Easing the financial stress of losing a loved one

In the Western Tablelands of North Queensland, a new service is assisting community members who have lost a loved one.

In June 2021, the Community Development Program (CDP) team in Kowrowa began building coffins for local families who can’t afford to buy one.

Lance Starr is CDP Activities Manager at Training Remote Accredited Community Quality Services (TRACQS).

‘On Facebook one night, my partner and I saw an Indigenous Elder that we both knew and respected who had just buried his son 3 weeks prior and then died himself, but there was no funding to bury him.’

‘And I thought, how can we assist this Indigenous Elder,’ Lance said.

‘We’ve got the skill sets, we’ve got the knowledge, and we’ve got the activities with all the tools. Let’s start making coffins.’

‘And that’s where the idea originated from.’

Capable of building furniture and other related products, the CDP team with its very skilled activity supervisors, quickly turned its attention to researching how, and then fabricating a coffin.

The decoration of coffins came about when the daughters of the above mentioned Elder asked if they could put their hand prints on the coffin. Lance agreed and the custom of painting and decorating the coffins has continued.

Rather than going to the workshop where the coffin is built, a family view it at Custom Culture, another CDP activity housed in Kuranda, which provides a better atmosphere for the grieving family.

Here they get to see the coffin. Lance uses a question and answer sheet to work out what specific designs the family wants.

Custom Culture have many decorating capabilities including air brushing, sublimation printing and more.

Using these, they can decorate the coffin with Indigenous pin striping, the deceased person’s totem and also a photo of the deceased which is printed on an aluminium plaque and then attached to the coffin.

‘When hand prints are requested, I personally paint each person’s hand and I try to make it a nice experience for the family,’ Lance said.

‘The community are very thankful for the free coffin. They absolutely appreciate the fact that TRACQS has come on board and after community consultation, provided this service.’

A local funeral director is so impressed with the service and the coffins that he now contracts the CDP team to produce them for customers who are able to pay. He then on sells at no extra cost to those customers.

This has opened up new opportunities for the CDP team which is now utilising its skills in fabricating other associated items such as crosses.

‘We intend to build this activity into a small business that is run by our job seekers in the future,’ Lance said.

‘TRACQS is going to buy the team a laser router and utilise local marble and granite to create headstones.’

There are many unmarked graves in the area and the CDP team is working towards ensuring every grave has at least a cross to identify it.

Be sure to read our up and coming story from TRACQS: Marking unmarked graves in the Western Tablelands.