No coffin required – shrouded cremation steps into the mainstream in NSW

The first shrouded cremation in a large Sydney crematorium took place on Tuesday, just weeks after the NSW Government cremation rules were changed.

Instead of a coffin, 92-year-old John Lines was wrapped in cloth, placed on a wooden bearer (like an oversized breakfast tray), and cremated. It was John’s choice – he was all about simplicity, you see.

At this stage, Woronora Memorial Park in Sydney’s south is the only one of the large Metropolitan Memorial Parks (MMP) operations to get the ok to do it. MMP’s other sites will also conduct them down the track. (MMP incorrectly claims John’s shroud cremation was the first in NSW, but that’s not the case. For example, Paperbark Deathcare in northern NSW has been facilitating them for close to five years.)

The changes to the NSW Health Public Health Regulation 2022 that permit the cremation of a person not in a coffin came into effect about a month ago, and will make it easier for operators and push the shroud option into the mainstream. Few people know it’s an option, despite it being available in states including Victoria, Tasmania, and Queensland for several years. The tricky bit is finding a funeral director and crematorium willing and able to facilitate it.

In NSW, an application for a shrouded cremation still needs to be made to NSW Health for each cremation, but MMP has applied for a blanket approval to streamline the process.

Rob Smart is the operations manager at MMP and chair of Cemeteries and Crematoria NSW. He told me that he and his team have been preparing for this for a year, working out the best way to accommodate shrouded cremations. There was lots of information sharing with the Southern Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust in Victoria, “which does about 22 shrouded cremations each year”, he said.

“We’ll be asking funeral directors to make a booking for a cremation time so we can ensure that the cremation is done straight away to avoid putting the person in the fridges.

“The body is strapped to a burial or body board to make sure they don’t slide off.”

Rob said it was important to bring staff along for this journey because the appearance of a shrouded body can be more confronting than a coffin.

 A cover made of calico is laid over the body, hiding the obvious shape a little.

And as for the cremation itself, Rob told me, “It’s not as shocking as people might think. Our staff are looking and checking coffins and bodies in the cremator all the time anyway”.

It’s great that people are being made aware of their choices. Shrouds can be just as expensive as coffins; however, people often make their own. And there are cheaper ones available too. For example, Life Rites Funerals, which conducted John’s funeral, has a bunch of shroud options on its website.

I wish all the best to John’s family. It’s great that his wishes for a shrouded cremation were able to be followed. Does your family know your wishes? The Bottom Drawer Book can help with that.