COVID-19 – Changed Guidelines for Funeral Services and Refreshments

Alex Gow Funerals takes our responsibility seriously when it comes to caring for our clients, staff and the local community. Caring for their mental health is as important as their physical health. We recognise that a funeral service is an important part of the grieving process and for as long as the Federal Government will allow, we will continue to provide high-quality meaningful funerals for families during this crisis.

The Federal Government has relaxed the restrictions for attendance at funerals effective from May 16th, 2020. Again, the restrictions are designed to help us all minimise the transmission of Coronavirus throughout our community. As of May 16th, indoor funerals will have a limit of 20 people plus 3 funeral staff including the priest/celebrant. Mourners for indoor funerals held inside must still abide by the 1 person per 4 square metre social distancing rule. Funerals held outdoors will have a limit of 30 people plus 3 funeral staff including the priest/celebrant, and the same social distancing rules apply. These guidelines have greatly reduced the number of people we can seat in established venues. (e.g. chapels, churches, community halls and event and function rooms) but these changes are for your safety and must be adhered to.

Funeral Planning

Alex Gow Funerals will continue to plan meaningful funerals with our clients We will continue to hold services at all the normal funeral venues across the greater Brisbane area, but the actual arrangement conference may now be in a different format. We are now asking families, for their protection and ours, if they would like to do the funeral planning over the phone. If they prefer still to do a face to face meeting, we ask that we can only meet with 1 family member to keep in line with the social gathering guidelines and if it can be held somewhere where we can ensure good social distancing.

Funeral Venues with live Streaming

City Central

Alex Gow Funerals chapel is located at 56 Breakfast Creek Rd, Newstead. This chapel can be used for both funeral or memorial services and is set up for complementary live streaming to the internet. After the funeral service, the recording is saved on the Funeral Suite website for up to 12 months where you can watch it and also download and save it to your own storage device.

Northside

The Great Northern Garden of Remembrance crematorium is set on 1.8 hectares of beautiful natural bushland in Deception Bay approximately 12 minutes up the highway from Carseldine. Service times in the chapel have now been spaced out which does give fewer time slots throughout the day, but this is to allow for our staff to clean the chapel and disinfect the area before the next service. This chapel is also set up to livestream funeral services to the internet as a complementary service.

Southside

Centenary Memorial Gardens is a Crematorium and Cemetery set on 40 acres in the greater western suburb of Sumner. It serves the communities of both Ipswich and South Western Brisbane. Centenary Memorial gardens has an indoor and outdoor chapel and can live stream funeral services from their indoor chapel. As with our other chapels there are limited time slots throughout the day to allow for our staff to clean and disinfect the chapel and surrounding area ready for the next service.

Gathering for Refreshments

After funeral Catering has now been discontinued at all venues to keep in line with the new Federal Government restrictions and will not be available from the 23rd March 2020 until further notice.

Further details

For the latest advice, information and resources on COVID-19, please visit www.health.gov.au or call the National Coronavirus Health Information Line on 1800 020 080. It operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you require translating or interpreting services, call 131 450