Let's talk about Caskets and Coffins

There have been many thoughts passed on to me about people’s preconceived ideas on what they will be buried in. Often I am told ‘I don’t want a coffin’, or ‘just put me in a cardboard box’, or ‘I just want a shroud’, or ‘I don’t care I’ll be dead’.

As the law in Australia stands at this moment in time, everyone needs a coffin or casket to have their body transported anywhere. Whether you are buried or cremated in one is another matter.

The vessel that you are buried in needs at least some thought, for the benefit of the family that you leave behind. Because we as a collective have come to the point of avoiding any thought of dying, we are leaving all the important decisions about our funeral to our loved ones, at a time when they themselves are going through one of the most difficult emotions in their lives – grief.

Let’s look at coffins and caskets. The difference between the two is the shape – coffins are diamond shaped and caskets are rectangular. Also, coffins come with a hinged lid. Whichever vessel you choose, it must be of the appropriate size to fit your body. There is an Australian standard size casket, but as we look around, there is not really a standard size person anymore. For burial, particularly in overcrowded cemeteries, as close to the standard size is preferred. But, out of sheer respect for the dead person, we would want them to be comfortably laid out in their final resting place.

Although there are some minor differences from State to State within Australia, there are basic requirements for a coffin:

• It must be sturdy enough to hold your weight. Nobody wants the bottom to fall out of their casket and although there is no official test to be passed, rigorous research into this is done by coffin makers. There’s a myriad of options available now including wicker, cardboard, MDF, pine, and even poly tube.

• And leakproof. To ensure your casket is leak proof they are usually lined with plastic, underneath the fancy lining. Sometimes they also have shredded paper underneath the lining.

Another part of the decision process is whether you want to be buried or cremated.

Being cremated has a couple of other point of consideration. 

• Your casket MUST have a flat bottom. When being rolled into the cremator there must be no reason that the casket could get stuck. There are only 2 crematoriums in Victoria that will cremate bodies in a shroud alone.

• The metal handles on a casket are removed before cremation purely because under severe heat they can warp and pop off, damaging the walls of the cremator.

• Cardboard coffins are not recommended for cremation – they produce too much ash and do not generate heat. The ashes from remains burnt in a cardboard coffin can be 50% more than in a timber coffin. Once again there is a standard sized urn for ashes – which means the family could be presented with one and half urns for your remains.

So I hope this has given you some indication of why it is important to think about what type of casket or coffin you would prefer.

Jennie Barnes

A Mother's Grief to Life Purpose

In 2004 Jennie Barnes’s life changed forever. Her 20-year-old son Jackson was dying from terminal cancer. Whilst most people struggle to come to terms with this fate – Jackson displayed integrity beyond his years. In the last 6 months of his life he created a funeral that his loved ones would treasure. It was his way of giving them one last memory of him. At the time there was very little in the way of crafting a personalised funeral, especially in rural South Australia. Tradition still ruled many aspects of a funeral, options (and approval) to personalise his send off were limited. So he took to hand making 100’s of paper cranes for mourners to throw over his coffin. He also took full control of organising the music he wanted played and by whom, where he wanted to be buried and who to conduct the service.

Jackson taking on these tasks meant that when the time came for Jennie to farewell her precious son she didn’t have to make these decisions in a state of grief and doubt that her choices were what Jackson wanted.

Over the last 15 years there has been a change and more people are demanding their own unique requests be honoured over a relatively traditional funeral. This led Jennie to finally be able to contribute to that growing surge of personal expression. Why can’t we have an orange lining with skulls and roses on it? Why can’t the family or friends pour their love into building and decorating a plain pine casket? Why can’t I have butterflies and fairies stuck all over a casket? And what about love notes under the lining?

From personal experience and discussion with people that were grieving the imminent loss of a loved one came Jennies business of passion – Last Expressions. They offer one simple casket design made from pine and ply. It can be delivered anywhere in Australia, to the public and funeral directors, as a flat-pack that is a blank canvas ready to be uniquely decorated. The packs come with step-by-step instructions, along with all the screws, glue and lining, they are easy to assemble with just a screwdriver. Jennie also offers timber tattooing – pyrography. She can burn a design of your choosing into the timber of the casket. Lachie, one of her other sons is a world renowned tattoo artist and is also available to help with timber tattooing. It’s a family affair.

Leaving in your own style is what we want for everyone – express YOU for the last time.

Jennie Barnes