A growing environmental awareness is leading many to consider the green credentials of their end-of-life decisions. As a company whose origin includes climate change within its founding principles, we are more than happy to work with you in these aims and to brainstorm innovation in this area.

A family-led funeral means that the family (whether of origin, or of choice) lead the funeral process, rather than having a funeral director lead. A funeral director may still be involved, but only to the degree that the family require. Family-led funerals are both old and new; they are the way that funerals used to happen, but are now also at the progressive edge of death being reclaimed by the community.

Home Funerals offer a deeply personal and intimate way to say goodbye, allowing families to gather in a familiar or significant setting that reflects your person’s life and values. Life Rites specialises in creating bespoke experiences that honour your wishes. Our approach ensures every ceremony is as unique as the individual it celebrates. All aspects of a funeral can happen in a home setting, and can also be preceded by a home vigil.

Regardless of our other specialties, Life Rites can provide beautiful, traditional funerals - and we often do! Whether for burial or cremation, using our beloved in-house chapel or chapels at any cemetery or crematorium, we love donning our smartest and most respectful black attire and bringing a deeply-felt and reverent professionalism to the fore.

People often choose to hold the funeral or memorial ceremony in a community location or designated venue that may hold personal or sacred value to the person who has died and their community. Or it may simply be the best place to accommodate large crowds. We work with you on practical, emotional and/ or spiritual requirements to ensure that the ceremony and event is just as it needs to be.

At Life Rites we have worked with many faiths, cultures and traditions and we love doing so. We have broad experience in collaborating with clergy and spiritual leaders, and relish the opportunity to participate and support varied rituals and practices.

Aunty Rhonda Dixon-Grovenor, our resident elder, and the Life Rites team are honoured to have worked with many Indigenous Australian families and communities on their funeral rites. Navigating kinship and ritual requirements is a skill we have had the privilege to hone and we would love to be of service to any First Nations people in this way.

Life Rites actively supports all members of the LGBTQIA+ communities, partners, families and their allies. Our team of queer-identified humans and allies understands some of the unique needs and experiences many in our communities bring to their death rites.

The Life Rites team has worked extensively with sudden, traumatic and complex deaths. This includes experience in coordinating with the coroners, police, victims unit and social workers. We bring a trauma-informed approach to all of our work and can offer bereavement services and referrals onward to further services.

A memorial is a ceremony where the coffin is not present. Living wakes, on the other hand, offer a ‘funeral’ in which the dying person can celebrate and be celebrated in open sharing about their death, whilst still alive. This can be a particularly potent practice for people in the early stages of dementia.

Memorials may follow a funeral directly, be many weeks or months after a funeral, or may be in place of a funeral. Living wakes can happen whenever you feel it is right.

Deep listening, presence, attention to detail and compassion make our Life Rites Doulas a gentle and informed companion for the heartbreaking loss of little ones, be this for babies, children or pre-term loss. Led by our team member, Kim Somerville, the Life Rites team have become specialists in creating time and space for the moments and rituals needed in these special circumstances.

As of 28th November, 2023, Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) has become possible for eligible people in NSW. Since then, the Life Rites team of Doulas and Funeral Directors have already worked with many people who have taken this option.