremony, the skies opened up and the rain poured down. The lady had always lived in the country, and I remarked that she would have been extremely happy that the drought was broken, we somehow felt that she was right there watching over us.

If I had any advice, it would be for all of us to make sure we have a current will and talk about what we would like to happen when we die, to let our families know if we would like to be an organ donor and whether we believe in cremation or burial. The topic may seem morbid but it can help those left behind to make some quite difficult decisions easier at a very sad time. I think it is great to make suggestions for the music, readings and even venues, but it is also very important to allow that family to make final choices. The preparation for a funeral is part of the grieving process and my role, as celebrant, is to guide when necessary, support if needed and ensure that the ceremony is delivered as the family have requested.  

I feel that I am honoured to share the journey and for that intense time prior to the funeral I am available at all times to listen, advise and share my skills. 

Finally, if you are reading this at a time of grief, I offer you my sympathy and welcome your contact if I can be of any assistance. 

More about Lindsay: http://www.lindsaytuckwell.com