{"id":2493,"date":"2017-12-18T02:22:34","date_gmt":"2017-12-18T02:22:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/v2.picaluna.com\/?p=2493"},"modified":"2024-03-22T19:31:22","modified_gmt":"2024-03-22T08:31:22","slug":"why-australias-funeral-industry-needs-a-wakeup-call","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.picaluna.com\/why-australias-funeral-industry-needs-a-wakeup-call\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Australia\u2019s funeral industry needs a wakeup call"},"content":{"rendered":"

Picaluna has been featured in a news report about Australia\u2019s funeral industry.\u00a0Read the article on news.com.au.<\/u><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

WHEN Greg Inglis lost his mother a few years ago, the family ended up with a \u201ccookie-cutter\u201d funeral. And it gave him an idea. <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

If he had his time again, Mr Inglis said he would have instead planned a cremation for his mother, followed by a memorial service at Randwick Racecourse.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cShe loved the races \u2014 it was our thing,\u201d he said. \u201cThe ceremony we had didn\u2019t represent what mum was about.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

It was this unsatisfying experience that prompted Mr Inglis to launch Picaluna along with business partner Chris Hancock in a bid to shake up the lucrative $1.1 billion Australian funeral industry.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Picaluna helps people take control of planning a funeral by putting them in touch with celebrants, coffin suppliers, florists, venues and any other service providers they need.<\/span><\/p>\n

It means people can bypass traditional funeral directors and save money on big-ticket items like coffins, as well as allowing them to plan more personal ceremonies that better reflect their loved one\u2019s life.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the core of the business is Picaluna\u2019s team of celebrants \u2014 people who will sit down with families, learn about the person they\u2019ve lost and the life they lived, and plan a service accordingly.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFunerals aren\u2019t for the person who died, they\u2019re really for the people left behind,\u201d Mr Inglis said.\u201cYou\u2019re not pushed for time \u2014 the celebrant will sit down with you and say, \u2018tell me about your grandad. Oh, he was a surf lifesaver? Let\u2019s hold the service in his surf lifesaving club on the beach with all his mates\u2019 \u2014 the celebrants have total creative input, and in our model the funeral directors stay out of the way.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere are a lot of really good people working in the industry \u2014 we\u2019re not about bashing the industry. \u201cBut they\u2019ve got a captured market of people who are very emotionally vulnerable and some are not doing the right thing by families.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Instead, Mr Inglis said he wanted to re-educate both the industry and the general public. \u201cWe don\u2019t want to destroy the industry, we just want the industry to change the way they do things. There\u2019s enough for all of us,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAround 40 per cent of ceremonies are held in crematoriums or cemetery chapels and I\u2019d like to see none because I don\u2019t think it\u2019s very authentic \u2026 I\u2019d like to see more held at the family home, because that\u2019s a more natural place, or at beaches, parks or surf lifesaving clubs.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPeople don\u2019t realise what they can do. I want to see the end of the cookie cutter approach to funerals. Not everyone has to be dressed in black \u2014 you can have karaoke at a rooftop bar if you want.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Mr Inglis, who has a background in sales, never thought he\u2019d end up working in the funeral industry \u2014 but he said it was one of the most rewarding jobs imaginable.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAs sad as funerals are, there\u2019s also so much satisfaction,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve had families tell us [a relative\u2019s funeral] was the best day of their lives, and that gives us a lot of joy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Picaluna has organised 75 funerals since launching last October, and donates 10 per cent of the cost of each funeral to a charity of the family\u2019s choice.<\/span><\/p>\n

The company is also hoping to trial \u201cmini crowd-funding\u201d campaigns in future, which would encourage the deceased person\u2019s family and friends to donate to a special cause which would then \u201cbecome that person\u2019s legacy\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mr Inglis said funerals were evolving, with around 70 per cent of us now opting for cremations.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Picaluna has been featured in a news report about Australia\u2019s funeral industry.\u00a0Read the article on news.com.au. WHEN Greg Inglis lost his mother a few years<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2588,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_rsvp_to":"","_rsvp_max":"","_rsvp_show_attendees":"","_rsvp_instructions":"","simple_price":"","simple_price_label":"","venue":"","_template_start_hour":"","_template_start_minutes":"","_sked_minutes":"","_sked_stop":"","_sked_duration":"","_endfirsttime":"12:00","_sked_hour":"12","_sked_end":"13:00","rsvp_tx_template":0,"_rsvp_on":true,"_add_timezone":false,"_convert_timezone":false,"_calendar_icons":true,"_rsvp_end_display":false,"_rsvp_rsvpmaker_send_confirmation_email":false,"_rsvp_confirmation_after_payment":false,"_rsvp_confirmation_include_event":false,"_rsvp_count":true,"_rsvp_yesno":false,"_rsvp_captcha":false,"_rsvp_login_required":false,"_rsvp_form_show_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[67],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPlanning Funeral in Australia: Why the Industry Needs Wakeup Call<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover why Australia's funeral industry needs a wakeup call. 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