FLARE- UP OVER URN SIZE CLAIM
THE owners of Townsville’s Woongarra Crematorium have rubbished claims some of the ashes of the deceased have to be discarded because their urns are too small.
The claims have emerged as part of a dossier of alleged malpractice in the industry which is being released by rival undertakers Whitsunday Funerals and Crematorium.
The stoush also comes after a Rockhampton funeral home is being accused of switching an oak coffin for a pine box between the funeral and cremation of a woman.
Ray Valdeter, a director of Morleys Funerals who also has an interest in Woongarra, said the claims they were disposing of ashes because their urns were too small was “utter nonsense”.
“I completely deny that allegation. It’s utter nonsense,” Mr Valdeter said.
“The urns we have available at Woongarra Crematorium are, 1, a standard size and, 2, a larger size, depending on the amount of ashes.”
The Whitsunday Funerals dossier shows Burdekin Funerals and Townsville Cremations operator Neville Boyle has written to the Coroners Court of Queensland, the State Department of Justice, State Member for Mundingburra Coralee O’Rourke and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission about Woongarra’s urns, among other matters.
A letter from the executive manager of the Coroners Court of Queensland, dated October 20, 2017, says the court cannot investigate the matter unless it pertains to cremations under its Burials Assistance Scheme.
“The Coroners Court of Queensland does not have any legal agreement with the Woongarra Crematorium and as such I cannot investigate these claims unless they pertain to cremations performed under the Burial Assistance Scheme,” the letter says.
“While you have supplied photographs, it is unclear what the photos are depicting or whether they serve as evidence of human remains.”
But in an email from the ACCC dated February 14, 2017, the assistant director of enforcement told Neville Boyle his allegations of breaches of the Queensland Cremations Act were a matter for the State Coroner.
“I advise that we have spoken with the Office of the State Coroner within the Queensland Department of Justice and Attorney- General and they have confirmed that they are definitely the department who administers this legislation,” the email says.
Neville Boyle, who is the brother of Whitsunday Funerals owner Jeff Boyle, has declared war on the funerals industry with the launch of a special website entitled “Funeral Industry Exposed”.
“We don’t mind being controversial at Whitsunday Funerals if it helps you, or other members of the public, to get better care for your loved ones,” the website says.