FAQ

Heaven Funerals

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the first thing I do after a death occurs?
  • If the death is from a known illness at home, call the family doctor and let them know that the death has occurred. 
  • If the death occurred at a hospital or nursing home, the staff will usually contact the doctor. 
  • If the death was unexpected or sudden, call the police and they will advise the next steps. 
  • After the doctor or police have been contacted, you then contact Heaven Funerals to arrange the transfer of the deceased into our care. 
  • We will suggest a time to meet and make all of the necessary arrangements. 
  • If the death was sudden and unexpected the Police and Coroner’s office will be involved.  
  • Call them first and follow their instructions and then call family and friends for support. 
  • Be aware that the Coroner’s office and mortuary will need to be involved. 
  • Finally, call Heaven Funerals. We will suggest a time to meet and make all of the necessary arrangements. 
  • Once the Coroner sends an Order to Release, Heaven Funerals staff will go to the mortuary and transfer your loved one into our care. 
  • The Ward senior nursing staff will talk you through the process once the death occurs. Each hospital is a little different so just follow their lead. 
  • Next, call family and friends and then call Heaven Funerals. We will suggest a time to meet and make all of the necessary arrangements. 
  • You will need to sign an Authority to Release Form advising the Hospital that Heaven Funerals will be transferring your loved one into our care. 
  • Your loved one will be taken through to the hospital mortuary until the paperwork is done. 
  • Hospital admin will complete most of the formalities as soon as possible including a Cause of Death Certificate (Form 9) necessary for the release of the deceased.  
  • Heaven Funerals will follow up with hospital staff within 24 hours to see when all the papers are ready. Once completed we will go to the hospital mortuary to transfer your loved one into our care. 
  • If family are not there, the staff will contact next of kin and advise of the passing. 
  • You will need to advise the nursing home staff that Heaven Funerals will be transferring your loved one into our care.  
  • The onsite registered nurse will fill out a life extinct form and call the Heaven Funerals. 
  • As most nursing homes do not have a mortuary, they will call Heaven Funerals at the time of death and we will go to transfer your loved one into our care. This may happen in the middle of the night if that is when the death occurred. 
  • The Cause of Death Certificate, (Form 9) will be provided by the nursing home doctor or GP within 48 hours of the death. Heaven Funerals will collect when it is ready. 
  • Friends and Family – But there are others who also need to know, though not necessarily straight away. 
  • Executor nominated by the deceased to carry out the terms of their will. 
  • Life or Funeral Plan Insurer. 
  • Your Minister or support group. 
  • Centrelink. 
  • Superannuation companies involved. 
  • Employer. 
  • Schools if a younger person. 
  • Australian Tax Office. 
  • Any other legal and financial advisors. 
  • No. You have the option to be repatriated (transferred) to wherever you wish. 
  • Heaven Funerals can arrange either interstate or overseas repatriations. 
  • Embalming is a necessity in these cases and will take place before repatriation. 
  • All flights, customs clearance and additional preparation are taken care of by us. 
  • Interstate repatriations can either be flown or transferred in refrigerated road vehicles. 
  • This depends on the cause of death and how far away your homeland is. 
  • Death not requiring an autopsy could be repatriated within three days. 
  • Deaths requiring an autopsy (Coroners case) can take between 7-14 days. 
  • No, embalming is only required when there is to be a long term viewing or repatriation. 
  • Embalming is required when the deceased is being repatriated to satisfy the airlines. 
  • Embalming is also required when the deceased is to be viewed in an open casket at home in the days leading up to the funeral. 
  • If neither of these are planned then the deceased are held in a cool room until the service. 

Yes, so long as the deceased is embalmed. 

  • It depends on the condition of the deceased at the time of passing. 
  • In most cases between 3-5 days is recommended.  
  • Longer periods of viewing are possible depending on cause of death and time of the year, i.e. summer versus winter. 
  • No, death registration takes place after the final burial, cremation or repatriation occurs.  
  • Our trained staff will gather all the information required and take care of the death registration within 48 hours of the funeral service completion. 
  • The Heaven Funerals staff will register the death as soon as possible after the funeral has taken place. The legal requirement is within 7 days following the funeral, but we have a 48-hour turnaround promise at Heaven Funerals. 
  • This is done directly with Births, Deaths and Marriages using the information that you will provide during the arrangement meeting. We register all deaths online. 
  • The Official Death Certificate will be mailed to the home address you elect during the arrangement meeting. 
  • Yes Prepaying your funeral is a possibility.  
  • We will give you a quote at today’s prices and lock those in so that you have no future worries about funding your future funeral. 
  • We use a third-party trust fund to keep your money safe. 
  • There are a number of different ways to plan ahead. 
  • Buying your own family cemetery plot(s) makes a lot of sense. Plots will continue to increase in cost as the years roll by so buying one now is a good idea. 
  • Check your superannuation to see if there is funeral cover in the plan. 
  • If you don’t have superannuation, you could start a savings account specifically for a funeral. 
  • There are many Funeral Insurance companies who sell funeral packages. Be sure to select wisely, some plans may eventually cost more than the cover if this is not capped. Also, some plans are not-inflation adjusted, so check the fine print. 
  • Life insurance is a different product and can take months to pay out. Check if there is a funeral  payout portion. This is usually the case for life insurance policies. 
  • The cost of a funeral is the same as asking the cost of a car. The real answer is, IT DEPENDS. 
  • Funeral costs are dependent on what the family wishes to do. The key variable is the Coffin/Casket selected, additional services (e.g. embalming) and products (e.g. Flowers, Newspaper notices, Service sheets etc) and the size of the deceased.  
As a basic guide the following ranges apply. 
  • No service local cremation are the least expensive- From: $1,500 – $2,500 
  • Grave Side local Burial – From :$2,500 – $4,000 Excluding Plot 
  • Full Service local Cremation – From: $3,500 – $5,000 
  • Full Service local Burial – From: $8,000 – $12,000 
  • Repatriations to New Zealand – From $6,500 – $9,000  
For an accurate quote based on what you really want to have happen. Call us and have a sit down and we will listen, plan and quote for you based on what you really want. 

Contact Us 24/7 on
(07) 3152 8363

We’re here any time of the day. You call us and we’ll pull out all the stops to be where you need us to be. If you have a general enquiry, you can also fill out the form below. We will get back to you as soon as possible.

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Testimonials

Michelle Larkin profile picture
Michelle Larkin
2 years ago
This is the third time our family has dealt with Heaven Funerals, following the loss of a loved one, and we keep returning to Ross Pokere and his team because they do such a wonderful job. Ross treats us like family - with kindness and sympathy - whilst removing any stress felt about the funeral and burial arrangements a funeral home takes care of. Thank you so much Heaven Funerals; we are truly grateful.
Helen Beaman profile picture
Helen Beaman
2 years ago
I recently lost my mother suddenly. I rang Ross to organise somebody to collect and organise her funeral for me from the Nursing home. The service and compassion i received from Ross and other members from Heaven Funerals was so heart warming. I would highly recommend Ross and his team for their understanding, compassion and above all the amazing Funeral service they did for my late mother.
Steve Stevenson profile picture
Steve Stevenson
2 years ago
I cannot speak highly enough of the exceptional service provided by Ross Pokere and his team at Heaven Funerals. They took care of my sister, with the utmost professionalism, compassion, and respect. From transportation to every aspect of the arrangements, they handled everything seamlessly, easing the burden on my family during such a difficult time. Ross and his team were not only highly professional but also incredibly down-to-earth, showing genuine compassion and care that brought us comfort and peace of mind. Their attention to detail and heartfelt approach ensured my sister received the beautiful send-off she deserved. I wholeheartedly recommend Heaven Funerals to anyone seeking a trusted and caring funeral service provider. Ross and his team go above and beyond to make an incredibly challenging time feel more manageable, providing both practical support and emotional reassurance. Thank you, Heaven Funerals, for your kindness and dedication.
Kalavite Kaloni profile picture
Kalavite Kaloni
2 years ago
Heaven Funerals: A Truly Exceptional Service I cannot recommend Heaven Funerals highly enough. This family owned business exceeded all our expectations with their prompt, professional, and reliable service. From the very beginning, Ross Snr and Ross Jnr were incredibly helpful and maintained excellent communication throughout the entire process. Not only were they more affordable than George Hartnett, but they also demonstrated a deep cultural awareness and respect for our Tongan funeral traditions. Moreover, their availability 24 hours a day provided us with much needed support whenever we needed it. Their sensitivity and understanding made a difficult time much easier for our family. They made the funeral arrangement process smooth and seamless, providing a dignified send-off for our beloved father. Heaven Funerals truly went above and beyond, and we are immensely grateful for their outstanding service. Ofa atu Pokere whanau
Steven Pook profile picture
Steven Pook
2 years ago
Ross and everyone else at Heaven Funerals did a wonderful job looking after my wife and making the arrangements for the funeral. Many attendees also spoke very highly of Ross in his role of Funeral Celebrant and I agree with them also.
Anau Maki profile picture
Anau Maki
2 years ago
I would like to thank Ross and the team for their service and dedication to our sister. Your professionalism and patience, made this process easy. Our mother and I traveled from New Zealand, and to witness your professionalism and assistance for getting our sister's body from Darwin down to Brisbane made the process stress free for us. You did everything perfect! Thank you for everything, God bless you all. Highly recommend 👌
Patty Elisaia profile picture
Patty Elisaia
4 years ago
I live in Bundaberg, and I had both my parents come stay with me. My mum passed away and I was heart-broken. I knew I had to get mum back to Brisbane, but didn't know how. I jumped on google and went with the first funeral director that came up. Worst decision I ever made. Luckily, a family friend recommended Heaven funerals. And my entire family felt at ease. As soon as we explained our situation to Ross, he took care of everything. Not only were they very professional, but they were very compassionate and understanding towards our cultural needs. I'm so glad that we switched to Heaven Funerals, in doing so, we were able to send mum off in such an amazing way. I've never experienced anything like this before, so I was absolutely clueless, But Heaven Funerals brought us comfort, guidance and catered to us and what we wanted for mum. So grateful, blessed and I highly recommend them. Thank you so much Ross and everyone at Heaven funerals..